Capital of Culture: much encouragement from the region
Communities of the Chemnitz model support the Chemnitz Capital of Culture bid
On Monday, 24 April, Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig met with the mayors and representatives of the municipalities of Amtsberg, Annaberg-Buchholz, Burkhardtsdorf, Flöha, Frankenberg, Hainichen, Jahnsdorf/Erz, Limbach-Oberfrohna, Mittweida, Oelsnitz/Erz., Stollberg and Thalheim/Erz. to discuss the Capital of Culture bid. The Lord Mayor invited the municipalities, all of which are or will be connected to the City of Chemnitz via the Chemnitz Model, to participate in the bid for the title of "European Capital of Culture 2025" with their own ideas and proposals.
Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig: "I am delighted that so many communities from the Chemnitz Model have accepted my invitation to this dialogue. The interest and encouragement we received yesterday for our Capital of Culture bid is a strong signal. For the application, we will work together with the municipalities to work out what connects us and what common stories we can tell Europe."
Together with Ferenc Csák, Head of the City of Chemnitz's Culture Department, the Lord Mayor presented the Chemnitz 2025 project and provided information about the application process. The Lord Mayors and Mayors of the municipalities present suggested reporting on the Capital of Culture endeavours in their official and municipal newspapers in order to familiarise the citizens of the Chemnitz cultural region with the project. In addition, the mayors have agreed with Ferenc Csák to organise two workshops on the Capital of Culture, which are to take place this summer. The aim of these workshops is to find joint projects for the Capital of Culture application.
The mayors of the municipalities see the Capital of Culture bid as an enormous image boost for the region, which could also attract skilled labour to the Chemnitz region and increase the loyalty of young people to the region.
The basis for the meeting is the joint infrastructure project, the Chemnitz model. The town hall had invited all municipalities that are or will be connected to the city of Chemnitz with a stop or terminus via the Chemnitz Model. All the municipalities are equally rich in culture and characterise the Chemnitz cultural region. When all stages of the Chemnitz Model are in operation, around 800,000 people in the catchment area of the Chemnitz Model will be connected to the city of Chemnitz via the urban tram network and regional railway lines. The realisation of the Chemnitz Model project is being driven forward by the Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen (ZVMS), Chemnitzer Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft (CVAG) and DB AG.