On the occasion of the nationwide day of remembrance for the victims of National Socialism and the more than 60 million people murdered during the fascist tyranny, a public commemoration ceremony will take place on Tuesday, 27 January at 10 a.m. at the memorial in the Park of the Victims of Fascism, to which all Chemnitz residents are invited.
Representatives of the media are also invited to attend.
Lord Mayor Sven Schulze, other representatives of the City of Chemnitz and the city council groups will walk from the roundabout in front of the Georgius Agricola Gymnasium Chemnitz to the memorial and lay wreaths.
Lord Mayor Sven Schulze and Dr Harald Langenfeld, Honorary Consul of the Republic of France in the Free State of Saxony, will give commemorative speeches.
The event will be culturally and musically framed by pupils from the Georgius Agricola Grammar School and the music school on Thomas-Mann-Platz.
Following the wreath-laying ceremony, visitors will have the opportunity to watch the film "Justin Sonder" in the Metropol cinema, starting at 11.30 am. Attendance is free of charge.
Justin Sonder, deceased honorary citizen of Chemnitz and Auschwitz survivor, talks about his time in the concentration camp in a moving interview. Companions, including his daughter, friends and historians will have their say.
Background:
Since the end of the war, the victims of National Socialist tyranny have been commemorated in Karl-Marx-Stadt/Chemnitz. On 27 January 1945, Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp. Following an initiative by former Federal President Roman Herzog, 27 January has been observed in the Federal Republic of Germany as a day of remembrance for the victims of National Socialism since 1996.