Commemorating the victims of Kristallnacht
Wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial on Stephanplatz on 9 November at 11.00 – ‘Lichterwege’ from 16.00, throughout the city – Reading from 18.30 at the Hartmannfabrik
On Monday, 9 November at 11.00 am, the city of Chemnitz will commemorate the victims of Kristallnacht on 9 November 1938 and the six million Jewish people murdered during the fascist regime. Mayor Sven Schulze will lay a wreath at the memorial stele on Stephanplatz, the former site of Chemnitz’s synagogue.
Speeches will also be given by Alexander Dierks, President of the State Parliament; Dr Ruth Röcher, Chair of the Jewish Community of Chemnitz; and Hannah Allen, a descendant of the Jewish Magen family from Chemnitz. The choir of the Jewish Community of Chemnitz will provide musical accompaniment for the commemorative event.
The event is open to the public. Representatives of the media are also invited.
Hannah Allen will be available for interviews following the commemorative event.*
On the night of 9 November 1938, synagogues were set alight; Jewish people were arrested, deported and shot. That night marked the turning point from discrimination to deportation and murder.
Road closure
Due to the event, Reichsstraße between Zwickauer Straße and Weststraße will be completely closed from approximately 10.45 am until approximately 12.15 pm. Road users are asked to avoid the area by taking a wide detour via Zwickauer Straße – Barbarossastraße – Weststraße.
The event will also be secured by the Chemnitz Police Department through operational measures. The CVAG will announce any changes to bus services separately.
Further events
Paths of Light: 9 November, from 4.00 pm, throughout the city
The people of Chemnitz are invited to clean and illuminate the Chemnitz Stolpersteine in memory of the victims of Nazi tyranny. This initiative sends a message against forgetting throughout the city.
All locations of the Stolpersteine can be found at www.chemnitz.de/stolpersteine.
An event organised by the Stolpersteine Working Group and the Buntmacher*innen. The event is open to the public.
Reading: 9 November, 6.30 pm, Hartmannfabrik, Fabrikstraße 11
In a letter dated 16 November 1938 to the world-famous violinist Bronisław Huberman, the Jewish factory owner Karl Goeritz commented on the events in Germany, writing: ‘What is happening in Germany is the Dark Ages at its worst.’
To mark the conclusion of this year’s ‘Lichterwege’, the event at the Hartmannfabrik is dedicated to the horrific events of those autumn and winter days 88 years ago – the ‘catastrophe before the catastrophe’. Eyewitness accounts and contemporary testimonies will be interwoven with original recordings from Jewish record companies in Berlin – long believed to be lost – to create a gripping and harrowing narrative. Stella Maria Adorf, whose grandmother was a close friend of Karl Goeritz, will be a guest at the event.
Admission is free. Members of the media are also invited.
A collaboration between Buntmacher*innen e. V. and the City of Chemnitz as part of the ‘Tacheles – Year of Jewish Culture in Saxony’ programme. Funded by the City of Chemnitz’s Cultural Promotion Programme and the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony. This initiative is co-financed by tax revenue on the basis of the budget adopted by the Saxon State Parliament.
All events can be found at www.chemnitz.de/gedenken-reichspogromnacht and in the attached flyer.
* Updated on 4 November 2026