On Wednesday, 24 September, Lord Mayor Sven Schulze and the Saxon Network of the Weimar Triangle will jointly open the Day of the Weimar Triangle and European Languages in Chemnitz at Haus Kraftwerk, Kaßbergstraße 26. From 9 a.m. to 8.30 p.m., more than 20 associations and institutions will be organising an intergenerational and varied programme with a colourful mix of linguistic, European, social, literary, cinematic and creative activities, readings, workshops and much more. These include programmes for kindergarten and primary school children, activities for secondary school students and events for students and adults.
Minister President Michael Kretschmer is the patron of the event. Mayor Sven Schulze will read from the Chemnitz fairytale book for children at 9.30 am. In the evening, at 7.30 pm, the European Movement Saxony e. V. will award this year's Saxon Europe Prize to a person who has rendered outstanding services to the European idea and European integration in Saxony over decades. Afterwards, the State Chancellery will invite the diplomatic missions of Poland, France, the Czech Republic and Ukraine to a political discussion on issues of cooperation and security in Europe.
A total of more than 250 participants (school classes, day-care centre groups, students and interested adults) are expected on this day. Many of the workshops are already fully booked.
The day is being organised by the Saxon Network on the Weimar Triangle, which was founded by the German-Polish Society of Saxony, the Europa Direkt Institute for Intercultural and European Studies and the European-Humanist Education Foundation Waldenburg. The city of Chemnitz provides organisational and financial support for the event and also helps to promote international understanding.
For example, two school groups from Poland were officially invited by the city of Chemnitz to enable a direct exchange between children from Germany, Poland and France - in the spirit of European networking. The schools were selected in close cooperation with the Saxony Liaison Office in Wrocław.
The city of Chemnitz maintains close relations with the Polish city of Łódź and the French city of Mulhouse - which also emphasises the trilateral commitment in the spirit of the Weimar Triangle.
Lord Mayor Sven Schulze: "The Weimar Triangle is a symbol of European cooperation across borders and an important instrument for civil society and political dialogue, especially today. Chemnitz is making a concrete contribution to this with its diverse day of action."
The Weimar Triangle
The Weimar Triangle was established in Weimar in 1991 by the then foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland in order to develop a common vision for the future of Europe and to enable coordinated cooperation in Europe through the reconciliation of these three nations.
The Day of European Languages was initiated ten years later, in 2001, by the Council of Europe to celebrate Europe's linguistic diversity and promote lifelong language learning.
The Saxon Network for the Weimar Triangle
The Saxon Network for the Weimar Triangle was founded in 2021 by the German-Polish Society of Saxony, the Europa Direkt Institute for Intercultural and European Studies and the European-Humanist Education Foundation Waldenburg. The network maintains a lively exchange and organised the Saxon Day of the Weimar Triangle in Dresden for the first time in 2024.