Diverse activities for the Chemnitz Peace Day
Hundreds of people remember the destruction of the city 70 years ago and set an example for peace, tolerance and cosmopolitanism
Hundreds of people from Chemnitz took part in numerous events and campaigns today to mark Chemnitz Peace Day, to commemorate the destruction of the city 70 years ago and all the victims of the Second World War, and to send a signal in favour of democracy, tolerance, peaceful coexistence and openness to the world, against hatred and neo-fascism.
"Peace needs the peaceful, in words and in deeds," said Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig on Peace Day. "That's why I'm delighted that Chemnitz residents from different generations have made a clear commitment to peace today in very different ways, standing up for democracy and cosmopolitanism, against prejudice and right-wing extremism. The message of Peace Day is the desire for peace and for a city in which all people can be different without fear."
The Day of Peace began with a wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial to the victims of the 5 March bombings at the municipal cemetery. The event was accompanied by a musical performance by pupils from the sports high school.
Numerous activities took place on the Neumarkt around the peace cross of the Peace Day working group, including the Czech-German youth theatre project "Imagine it's war", performed by pupils from Chemnitz and the partner city of Ùstì nad Labem.
Pupils from the Chemnitz music school performed in several shops in the city centre, for example in the Galeria Kaufhof, the city library and the Roter Turm gallery.
The traditional peace cross on Neumarkt square showed videos of cities destroyed during the Second World War. Wishes for peace were collected. Exhibition boards provided information about neo-fascism in Germany.
From 5 p.m., the peace routes led people from five Chemnitz churches to Neumarkt for the central evening event of the AG Friedenstag, which was attended by more than 300 people. A performance based on the Martin Luther King quote "I have a dream" was shown, which reflected the fate of refugees. Mayor Barbara Ludwig and the previous Peace Prize winners expressed their thoughts and dreams on Peace Day. The programme was musically framed by the Syrian musicians Mai Alkurdi (flute) and Youssef Bash (guitar).
The musical highlight of the day was experienced by visitors to the Chemnitz City Hall. The 7th symphony concert of the Robert Schumann Philharmonic Orchestra featured Torsten Rasch's commissioned work "A foreign field", which was created as a joint project by the Robert Schumann Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of General Music Director Frank Beermann and the Chemnitz Opera Choir, including choirs from the city of Chemnitz and the English city of Worcester. The work was premiered on 31 July 2014 at the Three Choirs Festival in England to commemorate the beginning of the First World War. It has now received its German premiere in Chemnitz.
At the end of the concert and the peace service that took place at the same time, visitors gathered again on the Neumarkt to place candles while the bells rang.
The exhibition of the photo campaign "No war in my name" can be seen in the Roter Turm gallery until the weekend. The Chemnitz photographer Karla Mohr has now taken portraits of more than 600 women with their peace confession.