Wednesday, 2 September, 3 pm
Reading club – Reading together means you’re less alone
Venue: Neighbourhood library at the Vita-Center
Admission: free
We’ll be discussing books that have recently impressed and inspired us.
Thursday, 3 September, 7 pm
Loneliness. A Story of Liberation – Reading by Daniel Haas
Venue: TIETZ, event hall
Admission: free
In this book, *Der Spiegel* columnist Daniel Haas explores his personal experiences of isolation and the influence of his family background. Following the suicides of his parents and a bout of burnout, he embarks on an honest, poetic quest to uncover the roots of loneliness.
An event in collaboration with the Evangelical Forum Chemnitz
Monday, 5 September, 3 pm to 5 pm
Language Café – Conversation
Venue: Central Library, BibliotheksLabor, Open Space
Admission: free
For anyone who enjoys chatting and learning from one another.
Monday, 5 September, 4 pm to 7 pm
Freifunk Drop-in Session – Discussion
Venue: Central Library, Library Lab, Gaming Arena
Admission: free
Freifunk Chemnitz e. V. is meeting in the heart of one of its largest installations to demonstrate, in a relaxed setting, just what’s possible with Wi-Fi today.
From a simple router you can place by the window to complex event planning, you’re welcome to drop by with any questions you may have or join us in setting up your very first Freifunk router.
Tuesday, 8 September, 10.00 am to 4.30 pm
Introduction to the Media Lab – Introduction
Venue: Central Library, Library Lab
Admission: free, register at www.stadtbibliothek-chemnitz.de/buchen
Do you have vinyl records and audio/VHS cassettes at home that you’d finally like to add to your digital playlist? Then make use of the technology in the BibLab! Today we’ll show you how it’s done; by tomorrow, you’ll be digitising your own collections.
Tuesday, 8 September, 10.00 am to 4.30 pm
Introduction to AudioStudio – Introduction
Venue: TIETZ, Central Library, Library Lab
Admission: free, register at www.stadtbibliothek-chemnitz.de/buchen
Have you always wanted to produce a podcast or a radio play? Are you looking for a space to record and edit your audio files? Then make use of the equipment in the BibLab! Today we’ll show you how it’s done; by tomorrow you’ll be getting started yourself.
Tuesday, 8 September, 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm
Banned Books in the GDR – Lecture by Stefan Wolle
Venue: TIETZ, VHS, Classroom 4.07
Admission: free, register at www.vhs-chemnitz.de
The GDR regime encouraged reading and a love of reading. At the same time, every printed word was subject to strict control and censorship. In the GDR, only those with a so-called ‘Giftschein’ (special permit) were allowed to read George Orwell’s *1984*. Copies were kept in locked cupboards in just a few academic libraries. ‘Forbidden literature’ also included comics and romance novels from the West. Nevertheless, Orwell and many other banned authors were still read.
This talk will explain the censorship policy in the GDR using selected examples of banned books from the GDR.
Thursday, 10 September, 3 pm to 6 pm
Let’s play – Gaming in the library – Gaming
Venue: TIETZ, Central Library, GamingArena
Admission: free
We’ll be playing new games together on our consoles. Recommended for ages 12 and over.
Thursday, 10 September, 7 pm
The Shoah and the GDR. Actors and Negotiations in Anti-Fascism – Book launch with Alexander Walther
Venue: TIETZ, Event Hall
Admission: free
What role did Jewish survivors play in the GDR in the cultural engagement with the Shoah and National Socialism? How could Jewish experiences of persecution and anti-fascist convictions be negotiated and articulated in the face of state-imposed anti-fascism? Moderator: Daniela Schmohl
A joint event with the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation Saxony.
This event is co-funded by taxpayers’ money on the basis of the budget adopted by the Saxon State Parliament.
Tuesday, 15 September, 10 am to 1 pm
Smartphone drop-in session for senior citizens
Venue: Central Library, Learning Room
Admission: free
Thursday, 17 September, 5.30 pm to 7 pm
What does AI actually mean?
Venue: Central Library, Study Room
Admission: free
An introductory course for older people organised by the Nachrichtenwerkstatt
Monday, 21 September, 7.00 pm
Boris von Heesen: Man at the Wheel. How patriarchy is blocking the transport transition
Venue: TIETZ, Event Hall
Admission: free
Boris von Heesen, an economist and qualified men’s and violence counsellor, puts forward the following arguments: “Men dominate the roads – with oversized cars, aggressive behaviour or excessive noise. This is well documented by transport statistics, yet it is merely a symptom of a larger problem. Rigid and powerful networks in politics, public authorities, associations, businesses and academia are preventing the urgently needed shift towards sustainable mobility for Germany.”
An event as part of European Mobility Week in cooperation with VCD Verkehrsclub Deutschland, the local branch of the Elbe-Saale regional association
Wednesday, 23 September, 5.00 pm
Carmen Rohrbach: The Way of St James – Walking the ‘Path to Heaven’
Venue: Neighbourhood library in the Yorck Centre
Admission: €5, concessions €3
Long before today’s pilgrimage boom, Carmen Rohrbach set out on the Way of St James in the 1980s – from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Finisterre. Back then, there were hardly any signposts and pilgrims’ hostels were few and far between, with only a handful of people venturing along the route. She traversed an unspoilt, predominantly agricultural region, almost entirely on her own in the open countryside.
A compelling travelogue and a much-loved classic of pilgrimage literature.
Thursday, 24 September, 3 pm to 6 pm
Let’s play – Gaming at the library – Gaming
Venue: Central Library, GamingArena
Admission: free
We’ll be playing new games together on our consoles. Recommended for ages 12 and over.
Thursday, 24 September, 3 pm to 5 pm
Introduction to 3D printing
Venue: Central Library, Library Lab
Admission: free, register at www.stadtbibliothek-chemnitz.de/buchen
How does a 3D printer work? Where can I find ready-made models? What settings do I need to adjust?
Are you looking for a way to print small, useful items? Then make use of the technology in the Library Lab! Today we’ll show you how it works; by tomorrow you’ll be bringing your own projects to life.
Thursday 24 September, 7 pm
‘Expelled for a Reason’ – An annotated reading
Venue: TIETZ, Stefan-Heym-Forum
Admission: €3, concessions €1.50
Klaus Mann and Stefan Heym: two writers who were forced to leave Germany in 1933 and returned with the US Army in 1944–45; both wrote for anti-fascist newspapers in the US and were responsible for leaflets and newspapers during the war. They never met, although they did collaborate on journalistic projects. Together with the Klaus Mann Initiative, we are exploring the life stories of these two men, whose paths might well have crossed, even though their literary beginnings could not have been more different. Or perhaps they did?
An event organised by the International Stefan Heym Society in cooperation with the Klaus Mann Initiative Berlin.
Thursday, 24 September, 7.00 pm
Where the Dead Speak – Reading by Jaroslav Rudiš
Venue: TIETZ, Neue Sächsische Galerie
Admission: €10, concessions €6
Three friends – two men and a woman, all somewhere between middle age and weariness of life – set off on a journey through the heart of Central Europe. In the boot: the bones of a Nazi criminal, which they have stolen from a Berlin cemetery to pre-empt looting neo-Nazis.
What begins as an absurd mission turns into a road trip through cemeteries and into the past. A fast-paced novel full of laconic humour: Jaroslav Rudiš sets off on a breakneck odyssey along the borders of central Europe and exploring what binds us together.
Friday, 25 September, 7.00 pm
On Cities – Farewell to the City of Chemnitz’s 2026 Literature Fellows
Venue: TIETZ, Neue Sächsische Galerie
Admission: free
At the end of their 2026 City of Chemnitz literature fellowship, writer and director Judith Kuckart and photographer Burkhard Peter will present the results of their residency in text and images. Chemnitz will feature as an external urban landscape. At the same time, however, the Kuckart/Peter duo will attempt to unearth invisible stories of everyday life.
The evening will be accompanied musically by Salome Ahmend on percussion and Raissa Mehner on guitar. The duo are said to embody the ‘heartbeat of freedom’.
Saturday, 26 September, 11 am to 2 pm
Open writing workshop organised by the Free German Authors’ Association – Workshop
Venue: Central Library, Learning Room
Admission: free
Editing your own texts. First-time visitors are also welcome to simply listen.
Saturday, 26 September, 10 am to 2 pm
Big Book Sale
Venue: TIETZ, ground-floor foyer
Sale of surplus library materials: books, CDs, DVDs and console games.
Saturday, 26 September, 1 pm to 5 pm
Pack your bags! – Clothes swap party with music, snacks and drinks
TIETZ, event hall
Admission: free
For every item of clothing you bring, you can take one home.
A maximum of seven items in good condition and washed (no underwear).
Saturday, 26 September, 5 pm to 9 pm
Pen & Paper Role-Playing Games – Meet-ups and Introduction (DE/EN) – Gaming
Venue: Central Library, GamingArena
Admission: free, register at www.stadtbibliothek-chemnitz.de/buchen
Minimum age: 10 years
Gain role-playing experience in one-shot adventures, chat with others, discover short narrative games, and borrow games and adventures.
Want to play in English? Or would you like to run a one-shot?
Email us at biblab-c@stadtbibliothek-chemnitz.de
Monday, 28 September, 2.30 pm
Reading Time – Reading together means reading less alone – Storytelling for adults
Venue: Central Library, Library Lab Open Space
Admission: free
Put an end to reading alone within your own four walls! Our reader, Heike Kozik, has once again selected some interesting books for adults and will be reading from them.
Wednesday, 30 September, 3.00 pm
Reading Time – Reading Together Means You’re Less Alone – Read-Aloud Session for Adults
Venue: Yorck-Center Neighbourhood Library
Admission: free
Recurring events
Tuesdays, 1 pm to 3 pm
Refugees welcome in the library! – Support
Venue: Central Library, Culture & Countries section
Admission: free
Learning mentors help with learning German and with homework for DaZ and DaF courses (German as a Second Language / German as a Foreign Language).
Thursdays, 3 pm to 6 pm
E-book consultation hours – Consultation hours
Venue: Central Library, Science & Technology Section
Admission: free of charge; please register at www.stadtbibliothek-chemnitz.de/buchen or by telephone on 0371 488 4222
Would you like to know how the Onleihe works, or do you have a new device on which you’d like to use the Onleihe? We’ll help you set it up and borrow your first book. Do you already use the Onleihe but are having problems with your e-book reader, reading on your tablet, or aren’t sure why you’re unable to borrow e-media? We’re happy to help.
Tuesdays, 3 pm to 6 pm
Project work consultation: Project work – a complex task?
Venue: Central Library, Science & Technology Section
Admission: free of charge; please register at www.stadtbibliothek-chemnitz.de/buchen or by telephone on 0371 488 4222
We can help with literature research: we’ll introduce you to library catalogues and online databases and show you how to find suitable sources for your topic.
Attendance at the project consultation session is free of charge. A library membership is required.
Storytime
On tiptoe … Stories to listen to,
read aloud for anyone with ears pricked up.
Our storytime volunteers read the latest children’s books, classics, ‘bestsellers’ from their own childhoods, or even stories they’ve written themselves.
Admission: free
Dates:
Tuesdays, 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th September, 4.30 pm each day
Venue: TIETZ Central Library, Children’s Library
Tuesdays, 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th September, at 4 pm each day
Venue: Einsiedel District Library, Einsiedler Hauptstraße 79b
Tuesdays, 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 September, 4.30 pm each day
Venue: Yorck-Center Branch Library, Scharnhorststraße 11
Saturdays, 5, 12, 19 and 26 September, 11.00 am
Venue: TIETZ Central Library, Children’s Library
Saturdays, 5, 12, 19 and 26 September, 10.30 am each day
Venue: Vita-Center Neighbourhood Library, Wladimir-Sagorski-Straße 22
Subject to change in the light of current circumstances.