Tuesday 3 November, 3.00 pm
Exhibition opening: 40 photographs – Jewish life in Saxony today
Venue: Exhibition space on the ground floor of Chemnitz Town Hall, Markt 1
Admission: free
Just how diverse and vibrant is Jewish life in Saxony today? The photo exhibition ‘40 Photos – Jewish Life in Saxony Today’, organised by the Saxony Regional Association of Jewish Communities, invites visitors to discover Jewish culture and community from a new perspective.
As part of the ‘Tacheles 2026’ Year of Jewish Culture, three Saxon photographers offer insights into everyday Jewish life, religious festivals, cultural events and remembrance. The photographs span from Görlitz to Zwickau, bringing to light both contemporary community life and the traces of Jewish history in Saxony. The exhibition is complemented by a short film about Jewish life in the Free State.
The exhibition aims to shift the focus beyond historical events to the present day and bring the diversity of Jewish life to life. It invites visitors to gain new insights, challenge preconceptions and engage with Jewish culture as a living part of Saxon society.
The exhibition can be viewed from 4 to 13 November during the town hall’s opening hours.
Monday, 9 November, 11.00 am
Commemoration of the victims of Kristallnacht – commemorative event
Venue: Stele on Stephanplatz
www.chemnitz.de/gedenken
The night of 9 November 1938 ranks among the most horrific moments in German history. Across Germany, fascists systematically carried out brutal acts of violence against Jews, destroying shops and synagogues. That night marked the turning point from discrimination to deportation and murder. In Chemnitz, too, brutal attacks on Jews took place that night, and the Chemnitz synagogue on Stephanplatz was also destroyed.
Monday, 9 November, 6.30 pm
An evening in remembrance of the November pogroms – reading
Venue: Hartmannfabrik, Fabrikstraße 11
Admission: free
In a letter dated 16 November 1938 to the world-famous violinist Bronisław Huberman, the Jewish industrialist Karl Goeritz commented on the events in Germany, writing: ‘What is happening in Germany is the Dark Ages at their worst.’
To mark the conclusion of this year’s ‘Lichterwege’, an event at the Hartmannfabrik will focus on the horrific events of those autumn and winter days eighty-eight 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.
A collaboration between Buntmacher*innen e. V. and the City of Chemnitz as part of the themed year ‘Tacheles – Year of Jewish Culture in Saxony’. 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.
Wednesday, 11 November, 5.00 pm
UN Day Chemnitz. Hydrogen – funding hype or a technology with a future? – Talks and panel discussion
Venue: Stadtwirtschaft Chemnitz, Jacobstraße 46
Admission: free
How sustainable is hydrogen, and what role can it play in the energy supply of the future? UN Day Chemnitz on Wednesday, 11 November, will focus on hydrogen as a key technology for an affordable and clean energy supply – in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7).
Following the FC3 Fuel Cell Conference 2026, the City of Chemnitz, together with the United Nations University (UNU Resource Nexus) and HZwo e. V., invites you to a public evening event at Stadtwirtschaft Chemnitz. Expert presentations and a panel discussion will shed light on the current state of scientific research, the significance of hydrogen technology for Chemnitz as a centre of business and science, and its opportunities and challenges for the environment and society.
Under the guiding question ‘Funding hype or a technology with a future?’, experts from the fields of science, business, politics and the environment will discuss the potential of hydrogen and its contribution to a sustainable energy supply. The audience is also invited to ask questions and take part in the discussion. Musical performances, a prototype hydrogen-powered car on display and a get-together afterwards will round off the evening.
Tuesday, 24 November, 3.30 pm
Exhibition opening: “Now more than ever” – The re-establishment of the Jewish community in Chemnitz –
Venue: Chemnitz Town Hall, Exhibition Hall, Markt 1
Admission: free
On 17 September 1945, 18 Jewish survivors re-established the Jewish community in Chemnitz. Just a few months after the end of Nazism and the Shoah, they thus signalled a new beginning.
The exhibition commemorates these people and their courage in rebuilding Jewish life in Chemnitz despite persecution, loss and destruction. Documents and photographs illustrate the emergence of a new community, sustained by solidarity, faith and the desire for a safe home.
The exhibition can be viewed during the Town Hall’s opening hours from 24 November 2026 to 14 January 2027.