Football World Cup: The biggest Germany fan is in Chemnitz
One week to go until the World Cup kicks off in São Paulo. As part of the "I am the city" communication campaign, Chemnitz is also preparing for the four-week spectacle in South America - but in a very original way. The third-largest city in eastern Germany has the biggest and heaviest Germany fan in the nation. He is the ideal twelfth man in national coach Joachim Löw's team, a perfect full-blooded striker with his size and robust nature: his name is Karl Marx. His height: 7.10. His weight: 40 tonnes. He is also the city's most famous landmark.
"With this campaign, Chemnitz is dressing up for the World Cup and presenting itself in a friendly way and with a wink as a cosmopolitan and tolerant city that is also ready for the World Cup," says Katja Uhlemann, press spokeswoman for the city of Chemnitz. "We want people who want to make themselves at home here or guests to feel at home in the city," says Katja Uhlemann. Hence the trilingual greeting from Karl Marx in reference to his call "Proletarians of all countries, unite" - "Football fans of all countries, we salute you".
"Sport is an excellent means of communication. Where else do such different cultures meet as in a duel between two nations over the round leather?" says
Joerg G. Fieback, Managing Director at Zebra. "We in Chemnitz are looking forward to the World Cup and want to show this in our own way."
The World Cup campaign is made possible and kindly supported by the sponsor Schloz Wöllenstein GmbH & Co. "We are Chemnitz residents and our city is close to our hearts as a Chemnitz-based company. Chemnitz was and is a city of sport. There are many passionate football fans here - like me - who are really looking forward to the World Cup. The love of football unites people all over the world and Chemnitz is part of that," says Andreas Wöllenstein, Managing Director of Schloz Wöllenstein GmbH & Co. "With the Karl Marx head as the city's landmark and therefore probably the heaviest football fan of all, we want to say in a likeable way that Chemnitz is taking part in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with all its heart." Alongside the World Cup campaign, Schloz Wöllenstein will also be running a matching betting game at swmb.wmkick.eu from tomorrow . This means that over the next few weeks, the Chemnitz-based company will not only be focussing on cars, but also on the right World Cup tips.
Chemnitz - a cosmopolitan and tolerant place
It is the people of Chemnitz - of all nations - who make the city a cosmopolitan and tolerant place. Almost 10,000 people from 127 nations live here as their main place of residence (as at 31 March 2014). Most of them come from Ukraine (978), followed by the Russian Federation (957) and Vietnam (631). They enrich city life with their culture, language and education. The Technical University is an important player in an active welcoming culture. In 2013, 11,231 students were enrolled at the university - 1,633 of whom were of foreign origin. The university's excellent reputation transcends both regional and national borders.
Internationally orientated, at home in Chemnitz
Chemnitz companies are often internationally orientated. Research and development are a prerequisite for continued success. Many start-ups are the result of innovative product ideas. One aim of the campaign is therefore to attract well-trained specialists to Chemnitz for local companies in the coming years.
Keyword "The city is me"
The people of Chemnitz are at the centre of the city's communication campaign. They describe their attitude to life, acknowledge the good aspects of their city and thus become ambassadors for a strong Chemnitz worth living in. The campaign advertises with the inviting motto "The city is me". This year, people in the city and surrounding area will be addressed first in order to jointly develop what is important for the city's identity and then, next year, to get Chemnitz talking outside the city. The online dialogue platform www.die-stadt-bin-ich.de is at the heart of the campaign. In addition to confessions, whether in words, pictures or videos, visitors can find contributions here and on the Facebook page www.facebook.com/diestadtbinich, for example via the "MACHER DER WOCHE" and the photoblog - 1000 Gesichter.