Honorary talers for outstanding personalities

During his New Year's reception today, Lord Mayor Sven Schulze presented the Chemnitz Honour Award to five individuals and one group. These people are characterised by their outstanding voluntary work in the emergency services, as part of the Capital of Culture, in inclusive sports promotion, in youth work and for civil society cohesion.

This is the third time that the Chemnitz Honour Award has been presented. Lord Mayor Sven Schulze: "The Ehrentaler goes to people who are committed to our city and the people of Chemnitz with energy and passion and thus achieve far more than can be expected. They are the ones who hold Chemnitz together. They give our city a face, attitude and warmth. They are the foundation of a strong urban society."

The following people were honoured:

Felix Birkner received the "Ehrentaler" for his almost 20 years of voluntary work with the Chemnitz water rescue group. In the rescue and medical service, he secured numerous events, not least during the Capital of Culture year, thus making a significant contribution to the safety of the participants.

Daniel Dost was honoured for his voluntary work for Buntmacher*innen e. V.. As the founder of this civil society initiative, he realises participation formats such as the "Lichterwege" or "Das demokratische Chemnitz liest!" in memory of the book burnings by the National Socialists in 1933 and thus strengthens the understanding of democracy in Chemnitz.

Gerald Richter is also committed to democracy and peace and is particularly active in the Aktion C citizens' initiative. With the Peace Banner project, he is making a major contribution to a peaceful urban society, promoting a lively culture of peace and actively involving young people.

Kerstin Stopp has been an advocate for people with disabilities for more than 40 years and is particularly committed to inclusive sport in Chemnitz. In the association for the promotion of integration through sport, she helps to bring people with and without disabilities together in everyday life and thus ensures greater mutual acceptance in society.

Feline Weltz looks after the interests of young people in the city. As a long-standing member of the Chemnitz Youth Forum, she is committed to social interaction and promotes important participation processes.

The volunteers of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 have made a special year possible through their voluntary work. Through their willingness, reliability and tireless commitment, they made a significant contribution to the smooth running and successful realisation of the events in 2025. Christina Fischer-Ullrich, Antonia Melzer and Danny Kollwitz accepted the "Ehrentaler" on behalf of the approximately 1,300 volunteers*.

Review and outlook

Mayor Sven Schulze welcomed around 300 guests from politics, business and society to the New Year's reception. In his speech, he recalled the 2025 Capital of Culture year, which was significant for Chemnitz: "It was one big moment together. One that showed how much courage, creativity and cohesion there is in this city and in the region - if only we dare to make it visible. This 'We shape our city ourselves and don't wait for someone to tell us what to do' - that is perhaps the most valuable legacy of 2025." In the upcoming year, which will be a bridging year for Chemnitz, it is now important to secure what has been achieved and consolidate structures.

At the beginning of the new year, Lord Mayor Sven Schulze named the further expansion of the Chemnitz model in the city centre as a major construction project and emphasised the importance of the federal government's infrastructure funding, which will provide the city of Chemnitz with around €8.8 million annually over a period of twelve years. A further five million euros are available through funding programmes for roads, bridges and school construction. The city council will decide in the first half of the year what the money will be used for in the first four years.

With a view to the upcoming budget discussions for 2027 and 2028, Lord Mayor Sven Schulze also called for honesty and responsible local politics as well as respectful behaviour in the debates.

*amended on 14/01/2026