The European Capital of Culture intervention area below the railway viaduct will be opened on Saturday, 23 August as part of the "Fertsch" weekend, which celebrates the completion of almost all intervention areas. From 11 am to 2 pm, there will be a colourful entertainment programme with fun and games for young and old. The event is open to the public and admission is free.
The programme includes guided tours of the intervention area, the ADFC will be on site with a bicycle course, the Viadukt e. V. will present activities for the preservation and construction progress of the viaduct, basketball and table tennis can be played. The art project "Treibgut - Stadtgut - Rettungsring" will be presented by the artist Christoph Roßner. The Chemnitz park railway presents itself. A bouncy castle, reaction wall, four wins, giant football darts and the "Tufspil" game with depth, a geological game for personal body awareness, invite you to discover the surroundings. Musician Stefan Weyh and DJ Wenzelyzer provide the musical backdrop.
Viaduct set in scene - park as part of an art trail
The redesign of the area at the entrance to the city park, which began last December, is now complete. The aim is to turn the small park into a meeting place for all age groups. The viaduct itself was staged and emphasised as an architectural element.
An asphalted cycle path connects the pedestrian and cycle bridge with Beckerstrasse, while a park path provides an additional link to the city park. These paths in the western section lead to viewing and information points. A new path was created in the eastern section of the park, where a seating sculpture made from historic bridge elements invites visitors to relax. A paved multifunctional area offers space for exercise - for example at the new table tennis table installed this week.
In future, the art project "Treibgut - Stadtgut - Rettungsring" by the Chemnitzer Künstlerbund e. V. will be on display in an area next to it. It blends harmoniously into the surroundings.
A viewing point in the north is elevated and offers an unobstructed view of the viaduct and the city. This "balcony" is framed by historic railing posts from the old viaduct. Three seating sculptures made from former bridge elements and the salvaged kilometre stones from the railway line, which are placed at the forks in the path, give the site a character typical of a railway.
The embankments have been landscaped and areas planted with wild flowers and trees. Gaps in the edge of the forest were closed with new plantings.
The total cost of the project is around 680,000 euros. The project was realised by Fachcenter Garten + STL-Bau GmbH, Grünbau GmbH, Steinbach & Richter GbR, Metallbau Pohlers and UKL Ulrich Krüger Landschaftsarchitekten.
The background
The intervention areas are the city of Chemnitz's urban development project for the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 and are spread across the entire city area. The railway viaduct is part of the "Stadt am Fluss" project, which is revitalising urban areas along the Chemnitz river: Auftakt an der Quelle, Stadtpark - ehemaliges Flussbad, Stadtpark - am Wehr, Bahnviadukt, Uferpark - Industriegeschichte am Fluss.
The original plan was to demolish the historic railway viaduct and replace it with a new one, but Chemnitz citizens successfully campaigned to preserve it. The viaduct thus became a symbol of civic engagement. Deutsche Bahn AG succeeded in carefully restoring the structure.