Lord mayors and mayors of the region discuss projects and future cooperation until 2025

This Friday, the mayors of the Chemnitz 2025 cultural region met with Barbara Klepsch, Saxon State Minister for Culture and Tourism, in a digital conference. The main focus was on the exchange of future cooperation for the successful realisation of joint projects in the Capital of Culture year 2025 and the support of the state government.

Barbara Klepsch, Saxon State Minister for Culture and Tourism: "Chemnitz's successful bid to become Capital of Culture will not only benefit the city of Chemnitz, but will also have a positive impact on the entire region. I see this title as an opportunity to make the great tourist and cultural potential visible and utilise it in Europe together with the UNESCO World Heritage Ore Mountains/Krušnohoří Mining Region. The state government therefore fully supports the process and the successful implementation of the programme's projects up to 2025."

Lord Mayor Sven Schulze and project manager Ferenc Csák first informed the participants about the positive talks held with the state and federal government and the current status of the founding of the Capital of Culture GmbH. The company is to be entrusted with the task of preparing and realising the Capital of Culture year 2025 in the entire cultural region.

The "Friends of the European Cultural Region Chemnitz 2025" association was recently founded on the initiative of the mayors in the region. The chairman of the association, Mayor of Oelsnitz Bernd Birkigt, says: "The association will initially serve as an interface for cooperation between the city and the region."

Sven Schulze, Lord Mayor of the City of Chemnitz: "I am looking forward to working together. I am sure that the association will be available to us as an active partner and that we will now also work closely with the region on a cultural level. The corresponding cooperation agreement with the city of Chemnitz is to be signed shortly. In addition, we are currently preparing the necessary structures in the administration so that we can take the next steps on the way to the Capital of Culture year. My talks with the federal and state governments make me optimistic that we will receive the generous support we are hoping for."

Dirk Neubauer, Mayor of Augustusburg, presented a platform for digital and citizen-centred collaboration, which will soon be launched on a trial basis: "The digital platform will be used for citizen participation, micro-projects and communication in the region."

The presentation of the joint cultural projects created a good atmosphere during the conference. Numerous participating artists had their say in a recorded interview with curator Alexander Ochs from Berlin. As part of the so-called "Purple Path", numerous art projects are being created for the region, including one by the well-known photographer Andreas Mühe, who was born in Karl-Marx-Stadt.

The joint meeting was originally scheduled to take place in Freiberg but had to be moved to the digital space due to the pandemic.

Background cultural region:

Chemnitz and the region successfully applied for the title of European Capital of Culture 2025. On 11 January 2021, the city was officially awarded the title by the German Conference of Ministers of Culture.

The cultural region includes Chemnitz: Amtsberg, Annaberg-Buchholz, Aue, Augustusburg, Burgstädt, Burkhardtsdorf, Flöha, Frankenberg/Saxony, Hainichen, Jahnsdorf/Erzgebirge, Lichtenau, Limbach-Oberfrohna, Lößnitz, Mittweida, Neukirchen/Erzgebirge, Niederdorf, Niederwiesa, Niederwürschnitz, Oelsnitz, Olbernhau, Pockau-Lengefeld, Stollberg/Erzgebirge, Thalheim/Erzgebirge, Zwönitz - and the associated partners Freiberg, Schneeberg, Seiffen, Zschopau and Zwickau.