Manager - visionary - bridge builder: Chemnitz celebrates the 100th birthday of honorary citizen Carl Horst Hahn

On 1 July 2026, Prof. Dr Carl Horst Hahn, one of the most significant entrepreneurs in German automotive history and an honorary citizen of Chemnitz, would have turned 100. The city of Chemnitz is marking this occasion by honouring him with a series of events. The programme of events, entitled ‘Manager – Visionary – Bridge-builder’, combines automotive history, culture and personal memories, inviting visitors to rediscover Carl Horst Hahn’s life’s work and the history of Chemnitz as an automotive hub. 

Lord Mayor Sven Schulze: “The rich history of Chemnitz as an automotive centre is inextricably linked to the name Carl Horst Hahn. For him, entrepreneurial success always went hand in hand with responsibility, down-to-earthness and a clear vision for the future. As a native of Chemnitz, he remained closely connected to his hometown throughout his life. His work as an entrepreneur, visionary and patron not only shaped the international automotive industry but also played a decisive role in Saxony’s development and the creation of thousands of jobs following German reunification. That is why the memory of figures such as Carl Horst Hahn is of great significance to our city. It highlights just how closely history, economic development and social commitment are intertwined.” 

On Thursday, 2 July, at 3 pm, Lord Mayor Sven Schulze will welcome numerous guests from the worlds of politics, business and society to the Green Salon of the Town Hall, Markt 1, including members of the Hahn family, who will sign the Golden Book of the City of Chemnitz. The reception is for invited guests only; media representatives are welcome. 

Following this, the exhibition “Carl H. Hahn (1926–2023) – How he shaped Chemnitz and Saxony’ will open in the Town Hall’s exhibition space, Markt 1. Representatives of the media are welcome. 

The exhibition will then be open to the public from 3 July to 14 August during the opening hours of the Town Hall, Markt 1, (Mondays to Thursdays from 8 am to 6 pm, Fridays from 8 am to 4 pm). Admission is free. 

The exhibition combines personal insights into the life of Carl H. Hahn with the history of the Chemnitz mobility region and the transformation of the automotive industry. It is complemented by artistic works by the Urban Sketchers Chemnitz. 
It was curated by the Chemnitz Industrial Museum in collaboration with the Museum of Saxon Vehicles in Chemnitz. At the same time, the Chemnitz Industrial Museum is hosting the summer holiday hands-on exhibition ‘Maschinen-Minis – Your Invention, Your Workshop!’ until 16 August 2026. This interactive, hands-on exhibition for children and families, centred on technology, creativity and invention, will open on Friday 3 July at 4 pm at the Chemnitz Industrial Museum, Zwickauer Straße 119. 

Note for media representatives: 

On Tuesday 30 June, a Trabi 1.1 will be transported to the Town Hall, where it will form part of the exhibition. This event is suitable for filming and photography. (You will receive a separate press invitation with the exact time.)

To mark the occasion, on Thursday 2 July, from 4.15 pm, a classic car parade organised by the ‘Ferdinands Erben e. V.’ Beetle Club will take place on Neumarkt. Around 20 vehicles from VW and its predecessors have been announced for this event, which will pay tribute to Chemnitz’s rich automotive history. At around 5.15 pm, the motorcade will then set off for St Peter’s Church on Theaterplatz.

There, at St Peter’s Church, Theaterplatz 3, the grand gala concert to mark the 100th anniversary of Carl Horst Hahn’s birth will take place on Thursday 2 July at 6.00 pm, to which all interested parties are invited. Members of the media are also welcome. 

The cantor and organist Steffen Walther will perform on the Ladegast-Jehmlich organ at St. Peter’s Church, the preservation of which is largely thanks to the dedication of Prof. Dr Carl Horst Hahn. The Chemnitz Baroque Orchestra will perform works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann.

Admission is free; seats can be reserved via the link to the event. Donations will support the restoration of the organ at the Stadthalle Chemnitz as well as ‘100 Mozartkinder’, the inclusive music and social project run by the Sächsische Mozart-Gesellschaft e. V. 

To this end, the Saxon Mozart Society e. V. has set up a donation account: 

IBAN: DE57 8705 0000 3000 4000 00
BIC: CHEKDE81XXX
Bank: Sparkasse Chemnitz
Reference: Carl Hahn

A joint event organised by the City of Chemnitz and the Saxon Mozart Society e. V. in collaboration with the St Petri Castle Parish, Chemnitz. 

On Friday 3 July at 12.30 pm, the Carl-Horst-Hahn Garden will be opened at the entrance to the Stadtpark, at the junction of Händelstraße and Schumannstraße. Saxony’s Minister-President Michael Kretschmer and Lord Mayor Sven Schulze will officially open the newly designed recreational space together with all interested residents of Chemnitz. The opening will be accompanied by music from the ‘StreichHölzer’ youth orchestra of the Chemnitz Municipal Music School. 

Media representatives are also invited. (You will receive a separate press invitation for this event.)

On Friday 3 July at 1.45 pm, interested members of the public are invited to the Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH engine plant in Chemnitz, Kauffahrtei 47. Another public ceremony will take place there. 

Supporting programme featuring guided tours, cycle tours and talks

Wednesday 1 July; Friday 10 July; Wednesday 15 July and Friday 17 July, starting at 2 pm on each day
Guided tour of the VW Chemnitz Engine Plant, Kauffahrtei 47
Duration: approx. 1.5 to 2 hours
Age: 6 years and over
Number of participants: max. 15
Admission: free, registration required at besucherservice.chemnitz(at)volkswagen.de

Thursday 2 July, 5.30 pm to 7 pm
‘From the bicycle auxiliary motor to the TSI’, a guided tour with city guide Ramona Wagner on the development of the automotive industry from Auto Union to today’s Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH Chemnitz plant
Venue: Meeting point: Parkstraße 35, ending at the Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH plant in Chemnitz
Participation fee: 11 euros

Friday, 3 July, 1.30 pm 
Guided tour of Villa Hahn 
Venue: Villa Hahn, Händelstraße 9
Admission: free

Friday, 3 July, 5 pm to 7 pm
‘Cycling in the footsteps of Chemnitz’s automotive industry’
Guided cycle tour to historic sites of Chemnitz’s automotive industry
Location: Meeting point at the Red Tower, ending in city centre
Participation: 12 euros

Friday, 3 July, 6.30 pm 
Lecture by Frieder Bach: A retrospective on the life of automotive executive and visionary Prof. Dr. Carl Horst Hahn, featuring historical photographs and personal anecdotes
Venue: Museum of Saxon Vehicles, Chemnitz, Zwickauer Straße 77
Admission: 8 euros, concessions 5 euros

Thursday, 16 July, 6.00–8.00 pm 
Lecture and book launch: ‘Chemnitz at the Heart of Mobility’ with Jürgen Kaiser, former Head of Logistics, and Steffen Thierfelder, former Head of Plant Engineering at the VW Engine Plant in Chemnitz
Venue: City Council Chamber at the Town Hall, Markt 1
Admission: free
Before and after the event, the exhibition on Prof. Dr Carl Horst Hahn can be viewed at the Town Hall.

About Carl Horst Hahn

Carl Horst Hahn, a long-serving VW manager, was born on 1 July 1926 in Chemnitz. His father, Carl Hahn senior, played a part in the early days of car manufacturing in Germany and was one of the co-founders of Auto Union AG in Chemnitz in 1932, following the merger of Audi, Wanderer, Horch and DKW.

After completing his A-levels, Carl H. Hahn initially studied economics in Germany, Switzerland and England, as well as political science in France. After obtaining his doctorate (Dr. rer. pol.), he studied Italian and art history in Italy.

Hahn began his professional career at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris in 1953, before moving to Volkswagenwerk GmbH in Wolfsburg a year later. As head of ‘Volkswagen of America’, he successfully established VW in the USA over the following years and, upon his return to Germany in 1965, became a member of the Executive Board of Volkswagenwerk AG.
After nine years in this role, he moved to Continental Gummi-Werke AG in Hanover, which, under his chairmanship, developed into a leading global supplier of tyres and technical rubber products.

In 1982, Hahn returned to Volkswagen AG as Chairman of the Board of Management and held this position until his retirement in 1992.

To this day, the Volkswagen Group’s great successes remain inextricably linked to his name. By establishing new production facilities in China, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, he laid the foundations for the Group’s development into one of the world’s largest car manufacturers.

Following German reunification, he was particularly committed to strengthening the industrial centres of his former home region and to making a fresh start at the historic automotive production sites in Zwickau and Chemnitz. Thanks to his outstanding commitment, it was possible to build on the region’s rich industrial heritage and lay the foundations for successful innovation.

After stepping down as Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, Hahn continued to serve on various supervisory boards of international companies and institutions, and was heavily involved in social and cultural initiatives. He also served as an honorary professor of industrial business strategies at the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences in Zwickau (FH).

For his exceptional achievements, he received numerous international honours, awards and academic distinctions from universities both in Germany and abroad. 

The city of Chemnitz conferred honorary citizenship upon Carl H. Hahn on 9 June 1994. He is also an honorary citizen of Wolfsburg, Zwickau and Changchun in China.

Carl H. Hahn passed away on 14 January 2023 in Wolfsburg at the age of 96.

www.chemnitz.de/carl-horst-hahn