Museum night in Chemnitz and the cultural region once again attracted around 7,000 guests to the facilities

On Saturday, 13 May 2023, 32 museums, galleries, churches and, for the first time, two cooperation partners invited visitors to the 22nd Chemnitz Museum Night. From 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., the night owls once again experienced a varied programme of more than 230 events in Chemnitz and the cultural region in beautiful spring weather. Around 7,000 tickets were sold and the participating organisations recorded a total of almost 29,000 visits.

Under the motto "Change of Perspective", the museum landscape invited visitors to change their perspective in order to perceive the familiar anew and discover the unknown or immerse themselves in virtual reality. The guided tours through the participating institutions also opened doors to rooms that are otherwise not accessible to the public.

The programme of the 22nd Chemnitz Museum Night was opened in front of the TIETZ by Dr Thorid Zierold, Deputy Head of the Cultural Department of the City of Chemnitz, Mr Egmont Elschner, Chairman of the Chemnitz Cultural Advisory Board, and Mr Thomas Lein, Mayor of the City of Oelsnitz in the Ore Mountains. The opening event was artistically framed by the new cover pop duo Lintonix and a dance performance by dancer and choreographer Anna Graue.

The facilities of the Kulturkaufhaus once again offered a wide range of cultural activities in and in front of the TIETZ: the Museum für Naturkunde used virtual reality technology to transport visitors to a world 291 million years ago. The Neue Sächsische Galerie presented fairytale variations by Chemnitz artist Fritz Schönfelder.

Dr Zierold's experience of the museum night at the TIETZ was lively, multifaceted and moving. "My impressions are so varied. If you put them in a collection bag, it would overflow: Singing was encouraging, dancing moved people, instruments created connections across floors, butterflies weren't just in our stomachs, colourful figures gave things a new meaning, Struwelpeter took centre stage by reading, collaborative craftsmanship created a unique Trojan horse, the virtual opened up perspectives for the hidden.The virtual opened up the perspective for the hidden in stone, creative stations lit up the eyes of young and old, light enchanted the building to the beat and everything makes you hungry for more. For more time to dream, because therein lies the path to the stars, that's how calligraphy enthusiasts summarised the evening in words."

On the forecourt of the Kulturkaufhaus, the party continued into the night with various musical acts. Media artist Moritz Simon Geist combined robotics and electronic music to create a new sound language, which he linked with a projection of digital visuals.

The visual effects of the Chemnitz DJ team Heckhorn could also be seen from afar at the "Stern garages", which now house the Museum of Saxon Vehicles. Historical and modern images and film scenes illuminated the outside of the multi-storey car park on Zwickauer Straße, set to music by the DJ team. The motto of the Saxony Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverband Sachsen e. V.) was "Changing perspectives", which used a modular system to illustrate how streets are becoming more barrier-free and what challenges remain.

The German Games Museum, which used the Museum Night to take a leap from the analogue world into the world of hybrid and digital games, was particularly popular. New board and card games - with apps for smartphones and tablets as well as a flight to the ISS space station using VR goggles invited guests to change their perspective.

The Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz opened the doors of its five buildings: the main building on Theaterplatz, the Gunzenhauser Museum, the Schloßbergmuseum Chemnitz, the Henry van de Velde Museum / Villa Esche and Rabenstein Castle were all open to visitors. In addition to the current special exhibitions, numerous short guided tours provided all those interested in culture with unusual insights. In the Schloßbergmuseum, guests had the opportunity to look over the shoulder of restorer Susanne Mayer as she worked on medieval carved figures.

There were also some special features this year: For the first time, the Saxon State Archive - Chemnitz State Archive took part in the Chemnitz Museum Night and presented itself together with the Federal Archive - Stasi Records Archive Chemnitz, which celebrated its official opening at the new location in Bruno-Salzer-Straße. Younger guests were treated to a wide range of hands-on activities and numerous family tours, which proved very popular.

Once again, museums and collections from the cultural region expanded the programme - this year in Oelsnitz in the Ore Mountains. The Oelsnitz Mining Museum is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment, the permanent exhibition is being completely modernised and a modern museum concept is being implemented. Guided tours of the construction site gave guests an insight into the museum's construction progress even before the official reopening of the historic industrial site. There was also plenty for visitors to discover on the outdoor area: the demonstration mine, the newly restored steam locomotive and the goods wagon. The gallery in the HEINRICH-HARTMANN-HAUS, which was founded in 2004 on the initiative of the artist Heinrich Hartmann (1914 - 2007) in Oelsnitz in the Ore Mountains, was also part of Museum Night 2023. The exhibition "7 von der Poche - gedruckt, gewebt, geschnitten" by the cultural association "Trubel in der Poche" from Schneeberg presented surprising new connections between traditional and modern forms of artistic expression.

The former importance of Saxony as the leading industrial region in Germany and the era in which Chemnitz earned its nickname "Saxon Manchester" was highlighted by the "Night Tour of Industrial Culture" with stops at the technical-historical museums and surprising programme offerings. The "#unzeitgemäß" exhibition at Klaffenbach moated castle, for example, opened up new perspectives on the early phase of the Industrial Revolution. The Chemnitz Industrial Museum provided an exclusive insight into the museum depot, the "Green Vault of Industrial Culture".

The first impressions of the managers of the facilities reflected a longer length of stay than in previous years. On average, guests visited three to four venues. Special thanks go to all those involved who made the 22nd Museum Night possible in the first place with their great, often voluntary, commitment.