NetzWERKE: Monuments & Infrastructure

On Sunday 13 September, Open Monument Day will take place across Germany. Those interested are once again invited to attend numerous events at various historic sites, organised by the respective owners of the monuments, associations, architects and staff of the Chemnitz City Heritage Protection Authority.

This year’s Open Monuments Day, entitled ‘NetzWERKE: Monuments & Infrastructure’, focuses on movement, exchange and connections generated by monuments. Historic buildings can foster interaction between people. Structures that fulfil more than just a functional purpose confer a sense of identity and exceptional aesthetic appeal. Open Monuments Day offers an opportunity to network – with visitors, heritage conservationists and monument owners.

The following programme includes all events registered with the Chemnitz City Heritage Protection Authority.

Programme for Sunday, 13 September

Küchwald Open-Air Theatre, Küchwaldring 34

Organiser: Küchwaldbühne e. V.

The Küchwald Open-Air Theatre was built between 1956 and 1963 on the ruins of the ‘Küchwaldschänke’, which had been destroyed during the war, as part of the National Reconstruction Programme (NAW), based on plans drawn up in 1954 by the Chemnitz architect Roland Hühnerfürst. With its complex of buildings, featuring a striking tower and a grand open staircase, it occupies a prominent position on the large festival grounds. The building complex is in keeping with the traditional post-war architecture characterised by neoclassical features.

Kaßberg Prison Learning and Memorial Centre, Kaßbergstraße 16c

Organiser: Kaßberg Prison Learning and Memorial Centre e. V.

The political history of the former Kaßberg Prison ranges from its origins as a general penal institution, through its use as a prison for predominantly political prisoners during the Nazi era, to its role as a detention centre for the occupying forces and later for the Ministry for State Security of the GDR. In 1875, construction work began on the building complex for the new Royal Saxon Prison in Chemnitz-Kaßberg under the supervision of Master Builder Nauck. The building complex came into use in 1878.

Vehicle Museum, Zwickauer Straße 77

Organiser: “Museum für Sächsische Fahrzeuge Chemnitz e. V.”

The multi-storey car park and motel building was constructed in 1928 as one of Germany’s first multi-storey car parks, built using modern reinforced concrete construction methods. In response to growing parking problems, rental spaces for around 300 cars and motorbikes were offered here across six storeys. The vehicles were transported to their parking spaces by lift. In addition to a petrol station, the site also housed a repair workshop, a battery and tyre service, and car wash facilities on every floor. The car park was open round the clock.

Book by telephone on: 260 11 96 or by email: post(at)fahrzeugmuseum-chemnitz.de

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Mill, Limbacher Straße 380

Organiser: Förderverein Karl Schmidt-Rottluff e.V.

This is a residential and mill building constructed between 1893 and 1894, featuring historic milling technology. The site of the Rottluffer Obermühle has been documented since 1548. Beyond its value in terms of local and technical history, the building is significant as the family home of one of the leading artists of German Expressionism, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. He spent his childhood and youth here. The property has now been largely renovated, and the historic milling machinery was brought back into operation this year.

‘Blaues Haus’, Limbacher Straße 323

Organiser: The Oehlschläger family

This rural dwelling and barn, built around 1800, is situated in the former village of Rottluff, a district of Chemnitz that still retains a very rural character today. The construction of the dwelling coincided with the onset of industrial development in Rottluff. Given its size and grandeur, it is reasonable to assume that it was the home of a middle-class citizen.

Book by telephone on: 488 6352 or by email: carina.berger(at)stadt-chemnitz.de

Former Municipal Mental Hospital, Dresdner Straße 178

Organiser: Klinikum Chemnitz gGmbH

Buildings 2 and 4 were constructed between 1903 and 1905 as the first structures of the former Hilbersdorf Municipal Mental Hospital, which opened on 11 April 1905. Based on plans by the city’s director of urban planning, Richard Möbius, the first extension, featuring the large ballroom, followed in 1909–10. Between 1928 and 1931, what are now Buildings 8 and 9 were erected in the New Objectivity style. All the buildings belonging to the clinic are situated within a spacious, listed park with landscaped open spaces and avenues.

Book by telephone on: 333 41551 or by email: anika.kluger(at)skc.de

Former Otto Uhle Glove Factory, Neukirchner Straße 9–13

Organiser: Friends of the Otto Uhle Glove Factory, VEB Polar Strickkunst Chemnitz e. V.

Having evolved through various political eras, the glove factory stands not only as a testament to architectural history but also to industrial and local history. Particularly noteworthy are the factory owner’s residence with its surrounding garden and the factory building, constructed in the early 1930s, which, as examples of Modernist architecture, stand out from the other buildings in terms of design and possess particular architectural and historical value.

Register by email: post(at)handschuhfabrik.de, see also www.handschuhfabrik.de

Guided tour of the bridges

Organiser: Grit Linke, tour guide

Schloßberg Museum, Schloßberg 12

Organiser: Schloßberg Museum

The building was originally a Benedictine monastery, which was converted into a Saxon administrative palace in the 16th century. The monastery building now houses the Schloßberg Museum. The cloister building and remains of the cloister have been preserved from the original structure. The monastery church, which later became the castle church of St Mary’s, has also been preserved.

Book by telephone on: 4884501 or by email: schlossbergmuseum(at)stadt-chemnitz.de

Former ‘Royal Saxon State Educational Institution for the Blind and Mentally Disabled’, Flemmingstraße 8 c

Organiser: SFZ Förderzentrum gGmbH

The ‘State Institute for the Blind’ complex comprises a site with a grid-like network of paths, as well as freely arranged, varied individual buildings, including a church, administrative and school buildings, a sports hall, a large building housing the technical facilities, and numerous residential blocks. It is significant as an unusually large ensemble of social welfare buildings and is remarkable for its very good state of preservation.

Booking (by 10 September) by telephone on 0151 6558 8234 or by email: lwuestner(at)sfz.de

Events in the churches of Chemnitz

Organisers: Parish councils

Evangelical Methodist Friedenskirche, Kaßbergstraße 30

The Evangelical Methodist Friedenskirche was built between 1893 and 1894 in the Neo-Gothic style as a brick building to plans by the architect Carl Bieber. The church has been almost entirely preserved in its original form and is a defining feature of the Wilhelminian-era residential district of Kaßberg.

St Jakobi Town Church, Jakobikirchplatz 1

St Jakobi Town and Market Church is situated on one of the oldest church sites in Chemnitz and served as the spiritual and social centre of the town for centuries.

Situated in the immediate vicinity of the two town halls – one from the Middle Ages and the other from the early 20th century – and sharing a common tower as a belfry, this sacred building remains part of a significant urban ensemble to this day.

St Jodokus Church, Glösa, Kirchberg 2

The church on Glösa’s ‘Eierberg’, first documented in 1269, was later expanded to include a parish estate with a vicarage and a church school. A defensive wall with two towers served to fortify and protect the complex on the hilltop.

Following the partial destruction of the church by bombing on 5 March 1945, it was reconstructed according to plans by the architects Gerlach and Dr Laudeley.

In 1954, the rebuilt choir-tower church was reconsecrated. The vicarage, which from 1522 onwards also served as the retirement residence of Abbot Heinrich von Schleinitz of the Benedictine monastery in Chemnitz, still houses a number of spolia of architectural historical significance.

Ebersdorf Collegiate Church, Lichtenauer Straße 56

Ebersdorf Collegiate Church, together with the Chapel of Our Lady, the two defensive towers and the remains of the fortified churchyard, forms a late-Gothic ensemble. The church gained wider significance as a Marian pilgrimage site from the mid-15th century onwards. The complex is of particular urban significance due to its central position within the village landscape of Ebersdorf. For several years now, the natural stone façade of the collegiate church has been undergoing section-by-section restoration in accordance with heritage conservation principles.

St Nicholas’ Cemetery and Church, Michaelstraße 15

St Nicholas’ Church was originally built between 1891 and 1892 as a cemetery chapel in the Neo-Baroque style. As the church of the St Nicholas parish was demolished after 1945, the chapel has served as a place of worship ever since.

The St Nicholas Cemetery was consecrated in 1815. The regular layout, roughly rectangular in shape, is characterised by its park-like tree planting and the numerous gravestones, which are beautifully crafted.

www.chemnitz.de/denkmaltag