Open Monument Day
The nationwide Open Monument Day takes place on Sunday, 13 September, under the motto "Chance Monument: Remember. Preserve. Rethink." takes place. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the German Foundation for Monument Protection has called for the nationwide day of action to be held virtually this year. The monument protection authority of the city of Chemnitz, as the organiser of the Monument Day, followed this request and therefore broke new ground. With the support of associations, private individuals and companies as well as trainees from the city, a selection of objects was captured in image (and sound) and can be viewed from Sunday, 13 September at
13 September on www.chemnitz.de/denkmaltag, in the social media and on www.tag-des-offenen-denkmals.dehttp://www.tag-des-offenen-denkmals.de.
Schools such as Annenschule, Grundschule Rabenstein and Diesterwegschule will be featured. The trainees have compiled interesting facts about the Otto Werner Garden in the city park and the Klaffenbach moated castle. The Küchwaldbühne e.V. association shows the history and present of the popular open-air theatre. Last but not least, private investors are also helping to shape the face of Chemnitz. Buildings that were about to be demolished have been or are being renovated and brought back into use thanks to their initiative. Examples of this are photos of the former Kappl schools (Chopinstraße 23 and 25), which are being converted into living space, and the residential building at Henriettenstraße 45.
Monuments are durable and repairable and therefore sustainable and ecological. Furthermore, a monument tells stories and preserves history. But not only buildings, but also green spaces tell stories and have great ecological significance for the city. Our ancestors already recognised this and provided Chemnitz with large fresh air zones.
The challenge today is to preserve monuments in their original materiality and appearance as far as possible, while also allowing new, contemporary uses. This is the only way to stop long periods of vacancy and the associated loss of substance of the buildings.