Open Monument Day on 8 September

On Sunday, 8 September, from 10 a.m., numerous events will begin at various monuments for this year's Open Monument Day in Chemnitz, organised by the respective monument owners, associations, architects and employees of the City of Chemnitz's monument protection authority.

This year, the 31st nationwide Open Monument Day is being organised under the title "Wahr-Zeichen. Contemporary witnesses of history". The nationwide Monument Day is also organised centrally each year by the German Foundation for Monument Protection. The given theme once again offers plenty of scope for interpretation and the staff of the City of Chemnitz's monument protection authority have put together a programme with monuments that are currently being renovated or under discussion and objects that have already been involved several times:

What are "landmarks" that have a special value for Chemnitz and need to be maintained and preserved? These are usually buildings that stand out in particular. Often they are also preserved symbols/monuments of past historical events that characterise the cityscape or the city skyline to this day. And last but not least, the city has amazing archaeological finds to offer. The Kaßberg prison learning and memorial site is an emotional testimony to several eras, the open-air theatre in Küchwald is a reminder of socialist Karl-Marx-Stadt and church buildings also have a lot to "tell", to mention just a few of the offerings on Monument Day.
The official closing concert will take place for the first time in St Nikolai's Church, Michaelstraße 15. The urban ensemble with the neighbouring Nikolai cemetery is architecturally and historically very significant.

Programme

Küchwald open-air theatre, Küchwaldring 34

The open-air theatre in Küchwald was built in 1956-63 on the ruins of the war-damaged "Küchwaldschänke" as part of the National Reconstruction Work (NAW) according to plans by Chemnitz architect Roland Hühnerfürst. With its ensemble of buildings, striking tower and large flight of steps, it occupies a prominent position on the large festival meadow at Küchwald. The building ensemble is part of the traditional post-war architecture characterised by neoclassicism.

Organiser: Küchwaldbühne e. V.

Learning and memorial site Kaßberg Prison, Kaßbergstr. 16c

This building has a long history: built in 1867/77 as a prison according to the standards of Victorian prison architecture at the time, it was used by the National Socialists as a remand and penal prison from 1933-45 and finally by the NKVD from 1945-52 and the MfS as a remand centre from 1952. It was from here that the German-German prisoner release programme took place in the years 1963-89.

After the entire building was renovated, part of it now houses a memorial and learning centre, which has been taken over by an association.

Organiser: Lern- und Gedenkort Kaßberg-Gefängnis e. V.

Schloßberg Museum, Schloßberg 12

The building was originally a former Benedictine monastery, which was converted into a Saxon official castle in the 16th century. The monastery building now houses the Schloßberg Museum. The cloister building and the remains of the cloister have been preserved from its origins.

The monastery church, which later became the castle church, has also been preserved.

Organiser: City of Chemnitz

Tenement houses, Fritz-Reuter-Str. 33-35

The objects are tenement houses from the pre-founding-era development of the southern suburbs of Chemnitz. The area of today's Reitbahnviertel was located south of the medieval city centre. With the rapid development of Chemnitz due to industrialisation from the mid-19th century and the associated development into a major industrial city, the area was increasingly expanded with residential and commercial buildings.

Organiser: Dinero Portfolio GmbH

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff residential building, Limbacher Straße 382

The building is the former country house of the family of mill owner Friedrich August Schmidt in the Rottluff district, which was built in 1913-14 in the Jugendstil and Heimatstil style above the mill building. The architect was Oskar Hempel. The artist Karl Schmidt-Rottluff lived on the upper floor of the building from 1943-46. Some of his surviving drawings and watercolours show the village landscape around the building.

Organiser: Heidelmann & Klingebiel Planungsgesellschaft mbH

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Mill, Limbacher Str. 380

The location of the Rottluffer Obermühle mill has been documented since 1548. The existing property is the residential and mill building of Chemnitz-Rottluff, built around 1893-94 in place of a burnt-down predecessor building, with historical mill technology. In addition to its value in terms of local and technical history, the building is also significant as the childhood home of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, who spent his childhood and youth here.

Organiser: Förderverein Karl Schmidt-Rottluff e. V.

Chemnitz Industrial Museum, Zwickauer Straße 119

The Chemnitz Industrial Museum is an extensive, industrial-historical and architecturally valuable factory complex that represents one of the most important industrial facilities in Chemnitz. It consists of the former Hermann Escher AG tool factory with foundry hall, fettling shop, workshop buildings and the machine house, built in 1897-1907, and the neighbouring foundry of Schubert & Salzer AG, built in 1910. The sophisticated façade architecture is extremely effective in the cityscape.

Organiser: Chemnitz Industrial Museum

Guided tour of Chemnitz landmarks

Organiser: Tour guide Grit Linke

Schillerplatz, Straße der Nationen/Georgstraße/Richard-Tauber-Straße

Schillerplatz is an ornamental square from around 1860 that was designed in several planning phases to commemorate the 100th birthday of Friedrich Schiller. The final design was a combination of the designs by Lenné, Götze and Klensky. The construction of the Petrikirche church and the "Chemnitzer-Hof" hotel significantly reduced the original ornamental square. Changes were made around 1890, around 1910, after 1945 and around 1960.

Organiser: City of Chemnitz

Küchwald Clinical Centre, Bürgerstraße 2

The Küchwald Clinical Centre is a medical facility with a group of regularly arranged, interrelated wards and ward blocks as well as irregularly arranged service buildings in front - plaster buildings in the style of the reform architecture of the early 20th century, surrounded by park-like green areas with old trees.

Organiser: Klinikum Chemnitz gGmbH

Boiler house of the former power station of the Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf marshalling yard, Frankenberger Straße 153

The railway power station was built around 1900 and extended in the 1920s. It mainly consisted of the old boiler house, the new boiler house, the engine house, the switch house, the administration building and other annexes and connecting buildings. With the exception of the new boiler house from the end of the 1920s, all of these buildings were demolished in 2021/2022. The new boiler house was preserved and the roof and façade were renovated. Some of the historical technical equipment is still in place.

Organiser: Fahrlogistik Götze

Place of learning and remembrance at GEDENKEN, Flemmingstraße 8c

The GEDENKEN was created in 2007 by the artists Gregor-Torsten Kozik and Frank Maibier in collaboration with trainees from the SFZ Förderzentrum gGmbH and commemorates the terrible events that took place in Chemnitz during National Socialism.The work commemorates the terrible events that took place in the former "Royal Saxon State Educational Centre for the Blind and Feebleminded" during National Socialism. The artwork GEDENKEN commemorates the 232 inmates of this institution who were systematically murdered as part of "Aktion T4".

Organiser: SFZ Förderzentrum

Chemnitz Viaduct, Annaberger Straße/Beckerstraße

From 10 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. this year, Deutsche Bahn would once again like to inform interested parties about the impressive Chemnitz Viaduct and provide insights into the latest work. The main construction work to upgrade the Chemnitz Viaduct began in spring 2021. The upgraded structure and the entire Chemnitz railway arch will now be completed.

Organiser: Deutsche Bahn

Events in the churches of the city of Chemnitz

Organiser: Parishes

St Jakobi City Church, Jakobikirchplatz 1

The Stadt- und Marktkirche St. Jakobi is located on one of the oldest church sites in Chemnitz and was the spiritual and social centre of the city for centuries. Situated in the immediate vicinity of the two town halls from the Middle Ages and early 20th century and using a shared tower as a bell tower, the sacred building is still part of an important urban ensemble today.

Ebersdorf Collegiate Church, Lichtenauer Straße 56

The collegiate church of Ebersdorf forms a late Gothic ensemble with St Mary's Chapel, the two defence towers and the remains of the fortified churchyard. The church gained widespread importance as a pilgrimage church to the Virgin Mary from the middle of the 15th century. The collegiate church is of urban planning significance due to its central position in the village centre of Ebersdorf. In the Baroque period, a stately rectory building was added to the east side of the ensemble.

Castle church, Schloßberg 11

The monastery and later castle church of St. Mary, which belonged to the former Benedictine monastery (12th century), is a church building surrounded by the extensive former monastery grounds and later castle, which has survived in the form of Upper Silesian late Gothic with remains of the original Romanesque predecessor buildings.

St John's Church Chemnitz-Reichenbrand, Zwickauer Straße 514

The large classical hall church was built in 1804-10 by Johann Traugott Lohse. The exterior is characterised by simple monumentality. The eastern façade with a portal and a triangular pediment supported by sturdy columns was emphasised. Inside, it is an excellently preserved example of a preaching church in the transition from Baroque to Classicism. The interior with galleries, pulpit altar and organ are largely original.

Evangelical Methodist Church of Peace, Kaßbergstraße 30

The Evangelical Methodist Friedenskirche was built in 1893-94 in neo-Gothic style as a brick building according to plans by the architect Carl Bieber. The church has been almost completely preserved in its original design and is a key feature of the Wilhelminian-style residential neighbourhood of "Kaßberg".

St. Peter's Church, Theaterplatz 3

St Peter's Church was built in 1885-88 following an architectural competition based on designs by Leipzig architect Hans Enger in neo-Gothic style. It was the first building on the communal edge of Chemnitz's new town and is still one of the largest churches in the city today, seating 1,200 people.

St Mark's Church, Theodor-Körner-Platz 12

Neo-Gothic central building made of brick, built in 1893-95 by the architects Kröger and Abesser with a double-helmeted tower. In the tympanum of the entrance portal there is a colourful mosaic of St Mark the Evangelist. In the interior there is further evidence of the original painting and coloured stained glass windows. Open seating since the 1992-2000 renovation, used for church services, concerts and events.

Nikolai Cemetery, Michaelstraße 15

The Nikolai cemetery was consecrated in 1815. The regular, rectangular-shaped cemetery is characterised by its park-like tree planting and the numerous, attractively designed graves.

St Nicholas' Church, Michaelstraße 15

The building was originally erected in 1891-92 as a cemetery chapel in neo-Gothic style according to plans by Christian Schramm. Since the church of the St Nicholas parish had to be demolished after 1945, this chapel has served as a place of worship ever since.

Organiser: Evangelical Lutheran parish of St. Nicholas and the city of Chemnitz