Sparkassenstiftung supports the reconstruction of the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House
Work should be completed by the end of the year
Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung and Sparkasse Chemnitz are jointly funding the reconstruction of the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House in Chemnitz. Ludger Weskamp, Chairman of the Board of the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung, and Dr Michael Kreuzkamp, Chairman of the Board of Sparkasse Chemnitz, today handed over the funding commitment to Sonja Oehlschläger, Chairwoman of the Board of the Foundation in Honour of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and Lord Mayor Sven Schulze at the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House. This will allow the restoration work to continue in order to fully restore the artist's authentic place of residence as a museum.
The Chemnitz Art Collections are responsible for the content of the museum. The building project was undertaken by KommunalBau Chemnitz (KBC) on behalf of the City of Chemnitz. In addition to the city's own funds, subsidies from the State Monument Protection Programme and the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung together with Sparkasse Chemnitz were used for the renovation.
The Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House and the neighbouring mill will play a central role as an intervention area during the Capital of Culture year; among other things, a festival of Expressionism is planned.
Country house to be completely renovated
The former country house at Limbacher Straße 382 in Chemnitz-Rottluff, built in 1913 in the Heimatstil style for the mill owner Friedrich August Schmidt, has been undergoing extensive renovation since September 2023. The listed building will serve as an exhibition space for the life and work of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, the eldest son of the Schmidt family, who spent his childhood in the neighbouring mill. As part of the renovation, the building was drained, damage to the supporting structure and the wooden components in the roof truss was repaired, the roof was re-covered with slate and the chimney was renewed in line with the historical model.
Further measures include the opening of bricked-up façade openings, the renewal and energy-efficient adaptation of the windows in line with listed building requirements and the refurbishment of the historic leaded glass windows in the stairwell. The interior of the building was insulated on the main floors and the exterior plaster was painted to match the existing colour. The technical infrastructure has been modernised, including a pellet-fired central heating system, an inconspicuously integrated ventilation system with partial air conditioning, new electrics, fire and burglar alarm systems, barrier-free sanitary facilities and an internal lift.
Painting and flooring work should be completed by autumn 2024 to enable the museum to open by the end of the year. The listed outdoor facilities will be restored according to the historical plan and a disabled-accessible route will be added. The museum is set to open on the occasion of the European Capital of Culture year in 2025 and will showcase both the history of the building itself and the artistic beginnings of Karlnstory of the building itself as well as Karl Schmidt-Rottluff's artistic beginnings, his artisanal works and the association of the "Brücke" group of artists.
Voices on the refurbishment of the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House
Sven Schulze, Lord Mayor of Chemnitz: "We are delighted that the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff ensemble can be completed with the refurbishment of the Landhaus. The city is thus honouring the artist and his work in a special way, especially in the Capital of Culture year. We would like to thank the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung for its generous support as well as the foundation in honour of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Sonja and Maximilian Oehlschläger for their many years of commitment."
Ludger Weskamp, Chairman of the Board of the East German Savings Banks Foundation and Executive President of the East German Savings Banks Association: "We are delighted that such an important Brücke artist, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, is being honoured in his home town and that the "Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Haus" is being built for the Capital of Culture year. Together with Sparkasse Chemnitz, the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung is once again supporting the reconstruction of Schmidt-Rottluff's country house as part of the future museum ensemble consisting of the house and mill. Together with the committed local community, something lasting is being created for the region. In 2020, the foundation and Sparkasse enabled the purchase of Schmidt-Rottluff's artworks - known as the "Peters Collection". In 2025, visitors will be able to rediscover Karl Schmidt-Rottluff in all facets of his work."
Dr Michael Kreuzkamp, CEO of Sparkasse Chemnitz: "The reconstruction of the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House is one of countless projects that we are supporting together with the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung. The special thing about this project is that it will be permanently preserved for the city and thus become part of the legacy of the European Capital of Culture 2025."
Sonja Oehlschläger, Chairwoman of the Board of the Foundation in Honour of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Chemnitz: "Karl Schmidt-Rottluff is one of the most important sons of the city of Chemnitz. As a member of the expressionist artists' group "Brücke", he made a decisive contribution to a new, modern, free conception of art. The fact that he added "Rottluff" to his name shows just how close he remained to his birthplace throughout his life. We, the Foundation in Honour of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Chemnitz, are delighted to have received funding from the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung for the preservation and museum use of the artist's family country house, as we have been campaigning for years, including with the prize awarded by our foundation, for a comprehensive appreciation of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff in the city of his birth. The places where the artist grew up are important testimonies to his human and artistic character and an important addition to the museum presentation of the artist's works in the Chemnitz Art Collections. In addition, the support from the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung is also a wonderful and well-deserved tribute to the many years of voluntary work by many Chemnitz residents to preserve the ensemble of buildings in which the artist spent his childhood and youth. In a word: thank you!"
Dr Florence Thurmes, General Director of the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz: "As the sixth location of the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Haus will in future strengthen our major collection focus, which is on the beginning of the 20th century and Expressionism in particular. With the support of the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung together with the Sparkasse Chemnitz, we have the unique opportunity to bring the biographical details of the artist to life in depth. A visit to Karl Schmidt-Rottluff's parents' house will also make his beginnings better known to an international audience. We also hope for a broader reception of the fact that Chemnitz, as an industrial city at the time, laid the roots of German Expressionism by significantly influencing the most important protagonists of the "Brücke"."
About the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung
The Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung has been promoting art, culture and the preservation of historical monuments since 1996. The foundation is a joint endeavour of all member savings banks of the East German Savings Banks Association (OSV) in Saxony, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt. In Saxony alone, the foundation has provided over 47 million euros for 943 projects. The savings banks organisation is one of the largest non-governmental sponsors of culture in Germany.