State Museum of Archaeology Chemnitz (smac) is opened
Festive event this Thursday evening with Federal Minister Wanka Photo opportunity on Friday, 12.30 p.m.: Mayor Ludwig welcomes the Schocken family to the entry in the Golden Book of the City of Chemnitz Free admission to the museum on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The opening of the Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology is being celebrated today with a grand ceremony. It also heralds the start of the festive weekend, which will culminate in the opening of the first state museum in Chemnitz on Friday 16 May. In addition to the Mayor of Chemnitz, Barbara Ludwig, the Federal Minister of Education and Research, Prof Johanna Wanka, and Florian Pronold, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, will also be delivering welcoming addresses at the ceremony.
The Prime Minister of Saxony, Stanislaw Tillich, and Prof Michael Rind, Deputy Chairman of the Association of State Archaeologists in the Federal Republic of Germany, will also address the guests at the ceremony. Last but not least, Dvora Schocken, a member of the Schocken family, will speak on behalf of the family members who are also attending the ceremony.
Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig: "It is no exaggeration to speak of a historic day: With the State Museum of Archaeology, Chemnitz is getting its first state museum. And it couldn't find a better home than the former Schocken department stores'. It is the last surviving document of the Schocken family's connection with the architect Erich Mendelsohn, which was so inspiring in Germany. It took something outstanding to give this house an appropriate content. The State Museum of Archaeology has succeeded in doing this. Against this background, I am particularly pleased to be able to welcome members of the Schocken family to Chemnitz today."
On Friday, a total of 28 members of the Schocken family will be welcomed by the Mayor of Chemnitz, Barbara Ludwig, and the significance of the family of the former Schocken department stores' group for Chemnitz will be honoured with an entry in the city's Golden Book. Media representatives are cordially invited to this photo opportunity on Friday, 16 May, 12:30 pm in front of the Ratskeller at Chemnitz City Hall.
Also on Friday, the doors of the State Museum will open to visitors for the first time from 10 am to 6 pm. Admission is free for visitors on the first opening day and also on the entire smac opening weekend, and the museum will also be open on Saturday (17 May) and Sunday (18 May) from 10 am to 6 pm.
In future, the State Museum of Archaeology will have a permanent presentation of a large number of archaeological treasures. Over 6000 exhibits on three floors will depict the history of mankind from the Palaeolithic Age to the early industrial age.
The museum is housed in the former Schocken department stores'. This is one of the highlights of the work of the famous architect Erich Mendelsohn. It was commissioned by the Jewish business family Schocken in 1927 and built in 1930. The family was expropriated under National Socialism and the building was also badly damaged during the war. After the war, it was restored and reconstructed. In the meantime, it served as HO-Kaufhaus Centrum, and after reunification it was taken over by Kaufhof. Other department stores built by Mendelsohn on behalf of the Schocken family were located in Stuttgart and Nuremberg. Both have since been rebuilt or demolished, which is why the Schocken in Chemnitz is the only one of its kind.
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