Stefan Heym Forum opens at TIETZ

Mayor Barbara Ludwig and Dr Ulrike Uhlig, Chairwoman of the International Stefan Heym Society, are opening the Stefan Heym Forum at the TIETZ today in the presence of Inge Heym and the Saxon State Minister for Culture and Tourism, Barbara Klepsch.

Thanks to Inge Heym's valuable donation, the Stefan and Inge Heym working library moved from their shared home in Berlin-Grünau to the TIETZ as the centrepiece of the forum. The Stefan Heym Forum is a place for lively encounters between readers of the author, but also a place for Heym research and academic exchange.

The opening of the Stefan Heym Forum will be attended by Chemnitz's honorary citizen Dr Ingrid Mössinger, members of the federal and state parliaments, the Chairman of the Board of Sparkasse Chemnitz Dr Michael Kreuzkamp and members of the Board of Trustees of the International Stefan Heym Prize.

Mayor Barbara Ludwig: "The working library of Stefan Heym and his wife Inge is such a valuable gift for our city. Compiled by a witness of the century who dared to stand up to overwhelming powers with great courage and the power of the word. With the library, a part of him is now returning to Chemnitz - the city of his birth. That moves me deeply. The Forum at the TIETZ will keep the memory of Stefan Heym, the son of our city, alive. It is our task now and here, in the Stefan Heym Forum, to continue in his spirit and to carry his memory into the younger generations. I am grateful and proud that Inge Heym has placed her trust in us Chemnitz residents to look after this great legacy."

"The Stefan and Inge Heym Working Library has found a worthy place here at the TIETZ. In the centre of the cultural life of a culturally vibrant city. And the Stefan and Inge Heym Working Library will certainly become a special jewel in the cultural life of Chemnitz.
The combination of education, enjoyment of art and science in particular promises to be a fruitful attraction and meeting place for very different people. My heartfelt thanks go to the City of Chemnitz, the Sparkasse Chemnitz and the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung, which have made the transformation of the working library into a memorial, cultural and research centre possible, as well as to the International Stefan Heym Society, which sponsored and supported the project. But the greatest and most important thanks go to Inge Heym as the keeper and donor of his library and all his memories," emphasised Barbara Klepsch, Saxony's Minister of State for Culture and Tourism.

Dr Ulrike Uhlig, Chairwoman of the Board of the International Stefan Heym Society: "A person's library is a mirror of their soul, their personality, their spiritual world. It can tell stories about the person who collected it. I am extremely moved, grateful and happy that we are able to open the Stefan Heym Forum with the Stefan and Inge Heym Working Library today."

Inge Heym briefly, but very emotionally, describes her feelings about the working library's move to Chemnitz: "Somehow it's as if a circle is closing. It's going back home."

Working library, exhibition and event area in the Stefan Heym Form

At the centre of the Stefan Heym Forum is the original working library of Stefan and Inge Heym. Thanks to a glass room-in-room system, visitors can experience the working atmosphere of the publicist couple. The Stefan and Inge Heym working library contains almost 2500 works. These include first editions of Heym's novels, works by fellow writers and friends with personal dedications, research volumes and complete editions, for example of Shakespeare and Heine.

In future, all titles will be listed in the Chemnitz City Library catalogue and can be searched via the online catalogue at www.stadtbibliothek-chemnitz.de.

Along with the books, Stefan and Inge Heym's furniture and personal belongings will also move into the TIETZ.

An exhibition open to the public tells Stefan Heym's life story, explains his extensive oeuvre and explains the almost symbiotic collaboration between Stefan Heym and his wife Inge.

The International Stefan Heym Prize of the City of Chemnitz and its winners are also presented, as are the International Stefan Heym Sponsorship Prizes. The exhibition also provides information about the work of the International Stefan Heym Society.

Also part of the Stefan Heym Forum is a multifunctional event and training area with approx. 30 seats. This can be used for school lessons, study purposes, lectures and events.

From the idea to the decision

The idea to establish the Stefan Heym Forum and relocate the working library came from the International Stefan Heym Society. During visits to the house of the writer's widow, Inge Heym, the members learnt about the working library. Together with the city of Chemnitz, the plan was born to bring the working library to Chemnitz, the city where Stefan Heym was born.

Many discussions with Inge Heym followed to make this possible. Between April and July 2018, all of the books in Inge and Stefan Heym's working library in Berlin-Grünau were catalogued in coordination with the Chemnitz City Library and the Stefan Heym Society.

The decision to establish the Stefan Heym Forum at the TIETZ was finally taken unanimously by Chemnitz City Council on 11 December 2018 (see B-318/2018 and press release 868/2018).

Chemnitz as a centre for Heym research

Another key component of the Stefan Heym Forum is the joint intention of the City of Chemnitz, the International Stefan Heym Society and the Chair of Modern German and Comparative Literature at Chemnitz University of Technology to establish a "Stefan Heym Research Centre". In addition to scientific, interdisciplinary conferences and symposia, the research centre plans to publish Heym's previously unpublished works and to publish a historical-critical edition of his complete works. To this end, it will apply for financial support from the German Research Foundation. With this research centre, Chemnitz will become a centre of Heym research to an even greater extent than before.

Joint funding

The total costs for the Stefan Heym Forum amount to 250,000 euros. It was jointly financed by the City of Chemnitz, the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung and Sparkasse Chemnitz.

Dr Michael Kreuzkamp, Chairman of the Board of Sparkasse Chemnitz: "Stefan Heym is one of the most important German writers of the twentieth century. The life and work of the Chemnitz-born writer is to be honoured with a Stefan Heym Centre. As Sparkasse Chemnitz, we are therefore working together with the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung to preserve and present the working library in the city of his birth."

The construction phase at the TIETZ

The Stefan Heym Forum was created in the TIETZ, on the 3rd floor on an area of approx. 240 square metres as part of the Chemnitz City Library. The former TIETZ café was remodelled for the forum. The remodelling included the dismantling of the café counter, demolition of walls, doors and ceilings. The exhibition space was redesigned, a platform was built for the Stefan and Inge Heym working library, the flooring in this area was renewed and painting work was carried out. The working library was created as a secure room within a room with glass partition elements. The building services installations were also adapted to the new structural conditions. Six construction companies were involved in the project. The construction period was from April to July 2020 and the construction schedule was adhered to.

Inge and Stefan Heym

Inge Heym (*1933) is the valuable chronicler of a man who became the witness of the century. She was at his side as his first reader, critic, counsellor and wife. She gave up her job in GDR television to work with her husband on his books. The fact that the working library in Chemnitz therefore bears the names of Stefan and Inge Heym is a visible tribute to their decades of closely interwoven, almost symbiotic work, which for a long time was only visible to a few.

Throughout his life, the writer and politician Stefan Heym (1913-2001) took a critical look at the social conditions in which he lived. Time and again, he pushed boundaries with his usually relentlessly open and often uncomfortable style. He was born and grew up in Chemnitz. In 2001, the city of Chemnitz made his son Stefan Heym an honorary citizen. With his extensive life's work, Stefan Heym is one of the most important German writers of the 20th century.

International Stefan Heym Prize of the City of Chemnitz

In honour of its son and honorary citizen, the city of Chemnitz awards the International Stefan Heym Prize every three years.

The literary prize, endowed with 20,000 euros, is awarded to outstanding authors and publicists who, like Stefan Heym, intervene in social and political debates with their work in order to fight for moral values.

International Stefan Heym Awards of the City of Chemnitz

Alongside the International Stefan Heym Prize, the City of Chemnitz awards the International Stefan Heym Sponsorship Prizes every three years. With the sponsorship awards totalling 20,000 euros, the City of Chemnitz supports projects and initiatives that deal with the life, work and influence of Stefan Heym in a special way. The application phase ends on 31 December 2020.

More information and application documents at

www.stefan-heym-preis.de