Stelae for Chemnitz city gates are complete
Information is also provided on the history of Falkeplatz, St Paul's Church and Theaterstraße
Since last month, three information steles have been providing information on the history of the former Chemnitz city gates and how the respective locations have developed. Today, Tuesday 22 December, three more information boards will be added. Tomorrow, the remaining work will be carried out at the respective locations. This means that all former city gates and parts of the city fortifications are now described on a total of six boards.
Lord Mayor Sven Schulze: "The information steles make it easy to understand what has characterised Chemnitz over the centuries and how much the city has changed on a tour along the former city gates. Everyone is invited to read through the stories. Precisely because much of what was once there can no longer be seen, this information provides an interesting insight into our city centre."
Three new information steles in the city centre
A stele about the Nikolaitor will be erected at a bus stop at Rosenhof. It provides information about the 14th century Nikolai Church as well as the Nikolai suburb and the city gate there. It also tells the story of Falkeplatz at the beginning of the 20th century, the Deutsche Bank building that characterises the cityscape and the destruction during the Second World War.
The gate through which one entered the city centre from Kaßberg was also part of the city fortifications. The plaque not only tells us about the gate tower, but also about the remodelling plant built at the beginning of the 20th century, which is now used as a youth hostel. The stele could be erected at this location thanks to the permission of the owner, eins energie in sachsen. The plaque also commemorates St Paul's Church, which was built on the site of a former Franciscan monastery as the New St John's Church and was demolished in 1961. Pastor Dorothee Lücke from the parish of St Jakobi-Kreuz: "At last, the St Paul's Church is being remembered as the spiritual home of many Chemnitz residents before us. There has been a church on this site since the 15th century. For many centuries, it was an important spiritual and cultural centre of our city. It has characterised the cityscape. Its reconstruction was firmly planned after the destruction of 1945. As a parish, we are grateful for the information stele. We see it as an aid to ensuring that the expropriation and unlawful demolition of St Paul's Church are not forgotten."
A stele on Theaterstraße now also commemorates the route from the former monastery (now the Schloßbergmuseum) to the city centre through the monastery gate. It explains the origin of the street's name. At the end of the 19th century, a municipal theatre stood here, which was bombed and completely burnt out on 5 March 1945.
The stelae for the Red Tower, Johannistor and Beckerplatz as well as Chemnitzer Tor and Moritzhof were installed last month.
The project is being realised jointly by the Mayor's Office, the Chemnitz History Society, the Chemnitz City Archive, the Department of Monument Protection in the Building Permit Office, the Association of Tour Guides and the Chemnitz Business Promotion and Development Company (CWE) as well as other offices of the city administration. The steles were financed from city budget funds totalling approx. 2,400 euros each.
The historical texts and images are also available at www.chemnitz.de/GeschichteEntdecken.