The Chemnitz Heckert area and its history
Changes in housing: From the housing issue to the "Fritz Heckert" residential area VHS@home on Wednesday, 25 November, 6 to 7.30 pm
The adult education centre invites you to an online lecture on the history of the "Fritz Heckert" residential area in Chemnitz on Wednesday, 25 November, from 6 to 7.30 pm. The author Norbert Engst will provide an in-depth insight into the chequered history of the Heckert area. Participation is free of charge. Anyone interested can register by 3 p.m. on 25 November at www.vhs-chemnitz.de or 0371 488-4343 and will then receive an access link by email on the day of the event.
The Fritz Heckert area was one of the largest new housing estates in the GDR. The history of the city is closely linked to it. Chemnitz benefited from the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. However, the tens of thousands of new jobs were not matched by nearly enough affordable housing. The first attempts to remedy this situation date back to the early 20th century. From the 1960s onwards, tens of thousands of industrially produced flats were built in Karl-Marx-Stadt. However, for every new flat in the periphery, an old flat in the city fell into disrepair. After 1990, the housing situation changed and flats were available in abundance. Demolition and demolition in the recent past reveal both opportunities and problems.
Norbert Engst has been researching the history of the city for many years. For his book "Das Wohngebiet 'Fritz Heckert'. Building in New Dimensions", published by the City Archive of Chemnitz, he was honoured with this year's Saxon State Prize for Local History Research at the beginning of November.
The lecture, originally planned as a face-to-face event, is part of the series "Places of historical remembrance in Chemnitz" of the Chemnitz Adult Education Centre in the winter semester 2020.
Link to the event:
https://www.vhs-chemnitz.de/suche/kursdetails.html?courseId=557-C-W2012123