On Tuesday 30 June at 11.00 am, interested members of the public and media representatives are invited to the main entrance of the Town Hall, Markt 1. A Trabant 1.1 will then be wheeled through the entrance door into the foyer, where it will serve as an eye-catching centrepiece for the exhibition ‘Carl H. Hahn (1926–2023) – How he shaped Chemnitz and Saxony’.
The ochre-coloured vehicle is one of the last Trabant 1.1s to be built with a four-stroke engine. It belongs to the collection of Zeitreise GmbH in Hohenfichte. Edgar Hüttinger from Zeitreise GmbH will be on hand as a contact person, as will Jürgen Kabus, director of the Chemnitz Industrial Museum.
The exhibition “Carl H. Hahn (1926–2023) – How he shaped Chemnitz and Saxony’ was curated by the Chemnitz Industrial Museum in collaboration with the Museum of Saxon Vehicles in Chemnitz. It combines personal insights into the life of Carl H. Hahn with the history of the Chemnitz mobility region and the transformation of the automotive industry. Through three clearly structured thematic sections, the exhibition demonstrates how Hahn’s life’s work – from the Chemnitz mobility region through his personal biography to his significance for the city – is embedded in various historical, economic and cultural contexts. The scenographic foundation is provided by the artistic works of the Urban Sketchers Chemnitz, which depict different perspectives on life in Chemnitz and familiar corners of the city.
The exhibition will be on display from 3 July to 14 August during the Town Hall’s opening hours at Markt 1 (Mondays to Thursdays from 8 am to 6 pm, Fridays from 8 am to 4 pm). Admission is free.
Please note: The official opening of the exhibition on 2 July is for invited guests only.
At the same time, from 3 July to 16 August, the Chemnitz Industrial Museum is hosting the summer holiday hands-on exhibition ‘Maschinen-Minis – Your Invention, Your Workshop!’, an interactive exhibition for children and families focusing on technology, creativity and invention.
Background
On 1 July 2026, Prof. Dr Carl Horst Hahn, one of the most significant entrepreneurs in German automotive history and an honorary citizen of Chemnitz, would have turned 100. The city of Chemnitz is taking this as an opportunity to honour him with a series of events. The accompanying programme, entitled “Manager – Visionary – Bridge-builder”, combines automotive history, culture and personal memories, and invites visitors to rediscover Carl Horst Hahn’s life’s work and the history of Chemnitz as a centre of the automotive industry.
See also: Press release 374
www.chemnitz.de/carl-horst-hahn