Cultural protest in Chemnitz: Chair for the independent scene remains empty!

Cultural protest in Chemnitz: Chair for the independent scene remains empty!

On October 13, 2025, Chemnitz experienced an important day of cultural debate. An impressive protest performance took place in front of the imposing Karl Marx Monument, symbolizing the current challenges for cultural workers in Germany. A final chair was set up for free culture, which pointed to the precarious situation of the cultural scene. The campaign was part of the Capital of Culture year 2025 and brought together participants from various former candidate cities who exchanged views on the future of culture. The “Chemnitz Appeal” was formulated as an urgent call to politics and society to demand more support for culture.

The performance ended dramatically with the removal of all chairs by a black figure meant to symbolize the dismantling of culture. Against this background, representatives of independent culture expressed concern that the implementation of cultural strategies in cities such as Magdeburg and Zittau was inadequate. While a cultural strategy up to 2030 was developed in Magdeburg, the reality in Zittau after the application phase for the title of Capital of Culture in 2025 falls short of expectations. The causes of the challenges, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, wars in Europe and a global shift to the right, were also discussed in the “Chemnitz Appeal”.

Capital of Culture 2025 – A big project

The Capital of Culture year 2025 is just around the corner for Chemnitz and starts on January 18, 2025. Together with 38 municipalities in the region, the city would like to attract around 80,000 visitors from near and far to the opening ceremony in the city center. Under the motto “C the Unseen”, Chemnitz will present more than 228 projects and over 1,000 events developed by numerous civil society actors. The aim is to create an open and hospitable Chemnitz in which culture can be experienced as a space of diversity and democracy.

Special highlights will include the subject areas of art, political education, sport and offers for children and young people. An important element of the culture of remembrance will also be the planned documentation center for dealing with the right-wing terrorist NSU crimes, which is scheduled to open on May 25, 2025. These comprehensive activities are not only aimed at the local population, but are also designed for European networking, with international meetings and projects starting before 2025.

The path to the cultural capital

Chemnitz is described as a “city of doers” that underpins its application for the title of European Capital of Culture with strong support from volunteers and initiatives. The creative process focuses on DIY elements in order to activate the “silent middle” in society and promote self-efficacy. A platform called maker-space.eu was launched to combine analogue and digital activities and to expand the Hartmannfabrik into a central contact point for makers.

With the holistic approach of including various unseen cities and regions of Europe, Chemnitz aims to promote a cosmopolitan and diverse community across national borders[1][2][3]. The challenges that are currently affecting Europe, such as climate change and the social consequences of the corona pandemic, are on the agenda and require collective action.

In this sense, the “Chemnitz Appeal” is viewed as an interim stage in an ongoing process that emphasizes networking and solidarity among cultural workers as a crucial key to the future. Time is of the essence and the commitment of these people is more important than ever - there is really something to be said!