Why Should Chemnitz Become Your Next Cultural Destination?

11 March 2019 Why should Chemnitz become your next cultural destination? “Chemnitz is the third biggest city in the East of Germany but is still relatively unknown despite having a lot to offer” said mayor Barbara Ludwig (Social Democrat) in an interview to EUROCITIES in February 2019. Chemnitz however, hit the headlines last August when a far right protest turned into a witch hunt targeting refugees welcomed by the city. “[Far right movements] are challenging the democratic state in a way they have not done before” said the Mayor in an interview to the New York Times. International newspapers and media were suddenly able to place Chemnitz on the map, but not for good reasons. But as mayor Barbara Ludwig reminded us, “we must not forget that this reflects only one part of the city, and not its whole”. ‘There are more of us’ was the message of a rock concert that rallied thousands of people this summer. The reality is that Chemnitz gives space to culture, creativity and pilot initiatives. So, what about the rest of the picture? 1 11 March 2019 Built on an industrial past, the city has shown its ability to rise again Photo credits Ernesto Uhlmann Known from 1953 to 1990 as Karl-Marx Stadt in recognition of its industrial heritage, the city never actually hosted the great writer and philosopher. But in terms of industrial heritage, Chemnitz certainly shares a lot. An industrial beacon throughout the 19th century, the city was badly damaged during World War II, when about 40% of the city centre was destroyed. As in Dresden and other cities that encountered the same fate, this had massive consequences on the urban quality of the city. In the German Democratic Republic (GDR), as in other socialist countries from the Eastern Bloc, urban planning directly after the war focused on industrial redevelopment and reconstruction of places for people to live. A slight twist in this story saw Chemnitz rebuilt under the principles of the socialist city. Inspired by the modernist architecture movement, pioneered by Walter Gropius in Germany and Le Corbusier in France, the principles of the socialist city underpin simplified forms and clean lines for the buildings. In modernist architecture styles, housing developments generally feature tower blocks in park-like settings, and are standardised and mass-produced. 2 11 March 2019 This style is still very visible in Chemnitz today, and to see vestiges of previous architectural periods, you need to head to specific neighbourhoods such as Sonnenberg, host to the Wissmannhof residential courtyard among others. Photo credits Ernesto Uhlmann With the economic downfall that came after the reunification of Germany in 1990, Chemnitz lost inhabitants and economic growth plummeted. Buildings that had shaped the city for years through their imposing architectural styles, and where inhabitants went to work every day were abandoned to decay. These buildings have now become spaces for urban exploration. One of these massive sites is the Spinnereimaschinenbau, a former spinning machines factory in Altchemnitz of about 4.7 ha. The building is currently a private property, bought by the current owner in 2013 with the intention to revitalise it. The owner is working with the municipality and cultural stakeholders to transform the Spinnerei into a vibrant space. Chemnitz has thus been through a rough patch, but is now on the rise again. The city is among the top ten German cities in terms of economic growth, and the population of Chemnitz is increasing again. Chemnitz’ renewal This renewal is partly due to Chemnitz being a technological centre with manifold industries, 3 11 March 2019 including a growing IT sector, as well as a research and development centre, thanks to its technical university. Of course, culture and cultural industries have also played a role. Although most of the trademark factories are now abandoned, Chemnitz remains a city of opportunity. All the open spaces and empty buildings waiting for new occupants are a gold mine of creative opportunities waiting to mushroom, and the city administration has well understood this, putting culture higher on the Chemnitz agenda. The municipality has ambitious expansion plans, which include a sizeable investment in culture. The city promotes independent culture (also known as ‘off culture’), and it provides continuous support to its numerous established cultural institutions, such as the Chemnitz Opera, the Gunzenhauser Museum, former headquarters of the Sparkasse Chemnitz (Savings and loan association of Chemnitz), a heritage landmark which, at the time of its construction, was one of the first high-rise buildings in Chemnitz. A European programme of cultural exchanges To make the most of the expertise present in the EUROCITIES network, Chemnitz participated in the exchange programme Culture for Cities and Regions. Culture for Cities and Regions was a three-year initiative financed by the European Union Creative Europe programme and managed by EUROCITIES to connect cities and regions working on innovative cultural policies and allow them to exchange and learn from each other. Cities, regions and external experts took stock of existing practices all over Europe to promote knowledge transfer, to better understand successful cases of cultural investment, and to go into the details of policy planning and implementation. The programme ended in October 2017 with a final event in Ghent, Belgium. The at-the- time-chair of the EUROCITIES culture forum and leader of Birmingham City Council, Ian Ward, emphasised the need for European cities to continue the exchange of knowledge as something “vitally important for the future if we are to grow our cultural offer and make 4 11 March 2019 our cities more attractive places in which to live.” Credits Barbara Govin Culture for Cities and Regions reached out to at least 140 cities and regions across Europe, and Chemnitz was one of them, part of the adventure from the very start. From Bologna to Chemnitz, an INCREDIBOL journey In 2015, a study visit to Bologna as part of the Culture for Cities and Regions programme inspired Chemnitz to adopt the Italian city’s model for promoting creative activities: the INCREDIBOL initiative. Here the Chemnitz team saw thriving initiatives such as a disused cellar converted into a concert venue with a bicycle park and an old bus terminal transformed into an art gallery. The team also saw that, like Bologna, Chemnitz has a lot of unused space and a desire to revitalise urban districts through cultural development. The programme KRACH – Kreativraum Chemnitz (German for: Noise – Creative Space Chemnitz) born after the visit in Bologna, now supports innovative projects of the cultural and creative industries scene in Chemnitz. It offers commercial space, free of charge for three years, to the sponsored projects. In addition, these projects receive a start-up budget of €2,500, as well as expert support from business, law and marketing. KRACH is a brilliant example of European cooperation and collaboration as well as knowledge transfer between 5 11 March 2019 European cities. Photo credits Mark Frost In its first edition in 2018, eleven projects were selected by a jury of creative industries experts to settle in empty spaces in Chemnitz. One of the winners is fashion designer and tailor Babette Sperling who wanted to develop her own recycling and upcycling label. She planned to use her KRACH room to combine a hands-on workshop, an open design factory and studio where products can be created from existing waste generated during textile production. “KRACH is a true asset for the city of Chemnitz. With its straightforward and unconventional approach, it offers space for ideas as well as innovation and supports entrepreneurial spirit”, says Sperling. The development of Chemnitz cultural strategy Back in April 2017, Chemnitz hosted a Culture for Cities and Regions coaching visit. On this occasion, coaches Nils Scheffler from Berlin, Val Birchall from Birmingham, Susanna Tommila from Espoo, Peter Inkei from Budapest and Cécile Houpert from EUROCITIES met with mayor Barbara Ludwig, culture department officials and local cultural stakeholders to discuss the value of culture for the city and how it can be used as a tool for renewal and increased participation of citizens. Indeed, since 2016, Chemnitz has been working on a cultural development strategy as part of a broad reflection on its future. This strategy will cover the period between 2018 and 2030 and is intended to become a driver of Chemnitz’s urban 6 11 March 2019 development. Buttressed by strong political support, the city council’s department of cultural affairs is determined to make things happen; the municipal culture budget is stable; and there is a genuine desire to engage with citizens and to include the cultural sector in these discussions. In its recommendations, the coaching team pointed out that Chemnitz may want to answer a few important questions along the way. For instance, they identified the issue of leadership as being critical to the success of the proposed strategy. According to the coaching team, the adoption of open and distributed leadership models would help Chemnitz build on the strong support extended by the mayor and the staff of the cultural department. Furthermore, they argued that the development process of the cultural strategy can be as important as the cultural strategy itself, and that the city should never forget the strategy’s target audience and market. The whole process should be based on a shared understanding of the city’s long-term cultural development goals. Chemnitz should bring relevant cultural stakeholders together and build up trust and confidence between them. Eventually, all the city’s stakeholders should become ‘owners’ of the strategy. Photo credits Stadt Chemnitz The coaching team also said that Chemnitz should draw heavily on the expertise of its municipal staff and their colleagues and peers in other cities.

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