Field Agent: Reports from Chemnitz, European Capital of Culture 2025

Helena Hlávková, a member of our team and an architect specializing in urbanism, is currently our "field agent" in the Saxon city of Chemnitz, where she is involved in creating an emotional map of the Sonnenberg district. This map is being developed in cooperation with the local organization Taupunkt e.V. and aims to capture the experiences and impressions of the residents of this multicultural neighborhood. The emotional map will also serve as an example of activities we contribute to as part of the InterBridge project. Helena has shared her insights with us – looking at the city through the eyes of an architect, she reflects on how the transformation of public spaces, art, and daily life in one of the European Capitals of Culture 2025 affects her. In addition, she took a series of candid photos from Chemnitz for us, featuring the logo of our project. She brought it along thanks to our talented student team from Brno, who contribute so much important work in graphics, IT, and PR – without them, InterBridge wouldn’t be possible. They turned our project logo into 3D models and printed them for Helena to take with her to Chemnitz.

Helena, Káťa, Věrka, Víťa, Martin– you’re amazing, thank you so much!

Hana Křížová

Looking for a city full of potential? Take a look at Chemnitz. You can get here from Dresden by train in just 30 minutes. Chemnitz is the third largest city in Saxony, after Leipzig and Dresden, with a population of about a quarter of a million. And this year, it proudly bears the title of European Capital of Culture. Art is truly visible everywhere here.

The most famous symbol of the city is the unmistakable head of Karl Marx, which supposedly weighs 40 tons. Another distinctive feature is the modular concrete façade of Stadthalle, designed by Rudolf Weisser in 1974 – its pattern is a tribute to the city's textile heritage.

With the title of Kulturhauptstadt 2025, even more artistic installations have appeared in the city center. For example, the "clapping fountain" by Johann Belz, located right in front of the bus station, was recently restored. And the bus station itself – Omnibusbahnhof – is also worth mentioning. This unique structure from the 1960s features a 1,200 m² roof suspended by steel cables. The architects Johannes Meyer and Christian Weise created this bold design.

Another key cultural feature is the Purple Path – a series of public art installations connecting the city with nearby towns. Works by more than 60 artists tell the stories of the region. New pieces are added throughout the year. Just last week, a new installation called Seeds & Seets by Gabriela Oberkofler and Jacob Strobel was unveiled. It combines the locals’ love of gardening with texts by Bertolt Brecht and invites passers-by to relax and reflect on Brucknerstrasse.

Besides art, the city also invests in infrastructure – several new cycle paths have been built. Since cycling is very popular here, it’s a great way to explore the art from the saddle.

I recommend this route.

And what are we doing here? Together with Taupunkt e.V., we are preparing an emotional map for the Sonnenberg district. This vibrant neighborhood is home to people from all over the world – many have settled here over the past 20 years. Thanks to this diversity, Sonnenberg has become a true multicultural area. Our map is being created in thirteen language versions, so everyone can share their perspective. Can you guess which languages we’ve chosen? Two friendly plush seniors are helping guide our map, sharing their experiences with the community. The map collects feedback from local residents and will help identify places for small cultural interventions to be developed in the coming years.

And by the way, we’re not the only ones from Liberec here. The Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz is currently hosting the European Realities exhibition, showcasing European realism from the 1920s and 30s. One of the key contributors is Anna Habánová, Ph.D., M.A., whom you may know from the Faculty of Education at TUL or Nisa Factory in Jablonec nad Nisou.

Helena Hlávková