@@hassanalihusseini1717 No it doesn't for there is no such thing as 'Arctica'. Antarctica is a continent, and there is no landmass on the north pole. What it passes through though, is The Arctic, denominating the region around the north pole.
@@TigruArdavi OK, we call it the Arctic. But no reason not to call it Arctica. OK by most definitions Antarctica is the landmass, but for most of us, it includes anything below the Antarctic circle.
Some 10 years ago I was staying in Chemnitz for a few months. The Neonazis were visible in the streets BUT at work I met the most friendly and social people I've ever worked with. I'm still thankful for that experience and like to think back to that time. So greetings to Chemnitz 🙋
@@anniestumpy9918The time has changed, there are no Neonazis anymore, just people from Middle East they attacking each other with kicks in the belly or they just throwing bricks through the window of your car, to look for something to steal. Yeah, things really improved since this 😅 But thank's a lot for the greetings ❤
When Glasgow was chosen "European capital of culture" back in the 90ies, many upper-class people wondered why the dirty hometown of violent gangs should win a title like this. Glasgow surprised it's visitors with beautiful architecture, good music, breath-taking galleries and friendly people. Since then, it achieved an excellent reputation. I hope that Chemnitz will improve it's reputation too.
@knobjockey76 You are perfectly right. I know Glasgow and all its cultural heritage very well. I studied there in the 90ies and kept coming back. But I remember German textbooks in school with chapters on "gang violence in Glasgow". That was fiction, of course, but it influenced students. My old English teacher said "If you ever travel Britain, you don't need to go to Glasgow". The decision to vote Glasgow "European Capital of Culture" improved the reputation of the city. It had always been a lovely place for living and working, a creative hub for music, architecture and fine arts. In the 90ies, people had better reasons for travelling there. And this is due to the "European Capital of Culture"-title. Chemnitz does not have the same size and importance. It is only the third biggest in Saxony, way behind Dresden and Leipzig. But I will be very happy to see that people go there and like it.
I'd certainly be interested in is reaction to Gera, a place that my dad lived near dring the latter years of his life. It's certainly one of those cities you won't have heard of, unless you know the area!
@@torspedia my ex was from there hahaha. He always seemed down on it as a place (homophobia, not much going on, etc), but retained a fondness for the space and quietness (and the food!)
@@lemurjim the place did have its charm, though I didn't really see much of what he experienced... dad lived in one of the villages in the next door kreis.
@@torspediai lived in gera for three years. in my experience it's a dirty, rowdy place full of weirdos and freaks, but also so comfortable and fun and extremely colorful. i'm (coincidentally, regarding the video!) living close to chemnitz now but gera is so dear to me that i hope i will someday have the chance to move back there ...
The biggest problem for the region is the loss of population. The region around Chemnitz has lost roughly 25% of it's population since 1989 if you consider the small communities they incorporated in the 1990's. It is now lower than it was in 1945 after the city was destroyed and even lower than it was in 1905. And it's mostly the young and well educated that left, now almost a third of the city's population is over 65 years old with an average age of 47.
It was certainly noticeably quiet. But that can be turned to its advantage: property prices and rents will be lower there than in most cities of its size.
Hä? This can't be right. We got so many precious people from the middle east, so the population have to rise instead. They're bringing so much joy to our city when they attack each other with pepper spray and hit and kick each other, for whatever reason. Just delightful. And the police just can't do much about it. This a culture the city just can be proud of 👌🏻
I made my home in Chemnitz after traveling around the world, and it really stole my heart. I found the people and place to be endearing. And although it hasn't been my plan when I left the states to even travel to Germany. I am so glad I did. Chemnitz is a hidden gem, with real people. And I think perfect for a New Jersey native as myself, as in the states we aren't known as being the greatest most beautiful and so on... But this makes the places welcoming. People aren't snobs and there is actually a lot of culture.. Opera house is beautuful and there's a play house theater as well. Lots of art museums and small galleries as well. And so many hidden gems not on the main strip. Places like Arthurs and Club Kino and countless cafes and night clubs. A small group organized a racist tyrant calling in people throughout Germany.. That weekend in response a group held a concert for peace with numbers four times as big... This is a city that comes together. The university brings in students from across the area and the world. Students, professors and staff are amazingly warm and the forest spaces amazing.. I could go on and on. Lots to see in nearby areas as well... Surrounded by springs and spas short distances away and more and more.. I loved my nearly 15 years there and still consider it home.. Returning home for family.. I love any chance I get to return. Sometimes it's places like this that truly make great homes.
I lived the first 10 years of my life in Karl-Marx-Stadt and lived in the 'Fritz Heckert Neubaugebiet'. Thanks for this fair introduction to Chemnitz. You are right that living in these appartment blocks was not the best but definitely not the worst way to live. They actually were pretty popular in the GDR. The alternative often was an old building with no water closet and heated by coal.
Your hruschovkas are much nicer than ours, sadly not all Soviet cities have budget to remodel their facades like this. Kazan, Moscow, southern cities usually make new facades for hruschovkas, but more inland cities do not. And yes, hruschovkas are in my opinion better than suburban houses, because you are closer to the city center and you don't need to be responsible for the roof or cellars, and yes, central heating is good (if the timetable for it isn't too short).
Interesting fact: At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Chemnitz was described in administrative reports and address books as a “factory and trading town”. During this time, the city recorded the highest per capita tax revenue and the highest per capita added value of all German cities. In 1910, Chemnitz was the 14th largest German city. Unfortunately, due to the war and the GDR, Chemnitz is now only a shadow of its former self.
I am from west Germany and I moved to Chemnitz about 5 years ago. I can say that the city is a lot better than people think. It has a lot of parks and nature, it has nice hiking and bike paths, a lot of beautiful old residential buildings, museums, etc... While Leipzig is a lot nicer still, I think for people who don't want the trouble of living in a big city every day but still want all the benefits of having all you need in one place, Chemnitz is the right place. I like to think of Chemnitz as an empty canvas, if you want to see it as something bad, it will be bad for you, but if you see all the positives, it becomes a really nice city. It doesn't offer everything on a silver platter, but once you get to know some people who know places, or if you go around exploring, you will find many hidden gems. It is also nice to see that now that we have become capital of culture, apart from some weird art projects, it seems like some of the money is actually being used to improve the city: One example is how they are taking a small river that used to not carry much water and be all overgrown and completely redesign it with new trees, parks, a café, playgrounds, a new bike path... You see stuff happening almost everywhere, which is a good sign.
Been living in Chemnitz for almost a year now and I really like it! Getting around the city is very easy by public transport and each residential area has it's own distinct character. I feel like a lot of the investment is going into infrastructure as it's a task to find a road in the city thay doesnt have a Baustelle on it haha. Despite its reputation, Chemnitz is a very international city owing to the university that attracts students from all over the world. I was living in Jena before and I much prefer Chemnitz, it doesnt feel as elite/stuck up. The people that live here are normal people, and I like that.
lol! I moved to Chemnitz from Jena to study and I like how close together/in-walking-or-bike-distance everything is. I especially love how young Jena is. Now you made me contemplate, whether I am a but stuck up, because I really don't get that impression from the people here. Ofc more stuck up than in Chemnitz, but less so than in Düsseldorf, don't you say?
In the time before Covid I visited Chemnitz. I checked into my hotel and they had accidentally rented out my room. So they put me in a suite with a view of the Red Tower. No complaints. It is an interesting place. I found the Sächsisches Industriemuseum to be really interesting. They had a Strowger telephone exchange that let the younger set use a rotary dial and I could test if I could still dial using the hookswitch. I could! Haven't lost the touch.
As a bit of a train nerd, I appreciate that the train between Chemnitz and Leipzig still uses East-German DR rolling stock, but I can see why regular commuters, and especially people with mobility issues, might not be so fond of the well worn carriages. But the combination tram/train that run trough the city are really cool. Where else can you find trams with bathrooms?
Karlsruhe. Pretty nice bathrooms actually, though only on the S-bahn I think, and not in all of them. There also are a few old S-bahns with a (closed) board bistro.
I have nothing against nostalgia and it old trains and carriages should definitely be preserved but this train operating between Leipzig and Chemnitz is just not up to standard anymore and probably hasn't been for a minium of 20 years. It is a total nightmare for people with mobility disadvantages, older people and even travellers with slightly bigger luggage. The doors are too small and the steps are too steep to just easily hop on and off the train. More often than not people are dependent on help from the other passengers. It is more strange when you take in the fact that this is one of the most important regional train lines of this area.
No one else is mentioning it, but the old trains between Leipzig and Chemnitz are seemingly never cleaned the outside, so the windows are covered in thick permanent dust.
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I went to Chemnitz for events in the university, and it always impressed me as a beautiful city in dire need of love. It's not so much that has few people living in it, cities and towns change in population over time, that's a fact of life; but that the population living in Chemnitz is somewhat depressed and seemingly eager to move out. With some love and attention, I'm sure the city would thrive.
A friend from Saxony once described the Saxonian economy cycle as "What's produced in Chemnitz is traded in Leipzig and wasted on drinks in Dresden. And that's probably part of the problem. Business people will come to Leipzig, tourists to trendy Dresden, and Chemnitz is the dirty production city no one cares of. As a fan of diversity in architecture I am used to headwinds regarding brutalism, but for the civic centre as a prime example of East European brutalism I'm glad it is a listed building.
0:56 Yep that’s me As someone who got many relatives in saxony I am quite sad about the way Saxons are often presented in media but because I got relatives down there I know otherwise. Neither am I really bugged by the apartment blocks. I live in a town that is dominated by them up in the north of Germany so it’s not too special to me and infact I quite like them when renovated. My main issue with Chemnitz comes from extremely car-centric urban planning which the city council seems unwilling to address. I hope the ECC can help the city and after all while they may not appeal to all, even apartment blocks out of prefabricated panels are part of Europes history and culture.
Very interesting to watch👍. When I'm in Chemnitz, I stay at the same hotel you did - with the same view. For me Chemnitz is a great mixture of different architectural styles - it has beautiful buildings of the Art Decco period with a special local Porphyr stone. Some of the socialistic period buildings are great International Style Architecture of the 60ies, they have some great Bauhaus buildings as well (Like the City bath) Chemnitz also has complete Gründerzeit Quarters ( although not as obvious as Leipzig), 3 castles ( the City Castle, Burg Rabenstein and Watercastle Klaffenbach). Saxony has many Steam Locomotive Railway sections still running and Chemnitz has a huge Steam Locomotive Museum. There is one Thing, you didn't mention in the Video, which is very unique in Germany: It has a petrified forest 290 Million years old! Parts of it can be visited in several parts of the city. I'm pretty sure, Chemnitz will make the most out of the privilege of being chosen as one of Europes Cultural cities!
They had similar economic sh1t when communism states by Karl Marxs ideas existed like Soviet Union, Weimar Republic etc. You had forced taxes back then too and also centralization of money.
I'm from Lower-Bavaria, but we have some relatives in Saxony near Chemnitz. A long and complicate story short: We are in the mid/late 1980ies: An aunt of my late grandmother (the aunt was younger than my grandmother, don't ask me why) was visiting a nephew who emigrated legally to the west a few years before. One afternoon they were were sitting on the terrace for coffee. My father, an officer at the tax office, trying to be politically correct says: »Karl-Marx-Stadt«… The aunt of my Grandmother instantly got mad: »It's called Chemnitz, and it's going to be called Chemnitz, again!« _(»Det heest Chemnitz, und et wird ooch wieder Chemnitz heeßen!«_ - I still can hear this scream)…
hi rewboss, I'm a 25 year old student from Chemnitz and want to thank you for this fair and very well informed video and would confirm your point of view. Small note on the penguins: I think the sign on the ground wants to state that if you want to go to the real penguins then "you have to go this way". PS: I'm watching and loving your videos for years and was very surprised to see my hometown now from your perspective.
The "sinister" motivational lines about eyes and going the right way are from a poem by Bertolt Brecht written in 1931, well before the Stasi was so much as a glimmer in Ulbricht's eye. So the quote must be understood in its original context - the idea that many people have more eyes than one person, and therefore more collective knowledge, experience, and judgment than one solitary person could possibly have. Likewise the line about going the right way is about how rather than getting frustrated when people disagree with you and just "ragequitting" (as we say nowadays) to do your own thing, you should instead try to convince everyone else of what the "right way" is supposed to be, because one person alone isn't going to make a real difference. And before anyone says "yes but they were erected in the context of the Stasi" - sure, the Stasi existed in 1972, but it hadn't reached anywhere near the ridiculous immensity it is now known for; it was only about a tenth the size. Erich Mielke had only been promoted to the Politburo a year prior, so that massive expansion had yet to occur. No one at the time it was constructed would've interpreted this as a message of "beware - we're everywhere", they would've read it as the uplifting message of solidarity Bertolt Brecht intended it to be.
I have stayed in Chemnitz, maybe I’m not a typical tourist?? It was clearly a student city, and was the first place on my travels in Germany that I could smell weed. But it is nice to find somewhere that isn’t dead after 5pm! I’d echo your point about the friendliness of the locals, and the mix of modern glass and old/rebuilt buildings made for some spectacular photos
1:10 For pride month I decided to put a rainbow patch on my bagpack wich I used everyday when going to work in Chemnitz. I had to remove it after 3 weeks because I was constantly beeing verbally and physically attacked and multiple people tried to rip it off. Soooo yeahhhh.... there is that.
yeah go anywhere in germany apart from the top 10 cities and the same will happen to you. same is true for the rest of western europe. in the rest of the world beyond those few it will probably happen to you everywhere.
@@Kirbo-i existing? The situation we are talking about is a person actively walking around with a political message 24/7. Of course you are gonna get some backlash for that, some nice some not
7:00 Honestly, I find monocultures of single family homes that are identical as bleak, if not bleaker than this. In my 12.000 people small town they somehow managed to build new neighborhoods that look like a fever dream because they choose to build 2 different houses, over and over again (In Germany! Seems like we can do it too!) . And with gardens so small that the side windows are 3 metre from the window of the neighbour. These neighbourhoods are so densely built despite being single family homes that building duplexes instead would've improved on the feeling of claustrophobia. That's what happens if you live in a satellite town for the Ruhrgebiet - claustrophobia, 50m that way is farm land.
Thank you for this hint at Chemnitz. I've just found within the Wikipedia entry that there's a museum of industry which would be very interesting for me. Good old Charly's probably still thinking about what they've done to his ideas...
The Museum of Industry is a must see. Chemnitz in the 19th century up to the 2nd World war was known as Manchester of Germany. To this day the reputation of working in the industrial branch or beeing an engineer is way better than any academics
Not many people even in Germany know that Chemnitz was a major city for car and motorcycle manufacturing. Before the second world war Auto Union was the second largest car manufacturer behind Opel in Germany and it was located in Germany. After WWII the company moved to Bavaria and became Audi which is now one of the biggest car brands of the world.
Hi from Chemnitz! I had to laugh a bit when you were showing all of the ugly block apartments since I‘m living in one and I really have to say: people don‘t appreciate them enough. They offer incredible living space for little money and it‘s really the best apartment I‘ve lived in so far. You have big rooms, a balcony and an elevator for less than you would pay in any other place. The only tradeoff is that they‘re ugly from the outside. The place you were at in the evening is a nice place in the city but yes, there are not a lot of people there. A part of the university is right next to it but truth be told all the students live in another part of town where the main campus is. You actually see way more people there :)
8:02 The Schocken Dept Store building, 1926, is a famous piece of architecture by architect Erich Mendelsohn. Mendelsohn designed three department store buildings for Salman Schocken. The other two, in Nuremberg and Stuttgart, have been demolished.
And this is why Rewboss AG is relocating its headquarters to Chemnitz. By the way, the same line of longitude, that connects Antarctica and Chemnitz proceeds to the Arctic. Mind blowing...
I tell you something, I live in Chemnitz and I heared the Glockenspiel many times, but I never realized there is actually something happening on the wall. Thanks for this video! Now I know where to look hahaha
Dear Andrew, Thank you for this refreshingly honest report about my hometown. You have a very good view of it and I share your views 100 percent. Chemnitz is not a bad place to live. The infrastructure is improving and the rents are much lower than in Leipzig or Dresden. Chemnitz is a city for the second look. To all the viewers: Feel free to come here, you are welcome! A Chemnitz resident
I left Chemnitz when I was 17 because quite literally the thought of living there for the rest of my life made me suicidal 😬 But then I was a punk and a foreigner in the middle of skinhead country and when you live in a place you get a far deeper insight than you’d sometimes like. The racist reputation is honestly well deserved and at least back when I lived there the Heckert area with the socialist blocks was also quite overripe with drugs and organised crime. Not bad flats out there, but I could have done without the neighbours. Leaving was kinda non-optional back then. There were no jobs, no future prospects and anyone halfway sane had left years before already. It was pretty grim to be honest. I think it’s a bit better now, but I actually still have recurring nightmares where I get deported back to Chemnitz 😱 But yeah, it‘s not so bad for a visit I guess? There are still a million other places I‘d rather visit than Chemnitz though 😅 Biased opinion of course and I know people who have arranged themselves with living there, but as cities go it‘s definitely … an acquired taste.
Very interesting. I visited Chemnitz and liked it very much. It’s twinned with Manchester (near where I am) and was called ‘The Manchester of Saxony’ I’d love to live in one of those apartment blocks!
I lived in one that’s shown on this video for almost a year and trust me you don’t :). Bc there’s so many of them the rent is insanely cheap which is about the only nice thing that can be said about it! Otherwise they are a cesspit of the trashiest kind of people. I would say about 30% of our building was (actual) Nazis, 30% retirees who can’t afford anywhere else to go and the rest immigrants and students who live there for much the same reason. If the Nazis were the only problem that would be manageable, but I can’t even begin to describe the SMELL! The whole building REEKED of cigarettes, and at least one apartment on every floor belonged to a retired hoarder who can no longer care for themselves and should have been put in a home a long time ago, and whenever they opened their door the stink would flow out like a tsunami and drench the whole building in the smell of decades of neglect (it’s indescribable) that would linger for hours. I have friends and family that still live in these buildings and the conditions are all the same everywhere you go.
@@Hakker1337 Many thanks for that information! I'm not thinking of going to live there, though I once lived in a tower block in Salford (Greater Manchester) and eventually I moved out because although the flat was great and the views were superb, the building was badly maintained and people were spitting the lift. Ugh!
Trier, the birthplace of Karl Marx, has a shop where they sell clothes in the latest fashion: Modehaus Marx. When I visited Trier, I couldn't help but find that ironic.
I grew up in a small town just outside of Chemnitz and now live here. I did not know where the „Rosenhof“ got his name from until now. Great video and it really showed me that I maybe should learn a little bit more about my own hometown 😅
I really like your content and as a guy who stranded in Chemnitz I thank you for the fair depiction of it. Hopefully, you come back during the Capital of Culture next year. There have long been a lot of subculture and bottom-up projects in the different parts of the city. I hope the Capital of Culture let's them shine.
Hello from Chemnitz :D That is a great video abou the city. I have been living here for the past 2 years and It offers you almost everything a big city offer in terms of cultural events, purchasing locations and more. I agree that Chemnitz has room for improvements and can have a great future, specially with all the development that is currently happening. I am looking forward for 2025 and see all the programs for the Kulturhauptstadt :D
Pal, you are now officially German. This video showed me, as an Ausländer born here, that you are as German as can be. It is not meant as an insult! It is meant as flattery. More or less I agree with all your views on being from somewhere else, but living in Germany. I have the same experience. Mostly! Sometimes I had to meet Nazis on trains...in East Germany...but in general. Nope.
I can't imagine why someone would call those apartment buildings ugly. I just see them as neutral. They are well kept, the facade is probably thermally insulated if the building was renovated, the apartment layout is optimized - what's not to like? And the downtown also seems nice, has well-kept modern buildings as well, with a few old ones. Looks better then any Croatian city.
01:03 Sadly, you distorted this story more than you actually distilled it down. You are spreading the blame to both sides here when it is quite clear that right wing hooligans started that violence. This was most certainly not right and left wing protestors riling each other up but right wing extremists using a violent act as cover for vigilante violence. A few things: 1. The mob-violence was initialized by a right wing protest that turned violent, attacking people that participants of said demonstration deemed to look like migrants. These were attacks coming from inside the demonstration. The narrative calling into question the legitimacy of the videos that were used as proof for the escalation (by Maaßen, the then head of the federal service for the protection of the constitution) has been disproven. Maaßen´s statements also cost him his job, so he is hardly a good source. There were semantic discussions about the validity of the term "Hetzjagd" (hunt) and other terms when discussing the scene, but again, there is no question that there was vigilante violence coming from the right wing hooligan demonstration that night. There was counter-violence from Antifa later but blaming both sides for the escalation is a lie. 2. There has not been a wide-spread reevaluation of the medias role in the August 2018 Chemnitz violence to suggest reports were too sensational or exaggerated. Not in the mainstream press or academic circles, as far as I can tell. 3. There was a study published (Jenni Brichzin, Henning Laux, Ulf Bohmann: Risikodemokratie, Bielefeld 2022) which establishes the facts of summer 2018 in Chemnitz quite well. One of its criticisms of the media is that trying to stay neutral when talking about "the incident" not calling the riots racist, as they clearly were. It is rather ironic that you try to critique the media here for sensationalism whilst you are guilty of the opposite -not calling a racist spade a spade. Something the authors of the above mentioned study found as well when interviewing in Chemnitz. Honestly, this segment of the video is nothing but a bad piece of revisionist history. No-one should claim that Chemnitz stands alone with a particularly racist populace, but that should never escalate into downplaying a racist mob attacking people in the street.
The destroyed historical centre whose gaps were filled by fake-old concrete houses is reminiscent of the Berlin city centre around Nikolaiviertel. Regarding commie block housing, many were torn down in the 90s and 2000s in many East German cities. I feel we're going to regret this decision.
You're definitely eingebuergert. Compared to the UK town I grew up in it looks idyllic...but I did grow up in Wolverhampton. They did a better job rebuilding it than Coventry too.
I studied at Wolverhampton University. I remember the Students' Union newsletter had a questionnaire that included the question: "Why did you come to Wolverhampton? (a) You failed your A-levels; (b) you wanted to spite your parents; or (c) you got on the wrong train."
@@rewboss So what was your answer? 😜😁 Actually it's great to see old Karl (and his concrete musings) still in place in Karl Marx Stadt/Chemnitz. As I passed through in 1991 to visit a nearby small town that my ancestors left in the 19th century to emigrate to Oz, I wondered if he might be "removed to storage" as with "Iron Felix's" statue in Moscow. But for "Big Heads" I must admit that I prefer the Olmec heads in Mexico. 😉
You should have looked around at the Kaßberg. It's one of the hills, Chemnitz was built on and survived the bombing a lot better. it is actually the biggest Art Deco era residential quarter in Europe. Also Chemnitz has some seriously important examples of Bauhaus Architecture, lie the Villa Esche or the former savings bank headquarters.
Hope the capital of culture 25 title will have a good impact on the city. Leipzig and Dresden are already beautiful, now its chemnitz' turn. Much love from Leipzig
Thank you for your portrait of my hometown! In Chemnitz there are many cultural facilities with unique character or exclusive content even most locals dont know about (why many of them dont understand why we should be capital of culture^^). I have to point out that the city's character is not dominated by the "Plattenbau" but more so by the diversity of diffrent districts. The Kaßberg has a unique architectural character, Schloßchemnitz (as you have shown too) is a beautiful central part of Chemnitz but also other outskirt districts like Klaffenbach, Hilbersdorf and especially Rabenstein (where i come from ;)) have a very high life-standard for very cheap housing. If I had to choose between Leipzig, Dresden or Chemnitz to live there my whole life, I would always choose Chemnitz! Two more unknown aspects of Chemnitz: it has a very high renomé for its sport facilities, sport trainig center and the Sportgymnasium. There a quite a lot of olympic gold medal winners that lived in Chemnitz. Secondly, in Chemnitz you can find a big educational center of craftsmanship. In Chemnitz and further in whole saxony many master craftsmen can be found. Although the numbers decline since the salary in west germany is way higher.
Having actually lived there for years: the bad reputation is completely justified. The weekly racist rally demanding deportations, shouting "abschieben, abschieben!" did leave a lasting impression on me. This was after the event with the mob there, mind you. Having talked to people that ran for their lives that day - your claims of exaggeration are puzzling to me. I agree with your assessment of the potential, because there is cheap and ample place. There is a lively underground techno scene as well. I have seen the most openly right wing extremist people there with literal swastika tattoos out in the open and the police turning a blind eye. But I have also met convicted democrats refusing to give up the place. The university is another beacon of reason, but most students leave the minute they collect their degree (including me)
I moved from Leipzig to Chemnitz in mid 2022 for work and I can confirm. I dress more on the punk and goth side of things and have dressed down a lot since I moved because I don't want to make myself a target of the mob on a daily basis. The amount of people that are openly pro AfD, "III. Weg" and other far right wing parties is simply appalling. I have seen straight up stereotypical N*zis here, with white ladder laced boots, swastikas and more, during daytime in the middle of the city. No one seemingly had a problem with it, not even the police. I went to a lot of left wing protests during my 3 years in Leipzig and have never felt threatened on my way back home. In Chemnitz it was the opposite. Chemnitz needs to address the issue more prominently, otherwise it's never going to change!
maybe one thing to add: Chemnitz has a huge range of Architecture-Styles. You could have seen this for example on Kaßberg. But in General I agree with your few on my hometown. I was a little bit sag, that I haven't seen you here. Maybe next time you get convicted to go to chemnitz
8:41 That combination of historical town hall and glass and steel Peek&Cloppenburg branch can also be seen in Lübeck. It's just downright awful. On another note, those apartment blocks can be found in every major city. Also in the west. Here in Hamburg the townparts Steilshoop and Mümmelmannsberg - among many others - look exactly like this. But then again their reputation is very similar to Chemnitz.
6:54 The former GDR learnt to build very ecomically. GDR was way more efficient in building costs than comparable countries. They had some internationally acknowledged engineers at that time.
Sure they had great ideas but often when you deal with products of engineering of that time period you come to the conclusion that they did not think about the product thoroughly til the end of its life cycle.
CHEMNITZ CHEMNITZ CHEMNITZ. At last you've visited the city I visited twice in GDR (East Germany) Time as a teenager When I visited in 1983 & 1987 on an educational visit, And why would someone from Manchester get to visit there for absolutely No cost what so ever ??? Well, until 1990, it was known as Karl-Marx-Stadt. In 1983, K-M-S was twinned with Manchester, I believe it may be something to do with the links to Friedrich Engels and his mate Karl Marx, They used to meet up in Central library in Manchester when Engels worked at his father's Factory in Salford, And it is where he based his 1845 novel The Condition of the Working Class in England ( Die Lage der arbeitenden Klasse ) But of course you knew that already 😊.
The bad reputation goes back even further - pre-War, Chemnitz was a massive industrial powerhouse, and had the same kind of reputation as the English industrial cities like Manchester or Birmingham. One nickname was "Rußchemnitz" (soot-blackened Chemnitz). It's not only due to the post-War period, though that certainly didn't help. As for the first reason for its bad reputation, I'm a bit disappointed. Chemnitz has a large problem with the extreme Right, and while it may not be immediately apparent when just walking through the city centre, doesn't mean it's all fine. Yes, as a tourist, you'll almost certainly be okay, but that's not the point. I recommend a visit to the Jewish restaurant "Schalom", they have quite some stories to tell. On the other hand, I thought the focus of the video was a bit off, and the city wasn't very well represented. For old stuff, you don't go to the city centre, you go to the Kaßberg quarter, with a large amount of late-19th / early 20th century streets and buildings. In terms of culture, there are _several_ high-profile collections and exhibitions of modern art (mostly modernist paintings and sculpture), the Industriemuseum is well worth visiting, and other things that have been touched upon in the comments.
Chemnitz truly is dangerous. Ive got robbed from imigrants and almost every day in the city center there are brawls where almost all are immigrants. Im truly blessed I live in the outer city.
hello, i come from "chemnitz...and this its not really a culture city!...we have many very good musicans,artists, writher usw...but no(!) support for underground atrist from the admins in my city...! 🙂(joke:)...holiday in "karl marx stadt"?..never, but you are a meth consumer or a older GDR fan or a neonazi.....🙂...sorry, east germany have more and better placees for culture...(joke ends) thx for this clip and i wish all dudes/dudeines a nice 2025 and come to chemnitz, we need "normal" persons with culture in your heard! sorry for my lousy english...your KrautROckt!er from the SuppenZone ;-)
I hope you don't take this wrong, this isn't meant to attack you or devalue your experience, but I really think you should have been more sensitive in your "A city of racists?" chapter. Chemnitz isn't any different from the rest of Sachsen, it suffers the same financial problems, high unemployment rates and widespread support for rightwing mindsets (AfD got ~25% of votes in Chemnitz) as well as an active neo nazi szene (as evident when looking at the many rightwing locations, dedicated houses and the support the NSU had in the past). Therefore, reducing Chemnitz (or Sachsens for that matter) neo nazi problem to one singular event would be problematic on its own but claiming the medias reaction to the 2018 escalation was "grossly exaggerated" when counter protestors and BiPoC were in fact assaulted in the streets and a jewish restaurant destroyed (as documented on videos and numerous charges) doesn't work out too well. You're a white cis male presenting person and even speak german, therefore you naturally have less trouble navigating these cities compared to BiPoC and LGBTIQ+ people, who regularly face discrimination and violence in Sachsen, in this context your statement of "did not feel unsafe at all" is not only misleading but feels unreflected and kinda cynical... That being said, I do still agree that Chemnitz has an interesting history and believe, that not despite but because of its problems, it could benefit from the cultural projects and investments, to make it a better place for everyone!
It's fitting this city is so close to the Czech border, I was thinking it looked very similar to my Czech post-industrial city. I suppose a lot of Germans could find that kind of thing ugly, but the thing about those refurbished "commie blocks" is that the structure is sound enough you can design and renovate the interior as ultra modern or retro as you like.
Wait, d'ye mean to say that work has still not begun in Chemnitz on that 50-foot statue of Hans-Georg Maassen?! Forget the opera houses--this is Chemnitzkultur.
I was in Chemnitz two times and both were good experiences. It has a great historic bath and a relatively chilled atmosphere with a lot of space. I also wouldn't have had any problems at all to move there. And when I see the empty quite beautiful street near the University, I think in the close future, this will be a great place to live as a student. Especially with the living prices in other university towns it's only a question of time till it will become popular.
I do go there regularly ... Yes, it used to be an industrial city and yes, I think one should emphasize that more ... The Industriemuseum is certainly worth a visit as well as the former Kaufhaus Schocken and the Archäologisches Museum ... But what draws me to Chemnitz is the Villa Esche, which is an absolute "must" ... Designed by the spiritual father of the Bauhaus - Henry van de Velde, it portraits the interim between Art Nouveau and the Bauhaus in Weimar ... The Villa was home to the family Esche, who were Sock-manufacturers before the war ... which closes the cycle to the industrial significance of Chemnitz ... No, I am sure that Chemnitz has more to offer than what meets the eye ... ;-)
Thank you for the video of my hometown. It always nice to hear some positiv notes about the city. With the reputation we mostly just get negativ news and such. We made a lot of progress in last two decades. The amount of old/run down houses renovated is insane. So many places looks so much better now. Lets see what they can still improve before 2025.
Chemnitz was also the seed for the success of BMW. BMW obtained the ability to build aircraft engines or Zeppelin engines with the purchase of a company that was based in Chemnitz, which ultimately gave BMW the opportunity to be reestablished in Bavaria after World War 1. Chemnitz also had an airport for the region, the terminal still stands today, in the middle of a residential area (Neubaugebiet), it is very easy to reach by the tram. Think, its on the Stollberger Straße, shame you didnt go into the Tietz, its got hold of like 300 million year old fossiled trees.
I live in one of this monolithic blocks. And it have lots of positive side. It's a cheap way to live. There are many greens and parks nearby. The infrastructure is great.
6:45 These are not just "motivational texts" but poems from Bertolt Brecht, one of the most famous German playwrights and avid communists. The one displayed here in the video speaking about the party is called "Lob der Partei". It's one of five poems of praise from Brecht and they are all part of this ensemble.
I grew up in Karl-Marx-Stadt in the 70s, in a mixed Soviet-German neighborhood near the Zoo, - went for a trip to Dresden and Chemnitz last year and was really pleasantly surprised of how well both cities are doing. But who am I kidding... I immediately felt like home. Had troubles comprehending the local accent though 😩
Dass es dort im Brühl keine studentenfreundlichen Kneipen gibt, liegt für mich nahe. Ich beobachte seit langem, dass solche Einrichtungen aussterben und dass es in Uni-Nähe in vielen Städten entweder eine Schicki-Micki-Einkaufspassage gibt oder leerstehende Gebäude.
Das es am Brühl keine studentenfreundlichen Kneipen gibt, liegt eher daran dass der Campus der TU und die dazugehörigen Wohnheime mehr oder weniger am anderen Ende der Stadt liegen. In der Nähe vom Brühl befindet sich halt das älteste Gebäude der TU... und auch das momentan neueste Gebäude der Uni - die Zentralbibliothek.Die hat man da halt hin gebaut damit die Gegend "belebter" wird. Da hab ich aber so meine Zweifel dass dieser Plan Früchte tragen wird. Außerdem hat man damit erreicht, dass die Studenten jetzt statt 5 Minuten eine halbe Stunde brauchen um in die Bibliothek zu kommen.
@@karlheinz9432 Ah, das wusste ich nicht. Aber sollte nicht grade auch in Bib-Nähe ein gewisses Angebot an Kneipen (oder Gaststätten generell) bestehen? Ich meine, wenn ich in der Bibliothek lerne oder an einer Arbeit schreibe, bekomme ich doch irgendwann einfach Hunger und möchte dann ne Currywurst, ein Schnitzel oder irgendwas anderes für einen überschaubaren Preis essen?
@@wookie2222 Die Mensa hat da eine Außenstelle (mit eingeschränktem Angebot) und paar Imbisse dürften da auch in der Nähe sein. Aber ne abendliche Kneipenlandschaft muss man da halt nicht erwarten, wenn die Leute da schlicht nicht wohnen, sondern nur einer Tätigkeit nachgehen. Außerdem darf man auch nicht vergessen dass die Bibliothek da erst seit ein paar Jahren ist - wobei in dieser Zeit dann auch noch mehr oder weniger 2 Jahre Fernlehre an der Uni war.
@@karlheinz9432 Eine Bibliothek bringt gar nichts, gerade weil sie für Studierende (und Wissenschaftler) Arbeitsplatz ist. Wer möchte schon nach Feierabend an seinem Arbeitsplatz abhängen? Gerade dort geht man dann ja nicht hin. Und während eines Arbeitstages hat man eben zu tun und in der halben Stunde Mittagspause nimmt man in der Mensa schnell etwas zu sich und weiter geht´s. Das war also offenbar ein Denkfehler wenn man glaubte, mit einer Bibliothek Studierende in dieses Viertel zu locken (ich kenne es nicht, um das dazu zu sagen).
Next Capitals of Culture - Swindon, Doettinchem, Arlon, Montferrand, Ourense, Mestre, Winterthur, Graz, Frankfurt am der Oder, Bydgoszcz, Kosice, Athlone, and Gyor. Let's try to find some culture in that!
I've been once sent by my employer to a factory acceptance test in Penig (with a g, yes this is a town, located far far away, along the Elbe river, very close to CZ), which needed some effort would I say, to be reached from Brussels. I would have preferred to take the train which was almost a full day sat in trains but the company booked planes... and trains, which were also a full day essentially waiting in airports 😞 Brussels - Munich flight ; Munich - Dresden flight ; Dresden - Chemnitz train, overnight in Chemnitz, hourraaa ! Next morning taxi to Penig and there we were. And then the way back. The hotel was next to the Hbf and offered me the hugest hotel room experience I've ever got in my life. Just the entrance lobby of the room was about the size of the hotel rooms I use to book for leisure trips. Same impression with the bathroom (about 30 m²), then the room itself, an ensuite made of 2 spaces of about 50 m² each.... My colleage which had the same "room" next door rushed out in the lobby at the same time I did, both of us asking the other "did the company unexpectedly book two 1000 € ensuites ???" No ! That was for something like 119 € which was fitting the company policy for hotel rooms in Germany without any problem ! I couldn't believe it... This was a funny "Drei-O-Stadt" experience 🙂
To me, Kraftklub and their sideprojects singlehandedly are such a powerhouse for cultural Success coming from Chemnitz and i love with efforts like the Kosmos Chemnitz arts and music festival they ran two times before that they belive in this region to thrive. Can't wait what they do in 2024 and the big year 2025.
A few years ago I went to the opera house in Chemnitz (pretty much the only reason I go anywhere). The performance was really good (Amleto), and it's one of the most friendliest places I've ever been. There's a concert hall next to the opera house. I stayed in Bruhl. Nice but not much night life. Went to a bar with folk I'd met at the opera and all in all had a great time. I'd be happy to return in their city of culture year.
@rewboss I have also to give a fact to these "fancy" looking blocks (slab construction). When they came up they were considered a state of the art e.g. they had a central heating. Just as an example: My parents house which was build in 1928 (as well in saxony - only around 100 km's away from Chemnitz) had until the reunification of Germany in every room an oven. So these blocks were back in the days absolute modern and cheap to manifacture. nowadays thats a complete different topic, but back then especially as so many residential builds were lost they were an absolute blockbuster!
Those old blocks are ugly, but they would be considered good housing in most of the developed world. studry windows, alot of green, sound isolating walls, central heating, thats luxury for high rises in places like Japan...
The way you present history is soo interesting. I think I never had a guidetour because I'm not eagerly interested in local history. But you are able to present in such an intestering way that I cannot stop watching.
"I never actually felt unsafe". How much of this can be explained by the fact that you're a white male whose status (living in Germany, but born abroad) is not obvious simply by looking at you? Honest question here. I do not live in Germany and had never heard of Chemnitz reputation before today.
I think you make a good point - it's very likely to play a role. I'm also a white immigrant here from the UK and have repeatedly had to remind people in conversations about "Ausländer" and "Migranten" that they're talking about me.
In the summer months I tan very easily. In my time I have been threatened by Palestinians who thought I looked Jewish, spoken to in Turkish by a Turk who thought I looked Turkish, mistaken for a Spaniard or an Italian, and once even racially abused by a Brit who thought I looked half-Pakistani. Still, though, even being a white male isn't always enough to protect you from people who would punch you in the face for voting for the wrong party, wearing your hair long, or supporting the wrong football team. Race is only one form of bigotry; there are many others.
@@rewboss I was referring to "racists", "fascists" and some people's attitude towards "foreigners", as you are in the video. I was pretty sure no one would slap you for supporting the wrong football team.
Very well done report on Chemnitz! I like your objectivity. I would have liked to have seen the Kaßberg featured, which preserves the pre-war Chemnitz "vibe" (e.g. Majolikahäuser). The city suffers a great deal from its soviet legacy. Overall the city has not that great public transport and this creates a synergy, when things, that imho should be close together, aren't (like the university and bars/pubs in the city centre). In this already underpopulated city, people are encouraged to use the car, not visit the centre, live in incorporated communities or "towns in a town" like the Morgenleite, visit shopping malls. Sachsen Allee, Galerie Roter Turm, Vita Center are at least close to densely populated residential areas, but Globus, Chemnitz Center, are far from the city and send pedestrial areas to death. It is almost necessity to own a car if you'd like to regularly partake in cultural activities (and go to work).
Thank you for this of course, which is most interesting too. I am British too and do not speak German at all; but you have put this together very well. This part of Germany of course has been updated really since 1990 I guess, but as you say there are many things from before then as there would be really too. Well done too!
A few weeks ago i was in Chemnitz and saw a guy who looked familiar but i didn't know from where i knew his face... i thought he may be a prof from university, but now i am pretty sure, it was you. The first time in my life i recognized a “RU-vidr“ 😅
Great video, you did the city justice. As a black person living in Chemnitz, I can say that I don't experience much racism here, so I think the bad reputation of the city regarding this is unjustified. Btw, you forgot to show the Kaßberg, one of the largest still connected Art nouveaux style quarters, as well in Germany, as in Europe.
Good point. Chemnitz reputation is that, what makes the city so unattractive for the most people in Germany, especially for people in Saxony. This city has a lot of potential, but will this city ever get the chance? For now, I doubt it, but you never know.
