It is estimated that well over 2 million people were part of the title year of the City of Chemnitz and the 38 municipalities in the Capital of Culture region. The "Capital of Culture effect" is clearly noticeable everywhere: guests experienced almost 2,000 events in the Chemnitz 2025 programme, visited museums, festivals and concerts. Discovered the PURPLE PATH art and sculpture trail and explored the maker hubs. Met people in garage courtyards, marvelled at Edvard Munch's "Scream", planted apple trees, took part in open-air dance classes and saw record-breaking exhibitions. Chemnitz proved to be a great, friendly and professional host for thousands of tourists and was also a popular venue for congresses, conferences and a variety of other events attracted by the Capital of Culture title. The people of Chemnitz and the Capital of Culture region surprised their guests and themselves.
2025 was an exemplary participatory project. The programme for the Capital of Culture year emerged from the urban community and is therefore unique compared to other European Capitals of Culture. The people of Chemnitz and the Capital of Culture region have formed new networks and collaborations with each other and with many European partners that will continue to exist in the future. From the opera to the poetry slam, from the art exhibition to the competition between international youth fire brigades - culture is everything that connects a society. In 2025, Chemnitz and the Capital of Culture region impressively demonstrated how understanding, tolerance and mutual respect can grow through dialogue and joint action. With the many opportunities for active participation, Chemnitz 2025 has shown how democracy works in practice. People did not remain inward-looking, but opened up to Europe and learnt about many different perspectives.
1. Programme
Chemnitz 2025 presented around 2,000 events in 2025, twice as many as expected at the beginning of the year. This was based on the five programme areas with a total of 260 projects that were anchored in the Chemnitz 2025 programme. The main focus was on citizen participation and international cooperation. Civil society was able to actively participate in several open calls for proposals, resulting in 56 additional projects. A total of 731 partner organisations were involved in the programme. Of these, 233 were international partners from 40 countries, with whom 68 projects were jointly realised.
Some events were attended by a particularly large number of people:
The opening ceremony of Chemnitz 2025 on 18 January 2025 had 80,000 guests.
The Hat Festival had 105,000 visitors, twice as many as in 2024.
The ibug art festival reported a record attendance of over 38,000 visitors, almost twice as many as expected.
The Art Festival Begehungen also set a record with 56,000 visitors.
The culture, music and democracy festival KOSMOS was celebrated by 115,000 people, another attendance record.
Light Our Vision had 86,000 visitors.
The Chemnitz Museum of Industry with its special exhibition "Tales of Transformation" already counted 100,000 visitors on 24 September 2025. By comparison, there were 62,000 visitors in 2024 as a whole.
The exhibition “Edvard Munch. Angst” at the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz attracted 84,000 visitors.
Over 8,000 runners took part in the European Capital of Culture Marathon over various distances.
2. Capital of Culture Region, Makerhubs and PURPLE PATH
The largest sustainable project in the Capital of Culture region with its 38 partner municipalities is the PURPLE PATH art and sculpture trail. With the works of over 60 renowned international, regional and local artists, a unique exhibition of contemporary art in public spaces in the region has been created, connecting Chemnitz and the region. The art and sculpture trail will become an important new tourist attraction in the future, and not just for art lovers.
Nine maker hubs have been created in Chemnitz and the Capital of Culture region as creative spaces that invite people to work together and thus become a driving force for sustainable creative tourism in the region.
3. Participation and volunteers
The Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 was significantly supported by the active participation of people in the city and region. Whether as volunteers, in artistic projects or in neighbourhood initiatives, the commitment of civil society shaped and enriched the programme.
Volunteering: 1,300 volunteers contributed around 45,000 volunteer hours in 10,000 assignments and provided support as ambassadors and behind the scenes.
#3000Garagen: The main project showcased garages as creative spaces; 1,000 people participated in the formats and worked with 34 international artists.
Apple Tree Initiatives: In collaborative actions, 1,450 apple trees were planted in public spaces over three years - the basis for new neighbourhoods in the Living Neighbourhood project.
Microprojects: 248 microprojects were supported and implemented.
CREATE.U: 81 young people developed their own projects for the Capital of Culture programme; the highlight was the Betonblühen festival in October 2025 with 5,500 visitors.
Dancing Neighbours: Around 100 people aged 60 and over have taken part in the workshops every week since May 2024.
Makers, Business & Arts / Maker Advent: The project connects creative makers with business, art and tourism. The Maker Advent was honoured with the German Tourism Award 2025; in 2025, 42 workshops and studios are offering a total of 330 hands-on events.
The funding programme "EUJA! Initiative Projects for the Capital of Culture Year" made the creativity of Chemnitz's urban society visible in 2025. Around 120 projects were realised by citizens, associations and initiatives.
EUJA! as a central project of civic initiative in the Capital of Culture year
Total funding amount: 505,000 euros
Organised and funded by: City of Chemnitz, Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH, Sparkasse Chemnitz and GGG - Grundstücks- und Gebäudewirtschafts-Gesellschaft m.b.H.
Variety of projects: Music festivals, cultural events, youth participation, artistic workshops, new formats in intervention areas, events in public spaces
The intervention areas are among the most visible participatory projects of the Capital of Culture year. Their realisation would not have been possible without the active participation of Chemnitz residents. In all city districts and localities, a joint decision was made as to which places should be redesigned.
Through these projects, the Capital of Culture was brought directly into people's neighbourhoods and will remain present beyond the title year.
In each of the eight areas of the citizens' platforms and in each of the eight incorporated localities, 325,000 euros were available for new public spaces.
The citizens themselves chose which projects would be realised, from club rooms to hiking trails and parks to barrier-free access.
Citizens had a say in the design of the neighbourhood park at Pleißenbach, and children in particular were actively involved in the new playground.
Economic commitment: The local and national economy actively supported Chemnitz 2025:
A total of 50 sponsors and supporters from the business community.
Most extensive commitment by:Volkswagen Group (premium sponsor)
eins energie in sachsen GmbH & Co KG (main sponsor)
Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe (Official Partner)
4. Museums and cultural institutions
The city's museums can look back on an exceptional Capital of Culture year. Almost all the museums recorded significant increases in visitor numbers or experienced the most visited year in their history. Major special exhibitions such as "European Realities" and "Edvard Munch. Angst" attracted both national and international guests. New venues such as the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Haus provided strong impetus.
Chemnitz Art Collections
229,869 visits to the art collections by October (comparative period 2024: 60,460)
407 public tours and 968 special tours
Significantly more international audience with guests e.g. from the Czech Republic, France and the USA, high proportion of online tickets for guests from outside Germany
Exhibition highlights:"European Realities" with almost 40,000 visits, the most successful exhibition at the Gunzenhauser Museum since it opened in 2007
"Edvard Munch. Angst" with 84,000 visits
New artists' museum: the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House, open since April, already has over 17,000 visitors
Strong digital growth: Instagram community grew from 9,500 to over 15,500 followers
Chemnitz Industrial Museum
123,768 visits by mid-November (comparative period 2024: 61,879), best museum year in history
Over 880 guided tours and 1,288 educational and mediation programmes
Strong increase in interest from national and international guests
More than 100 events and rentals
Numerous major conferences, including the ERIH annual conference, the German Museums Association's evening reception, the Sports Ministers' Conference and the DGTB annual conference
Seven special exhibitions throughout the year, including "Tales of Transformation"
Festivals and events: EuroBean Chocolate Festival, Steampunk Festival, Industriemuseum Open Air
European Creative-Europe project "Metamorphosis of Workwear" successfully realised
smac - Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology
Around 90,000 visits by October (comparative period 2024: 70,683)
Visitor record with Chemnitz 2025 exhibition "Silberglanz & Kumpeltod" (43,000 visitors)
Strong increase in interest from national and international guests
Significant expansion of educational programmes and guided tours
The Museum of Saxon Vehicles
21,729 visits by October (comparative period 2024: 10,952)
Capital of Culture project: "Ersatzteillager" by Martin Maleschka, an installation with items on loan from Chemnitz garages in cooperation with the #3000Garagen project
Special exhibition " Was Europa bewegte – Von Fahrrad bis Automobil"
Museum of Natural History
17,987 visits by October (comparative period 2024: 16,965)
Capital of Culture project: Fossil of the Year 2025 Fayolia sterzeliana - shark egg capsules from Chemnitz-Borna and Chemnitz-Glösa, an exhibition highlighting the geological uniqueness of Chemnitz
5. Theatre, opera, ballet and philharmonic orchestra
The Capital of Culture year gave Chemnitz's theatres a noticeable boost. In 2025, the theatres experienced exceptionally high demand, growing international visibility and a significant intensification of exchange with audiences, partners and guests from Germany and abroad. The world premiere of the opera "Rummelplatz" proved to be one of the biggest crowd pullers of the year. All performances were sold out, and additional scheduled dates were also completely sold out. A revival is planned.
Over 200,000 visitors so far in 2025; an increase of more than 20,000 compared to the same period in 2024.
Around 40 per cent of the audience came from other regions of Germany, as well as numerous guests from other European countries.
Rising demand for guest performances, special formats and open-air productions.
Further outstanding projects in 2025
Concert series on Theaterplatz with nine open-air concerts, including the festival performance by Blond together with the Robert Schumann Philharmonic Orchestra to kick off the KOSMOS Festival.
High-calibre special events: European Culture Award Gala in May, final of the German Poetry Slam 2025 Championship in October, guest performance by the Budapest Festival Orchestra in the city hall.
International Festival TANZ | MODERNE | TANZ with Guinness World Record attempt for the longest ballet class in the world. Several hundred participants trained simultaneously in the city centre.
The "Odyssey in C" project as a major dance voyage of discovery in public space, jointly organised by Ballett Chemnitz and international companies. One of the most popular and impressive dance productions of the year.
6. Congresses, conferences and events at the C³ Chemnitz event centres
Chemnitz has established itself as an important location for national and international specialist events in the Capital of Culture year 2025. The C³ Chemnitz event centres recorded exceptional growth, both in terms of visitor numbers and the number of high-calibre conferences. Demand for rooms, guided tours and the cultural programme was higher than ever before.
Projected total number of visitors to C³ facilities in 2025: around 760,000 (+ approx. 13% on the previous year)
Around 65,000 congress and conference guests in the C³ centres (2024: 39,000)
Villa Esche with a record year: 427 guided tours (2024: 124), an increase of 244%, guests from 14 countries and three continents
Sharp rise in demand for public tours of the moated castle Klaffenbach and the town hall.
Cultural events in the C³ Houses with a significant increase in visitors: 416,000 guests (2024: 348,000), an increase of around 65,000.
C³'s most successful open-air season with 18 concerts and a total of 63,000 visitors at Küchwaldwiese and moated castle Klaffenbach, including new Küchwald concerts with Bryan Adams on 6 August (15,600 guests) and Sido on 10 August (13,000 guests)
International trade events 2025 - selection
I²MTC 2025, the largest international conference for measurement technology, for the first time in Germany, with over 400 experts from more than 40 countries, around 350 scientific contributions.
Record registration for the annual conference of the German Museums Association with around 1,000 participants.
7. Tourism and overnight stays
Tourism in Chemnitz and the Capital of Culture Region experienced a significant upturn in 2025. Demand for guided tours and travel offers reached new records, with twice as many city tours organised by September as in the entire previous year. Many international guests discovered Chemnitz for the first time through the Capital of Culture, stayed in the city for several days and have firm plans to return.
The analysis of the accommodation tax - whose data is available earlier than the official statistics and which also takes into account smaller establishments with fewer than ten beds - clearly confirms this trend. From January to October 2025, the number of overnight stays was significantly higher than in the previous year. The summer was particularly strong: in August alone, the previous year's level was exceeded by more than 50 per cent. The continuous growth across almost all months shows that Chemnitz 2025 was perceived as a destination with nationwide and international appeal for the first time.
The economic effect is also measurable: a special analysis of the Mastercard data shows that Chemnitz has become considerably more attractive during the Capital of Culture year - both in terms of leisure tourism and the overall spending level of guests.
Chemnitz Tourist Information Centre
Jan - Oct 2025: 1,251 guided tours with 30,664 guests (comparative period 2024: 473 guided tours with 8,610 guests)
Around 400 enquiries per day at the tourist information centre
By October 2025: 6,746 travel enquiries via the TI, of which 2,338 were actual guest arrivals
78% of the groups came from companies and clubs
Average stay: 3 days
Overnight stays in the city of Chemnitz
Evaluation of the State Statistical Office (Jan - Sep 2025)
Total +23.8 % overnight stays: 448,810 (comparative period 2024: 362,395)
Monthly developments: March +8.5 %, April +15.8 %, May +45.8 %, June +44.4 %, July +13.9 %, August +51.2 %, September +28.8 %
Strongest month August 2025: 64,849 overnight stays (+51.2 % compared to Aug 2024)
Analysis of accommodation tax (incl. establishments with less than 10 beds)
Jan-Oct 2025: around 609,000 overnight stays, significantly more than in the same period of the previous year (approx. 510,000)
Total growth: around +19.5 % compared to Jan-Oct 2024
Record month of September: over 77,000 overnight stays, around +20% more than September 2024
Overnight stays in the Chemnitz Zwickau Region Tourism Association region
Association area: +9.3 % Jan-Sep 2025 (931,101 overnight stays, comparative period 2024: 851,546)
Strongest month August 2025: +24.4 % in the entire association area
Zwickau: Jan-Sep 2025 +3.9 % (126,784 overnight stays; comparative period 2024: 121,955)
Examples of places with particularly strong year-on-year growth: May: Zwickau +20.3 %; August: Wechselburg +61.6 %, Limbach-Oberfrohna +138.2 %; September: Wechselburg +41 %, Hartenstein +31.9 %
Overnight stays in the Tourism Association Erzgebirge region
Association area: +0.4 % Jan-Sep 2025 (1,931,005 overnight stays, comparative period 2024: 1,925,089)
Strong regional ties: many guests from the Ore Mountains combine their stay with a visit to Chemnitz or extend their holiday from Chemnitz to the region
High profile of Capital of Culture & UNESCO World Heritage Site: The combination of both titles increases the visibility and attractiveness of the entire destination.
New target groups reached: Young creative people and international guests in particular were specifically addressed.
New tourist offers and PURPLE PATH as a leitmotif: Conception and realisation of the day tour "Art & Ore - Where Capital of Culture meets World Heritage" by the Erzgebirge Tourism Association
Origin of visitors to Chemnitz (Jan-Sep 2025)
Guests from Germany: +24.7 % (397,417 overnight stays)
Europe excluding Germany: +17.7 % (42,571)
Africa: +33.3 % (384)
Asia: +53.5 % (3,960)
America: -13.5 % (2,407)
Australia/New Zealand/Oceania: +108.5% (763)
Foreigners without details: -16.7% (1,308)
Mastercard data: Spending trends Jan-Jul 2025 compared to the same period in 2024
Total spending in Chemnitz +21%, significantly higher than in the comparison group Dresden, Leipzig, Halle, Erfurt and Weimar (+12%)
Leisure tourism as growth driver: +24 %, business tourism +2 %
90 % of guests come from Germany, 58 % from Saxony, 29 % from five other federal states
Strong international growth, including from Austria (+58 %) and Bulgaria (+53 %)
Markets of origin with the greatest relevance: Great Britain, France, Poland
Higher added value from business travellers: average 159 euros per stay (leisure: average 87 euros)
Hotel and catering guests with significant increases in spending in May/June
@2025 Mastercard. All rights reserved. Based on anonymised and aggregated data from Mastercard, supplemented by market research, provided as is, subject to disclaimer on www.chemnitz.de/de/haftungsausschluss-mastercard
8. Transport and mobility
The Capital of Culture year has led to increased demand for local public transport throughout the entire network area. The Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen (VMS) responded with an extensive additional service and recorded an exceptionally high number of passengers.
Around 1.2 million additional passengers in the VMS area in 2025
1.700 additional buses and 950 additional trains on a total of twelve lines
Additional IC connections Berlin - Chemnitz on all weekends from 1 May to 5 October and on the final weekend
VMS-PragBus service: two daily journeys Chemnitz - Marienberg - Prague since spring
"200 years of railways in Europe" festival weekend with 20,000 visitors
Night trains from Stockholm on three weekends
55 additional trips on the Augustusburg cable car as part of the Augustusburg Summer of Music
Around 3,200 Capital of Culture tickets sold for around 10,000 passengers in the network area
CVAG recorded passenger growth of around 7 per cent in the first three quarters of 2025. This corresponds to around 2 million additional passengers compared to the same period in 2024.
9. International delegations
Chemnitz achieved a new level of international visibility in the Capital of Culture year 2025. More international guests, delegations and diplomatic visits came to the city than had been the case for decades. Representatives from all over Europe travelled to the opening ceremony, including high-ranking guests from the worlds of politics, diplomacy and culture. The close cooperation with the European Commission, the European Parliament and numerous European cities made Chemnitz the hub of the European Capitals of Culture family.
2025 was also an extraordinary year for the city administration: more international appointments, more protocol tasks, more diplomatic visits and an increased exchange with partner cities, embassies and cultural institutions worldwide. With the visit of Estonian President Alar Karis, Chemnitz also experienced the first visit by a foreign head of state since reunification.
180 protocol events organised by the City of Chemnitz, almost twice as many as in a normal year.
17 entries in the Golden Book 2025, more than ever before since its introduction in 1899 (including Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer, EU Commissioner Glenn Micallef, former Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel).
Visits from ambassadors from Chile, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Slovenia and the US Consulate General, among others.
Significant increase in twin city delegations: 20 official visits (e.g. for the opening, twin city conference, "Tales of Transformation" exhibition).
the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH also organised 55 delegations with around 2,000 international expert guests
Large European gatherings:approx. 170 delegates from former and future European Capitals of Culture for the opening ceremony
250 guests from around 60 European Capitals of Culture for the 40th anniversary ECOC conference
300 guests from around 20 countries for the Europe Week
Joint presentation with Nova Gorica/Gorizia 2025 in the European Parliament, including presentation of the new ECOC white paper
Expansion of the international network: maintaining contact with 50 embassies, 20 cultural institutes (EUNIC), Goethe Institutes and consulates
10. Intervention areas
With the intervention areas, Chemnitz 2025 has realised an urban development project that has never existed on this scale before. Across the entire city, brownfield sites have been upgraded, neglected areas reactivated and long-held wishes in the city's neighbourhoods realised. The projects range from large-scale schemes such as the Hartmannfabrik, the Stadtwirtschaft, the Karl-Schmidt-Rottluff-Haus and the Garage Campus to smaller interventions in the city and neighbourhoods such as the Morgenleite park or the new "Lohse-Uhlig-Steig" hiking trail in Kleinolbersdorf-Altenhain. The "City by the River" sub-programme also made it possible to experience the city's waterways again - for example through the new district park on the Pleißenbach, which will be further expanded and developed in the coming years as a lasting legacy of the Capital of Culture.
30 intervention areas in all neighbourhoods
Total volume 57.8 million euros (as of 10 June 2025), financed from 10 million euros ECOC- budget, 26 million euros specialist funding programmes and 21.8 million euros municipal own funds
Four "places of new beginnings" as central major projects: Hartmannfabrik, Stadtwirtschaft, Karl-Schmidt-Rottluff-Haus and Garage Campus
Numerous smaller projects in the city and neighbourhoods, including Park Morgenleite, Lohse-Uhlig-Steig, newly created meeting places and play areas
Intensive involvement of the urban community: associations, initiatives and local residents actively helped shape the planning and use of many areas
Sustainable effect: the areas will continue to be used or expanded after 2025
11. Financing
The total budget for the Capital of Culture has increased from just under 90 million to around 115 million euros in the period from 2021 to 2027. There are various reasons for this:
Firstly, the City of Chemnitz has increased its own contribution from originally just under 22 million euros to around 33 million euros. With these 11 million euros, it has succeeded in raising an additional 32 million euros in funding from the EU, the federal government and the state.
The Free State has also increased its share from 20 million euros to 25 million euros.
Of the approximately 115 million euros for the Capital of Culture, around 82 million euros come from outside the city of Chemnitz, which is around 70 per cent of the total funding.
The breakdown of the total sum of 115 million euros is as follows:The long-term and sustainable intervention areas in the city account for just under 57 million euros.
Operational expenditure for the Capital of Culture in the years 2021 to 2026 (incl. Theatre of the World) accounts for around 58 million euros
12. Media response
The European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 achieved a high level of media visibility at home and abroad:
23.000 press mentions with an aggregated reach of around 36 billion
Over 300 national and international journalists from 20 countries have visited Chemnitz and the Capital of Culture region since 2024
Around 1,700 media articles across Germany and over 200 international articles
86 million views on the Chemnitz 2025 social media channels
13. Conclusion / Outlook
The European Capital of Culture year has measurably changed Chemnitz: increasing visitor numbers, international attention and a new self-confidence characterise the outcome. The joint journey of the city society, cultural region and European partners has shown the potential that Chemnitz harbours.
The next phase is now beginning with the Bridge Year 2026 and the long-term legacy from 2027. Chemnitz is focussing on keeping the Capital of Culture feeling alive, consolidating successful formats and launching new initiatives. Projects such as Theatre of the World, the PURPLE PATH, the Open Calls and the planned UNSEEN Biennale form the foundation for the future. Furthermore, the European Capital of Culture 2025 gGmbH will be transformed into a company focussing on legacy in the course of 2026. In this way, 2025 will gradually grow into a long-term cultural and development impulse for the city and region.
