On Saturday, 18 January at 4 p.m., the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 will be officially opened with a ceremony in the Chemnitz Opera House. Lord Mayor Sven Schulze will welcome Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer, the EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Justice, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Claudia Roth. A total of 700 invited guests from the worlds of politics, business, culture and society are expected to attend.
Andrea Pier and Stefan Schmidtke, Managing Directors of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH, will accept the Melina Mercouri Prize, which is endowed with 1.5 million euros. This prize, named after the former Greek Minister of Culture and initiator of the European Capital of Culture programme, will be awarded to Chemnitz following the jury's recommendation to the EU Commission for the successful third monitoring.
The ceremony for invited guests will also be broadcast live on MDR television.
