In the volunteer editorial team, volunteers for Chemnitz 2025 publish reports on their experiences, assignments and adventures around the European Capital of Culture.
Jan lives in Chemnitz and works as an IT project manager. His motivation is to make an active contribution to the success of the European Capital of Culture year in order to give Chemnitz a positive development boost.
He enjoys contributing his intercultural experience and language skills to the volunteer assignments.
On 24 October, Antje and I, together with Frizzi Seltmann from C2025 GmbH, accompanied the press representatives who had travelled to the Ore Mountains for the programme launch. The aim was to visit selected Purple Path locations to present this project as an example of how the region can be involved.
It was a special motivation for me to take part and to receive first-hand information from the Purple Path curator Alexander Ochs, who had travelled with me, and the artists, some of whom were present on site.
We started early in Chemnitz, after a short briefing by Frizzi, the bus was equipped with the necessary provisions for the day and then it was straight off to Schneeberg.
The journalists' interest was already palpable on the bus and initial discussions ensued, primarily about the volunteer programme and their own motivation as volunteers.
Once in Schneeberg, the "Coin Stack 2" was presented, a reference to the supposed first strike in the region in the 16th century. We continued on to St Wolfgang's Church and a presentation of the Cranach Altarpiece, art workshops in Schneeberg and finally a visit to one of the last glove makers in Germany. All in all, I was given an impressive, completely new picture of Schneeberg with its culturally and creatively active scene.
We continued on to Aue-Bad Schlema to see the "Stagg" purple path sculpture, which is probably the most famous at the moment and is a reminder of the eventful history of this landscape. After a short stop, we travelled on to Lößnitz, where the artist Ulli Aigner herself presented her work of art on site. If you want to see the world's largest porcelain vessels, the unique "One Million Item 3501 and 3502", then this is the place for you.
Finally, we travelled to Ehrenfriedersdorf to the cradle of tin mining in the Ore Mountains and the three legendary wild boars by artist Carl Emanuel Wolff. For me, this is one of the most beautiful sculptures, which fits perfectly into its surroundings and can be rediscovered again and again depending on the daylight and weather.
Finally, there was a short tour of the visitor mine before heading back to Chemnitz.
All in all, it was a very interesting day - as volunteers, we were responsible for keeping the group of journalists together, distributing drinks and snacks, but above all sharing our enthusiasm ourselves.
