In the volunteer editorial team, Volunteers for Chemnitz 2025 publish reports on their experiences, assignments and adventures around the European Capital of Culture.
Maria has been supporting the European Capital of Culture on a voluntary basis since 2023. Ronny, who joined the team in February 2025, shares her enthusiasm and is fascinated by what lies behind the motto "see the unseen".
On Sunday 19 October, the " see the unseen" motto of the European Capital of Culture once again showed just how surprising it can be - with a very special record: the longest apple pie in the city!
What a sight to behold! 69 volunteers worked together to make this sweet dream a reality. 83 recipes came together - and in the end there were over 100 apple pies in a long, fragrant line.
Each cake was unique: round, square, large, small, classic or creative - baked with love, with recipes from grandma or with new ideas from all over the world. The variety was simply marvellous and reflected the warmth and openness of our city.
The cakes were distributed free of charge and everything was eaten within 60 minutes.
We were stationed together with Ronny and Svetlana in front of the main entrance to Tietz - our cakes were completely sold out after just 30 minutes!
The recipes included contributions from Belarus, France, Italy, Japan, Ukraine, Belgium and Sweden - there were even vegan and gluten-free versions.
A total of 45 volunteers helped out on the day, receiving cakes, looking after the stand and making sure everything ran smoothly. From 12 noon to 6 pm, we celebrated the start of the last big plant festival "Harvest " in the beautiful surroundings of the Tietz, around the petrified forest - lively, colourful and full of the scent of apples.
At the same time, the Chemnitz Adult Education Centre presented a watercolour exhibition of apple recipes, which will be on display until the end of the year. There was also music, small stage programmes, an apple rally, reading aloud for children and lots of little moments that made this day so special.
It was a feast for the senses - and a day that showed what is possible when people come together to make the invisible visible.
