In the volunteer editorial team, volunteers for Chemnitz 2025 publish reports on their experiences, assignments and adventures around the European Capital of Culture.
Bettina lives in Neukirchen in the Ore Mountains and works in the volunteer editorial team. Bettina has been a volunteer since 2024 and contributes her valuable voluntary experience to the European Capital of Culture gGmbH. A former bank clerk, she previously worked as a hardware and software developer.
The Capital of Culture makes it possible! Finally - after more than 10 years - the time had come again: the 29th International German Language Poetry Slam Championships returned to East Germany. From 29 October to 1 November 2025, around 80 slam poets from seven countries - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Italy (South Tyrol) - came to Chemnitz to crown their champion as part of the European Capital of Culture Year 2025.
In addition to the individual competition, there was also a team competition in which the poets presented their best texts. In the end, the audience decided who was the most convincing and moving - and chose the winners.
But more on that later: I have to take a leap back to September 2025 first: Bodo was asked if we would like to be part of a video that explains the rules of the competition and is shown before each round of the competition. Of course we were curious and excited! It was a great experience to film together with Linux and Xenia from Spektakel Kollektiv.
Time passed - and the biggest German-language cultural festival began. The finalists were determined in 15 events. In the team final, the duo Wortwin & Slamson from Berlin prevailed against seven other finalists.
I was able to experience the individual final live on 1 November 2025 in the Chemnitz Stadthalle together with my husband and around 1,800 slam fans. It was an impressive - in the truest sense of the word - eloquent experience! The atmosphere was great and relaxed right from the start. You could feel that a large fan community had gathered here to finally choose the winner.
Inke Sommerlang & Birdy hosted the evening with a lot of humour and energy. As the rules video was shown before each competition, we were asked about it as soon as we entered the town hall. And yes - it was strange to see ourselves so huge on the screen ..
Nine slammers performed their texts in the final. The variety of topics was huge: the contributions, which were presented in a time limit of just under six minutes, were political, critical, funny and very personal. Aids are taboo at the poetry slam - only the artists themselves are on stage, possibly with a text sheet.
The performances were characterised by passion, expressive language and gestures. It was not easy for the eleven-member jury to select the three best entries. Ayse Irem, who had competed for I,Slam - a network of Muslim poetry slammers - came out on top in the final round.
In her texts, she thematises everyday racism in Germany. Second and third place went to Julius Althoetmar from Bavaria and Lia Hartl from Austria.
It was an absolutely positive experience for me to witness this competition. I was also very impressed by Julius and Lia. Julius was my favourite and I would have liked him to win as well.
But that's the way it is: only one vote can win.
