On 18 January, 80,000 guests from Germany and abroad celebrated the opening of the European Capital of Culture in Chemnitz. Cultural diversity, cosmopolitanism and European togetherness were celebrated. The people of Chemnitz and visitors from all over the world came together to celebrate democracy, the European idea and peaceful coexistence.
We are the European Capital of Culture!
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier declared Chemnitz 2025 open with a ceremony. The highlight of the programme was the big open-air opening show in front of the Karl Marx Monument. Artists representing cosmopolitanism, diversity, tolerance and democracy took to the stage. The show built bridges between the past, present and future, between generations, between the local and the international. Tens of thousands of visitors celebrated together with musicians such as Dilla, Paula Carolina, Bosse, DJ Fritz Kalkbrenner and Chemnitz artists.
The motto for the title year of the European Capital of Culture is "C the Unseen". Chemnitz 2025 invites you to discover a previously unseen city and region in eastern Germany. The people of Chemnitz and the 38 municipalities in the Capital of Culture region are presenting an extensive programme with 223 projects and over 1,000 events until the end of November 2025.
