Three times 70 minutes across Chemnitz and three times 30 minutes of questions over questions – the digital city visit of the European jury is over.

More than 50 actors, six camera teams, two cranes, a tram, a key, sun and thousands of crossed fingers were in action.

So we took the jury up to the high-rise building at the corner of Zwickauer Strasse and Reichsstrasse, where the view over the city tells of the breaks in history.

We walked along Ikarus Boulevard, talked to local people and European relations, about Eastern Modernism and the NSU.

We traversed the city centre with the Stadthalle, Marx, the Stadtbad and the art collections, because nowhere else can we tell so vividly where the strengths but also the weaknesses of the city lie, what drives and motivates us – and how August 2018 has sharpened our artistic programme.

And finally we took the jury with us: to the garages and workshops of this city. To the Makers who determine our programme. Among other things, we visited the Stadtwirtschaft as the future centre of the cultural and creative industries and various actors in the region.

In addition, members of the application team, curators and project managers, representatives of the business community, the Rector of the TU Chemnitz, Prof. Dr. Gerd Strohmeier, Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig together with her successor Sven Schulze, Police Commissioner Sonja Penzel and Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer answered the jury’s questions.

Today, Chemnitz was the fourth city where the jury paid a digital visit. The city visits began on Monday in Hanover, followed by Hildesheim and Magdeburg. Tomorrow the visit will take place in Nuremberg.

Now Chemnitz has four days left until a ten-member team will present the application, also digitally, to the jury on 26 October.

On 28 October, the European jury will then announce its recommendation for the European Capital of Culture 2025.