Chemnitz and 38 partner municipalities and communities in the Central Saxony, Erzgebirge and Zwickau region will be the European Capital of Culture 2025. Kulturhauptstadt Europas Chemnitz 2025 GmbH (Kulturhauptstadt GmbH) is the company entrusted with the implementation of the project ideas outlined in bid book II. This company is planning and managing all the activities included in the programme for the Capital of Culture year.

Kulturhauptstadt Europas Chemnitz 2025 GmbH is working under the motto “C the Unseen” to place a key focus on activities in the areas of socioculture, art, tinkerer and maker culture, food and eating culture, the environment, sustainability, children’s, youth and senior citizens’ activities as well as other areas of society and culture. To this end, it is bringing together regional and national as well as international partners.

On February 27, 2023, the calls for Soft Skills Academy I, CZ-PL-D and Celebrating Generations will start.
All information about these calls will be available on the site.

Kulturhauptstadt GmbH is launching the European Workshop for Culture and Democracy listed in bid book II with public calls for proposals (open calls), and in 2023 and 2024 will involve a wide range of stakeholders from the area of culture and civil society in the Capital of Culture programme. These calls for proposals cover the following areas:

Soft Skills Academy I

Capacity building and networking programme
for project ideas
(call for proposals no. 01/23)

Soft Skills Academy II

Pilot projects in civil society
(call for proposals no. 02/23)

CZ-PL-D

Cross-border cooperation with partners
in the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany
(call for proposals no. 03/23)

Celebrating generations

Projects for young and older people
(call for proposals no. 04/23)

Urban popular culture

(call for proposals no. 05/23)

The calls for proposals are intended to support projects focusing on content that has a strong link to the five programme areas presented in bid book II:

C the Unseen – Europäische Macher:innen der Demokratie / European Makers of Democracy

How can taking part in culture and civic participation strengthen social cohesion? The central element of the Capital of Culture programme is to inspire as many people as possible as to become “makers” – creative, self-effective people who contribute their skills and knowledge to shaping their social environment. This creative and entrepreneurial potential often lies hidden in Chemnitz and the region, but it is waiting to be discovered and experienced on closer inspection. The makers become European makers of democracy when they, together with others, use this potential to create something and take care of their fellow human beings, while treating each other with respect and seeing otherness as enriching for civil society.

Osteuropäische Mentalität / Eastern State of Mind

The aim in this programme area is to uncover Eastern European influences on our everyday lives, which are often unjustly concealed, and to bring this influence to life in projects. By working together on creative endeavours, the intention is to open people’s hearts, bringing them closer together through shared stories and ideas. The aim of the projects is to create connections between a wide range of European maker identities.

Macher:innen² / Makers²

Makers shape cities, regions and Europe – that’s how they make history. They often work alone and unobserved – in the studio, at the workbench, in the cellar, in the garage or behind the counter. The programme aims to bring together creative people who have an inventive and entrepreneurial spirit, artistic skills and visionary drive. How can they be empowered to use their skills?

Gelebte Nachbarschaft / Generous Neighbours

Gelebte Nachbarschaft / Generous Neighbours is an invitation to take a look beyond your own horizons: What are other people actually doing? The aim is to make values such as respect, tolerance and solidarity something people can experience in their everyday lives together by discovering and experiencing unimagined commonalities in projects. Promoting democracy through art and culture, participation and long-term involvement – how does living together as real neighbours come about?

In Bewegung! / It’s Moving!

This programme area gets out of the city – into the 38 partner municipalities and communities of the Capital of Culture Chemnitz. And into a cultural region that is rediscovering its own tradition and history as part of a moving exchange and putting its topics front and centre. It’s Moving! opens up new encounters in projects along the Purple Path, the emerging art and sculpture trail, and initiates shared negotiations on the future of the region.

If you would like to receive regular updates on the calls, you can subscribe to specific mailing lists for each call here:

To sign up for the mailing lists

Do you have specific questions about the calls for entries?

Then feel free to send us an email to ausschreibungen@chemnitz2025.de.

Photo: Natalie Bleyl