City of Chemnitz and MDR agree partnership for European Capital of Culture 2025

Today, Lord Mayor Sven Schulze signed a cooperation agreement together with the acting managing director of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 GmbH, Dr Christoph Dittrich, and the director of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, Prof. Dr Karola Wille. A fitting place for the signing: the Karl liebt Käthe gallery, a 2025 micro-project, where Betrieb Kollektiv are currently presenting an exhibition including a discarded VW Polo.

A partnership was agreed that will last into the year 2025. The aim is to make cultural diversity and cultural togetherness tangible, to preserve cultural heritage and to create broad cultural awareness. In addition, the cooperation ensures comprehensive coverage for the events in 2025, which was a requirement of the European jury in the application process for the European Capital of Culture.

Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk is a public service broadcaster of the federal states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia and a member of the ARD. One of MDR’s special concerns is to bring the perception of cultural diversity in Central Germany closer to a broad section of the population and in doing so to contribute to the promotion of the cultural landscape.

Mayor Sven Schulze: “With Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk we have a strong partner at our side who will report on the Capital of Culture not only in Chemnitz but also nationally on radio, television and online. Together we can now start early planning and preparation for 2025. I am looking forward to a variety of formats that will accompany various projects even before 2025 and that will spark the viewers’ interest in the European Capital of Culture. I hope that everyone – Chemnitz residents and guests – will feel involved, that our European Capital of Culture will captivate them and touch their hearts. Many thanks to Prof. Dr. Wille and those responsible at Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk who, with their signature, not only enter into a cooperation agreement, but also make a commitment to Chemnitz as a location and to the strong region.”

MDR Director Karola Wille: “Art and culture create identity and are an important pillar for social cohesion. We want to experience this together and make it tangible, and to do this we want to network even more closely with the cultural and creative scene. Together with the city of Chemnitz, we will make this region with its great cultural wealth even more visible throughout Germany and Europe on MDR, ARD and ARTE”.

Photos: Ernesto Uhlmann