Sven Schulze, Lord Mayor of the City of Chemnitz:
"What began as a vision has become a movement in 2025 that has permanently changed Chemnitz and our region. We only became Capital of Culture together: as an urban society, as a cultural region and as part of Europe. We hosted people from all over Europe and showed how open and creative Chemnitz is. A new sense of togetherness has emerged this year, as many Chemnitz residents have realised that their city is more than it is often given credit for - and this has changed their perspective. Many have got to know the real Chemnitz, a city that surprises and connects. The official end of the Capital of Culture year therefore marks the start of something new. We remain a city of culture, we remain part of the European community and we will take this energy with us into the future."
Minister of State for Culture and the Media Wolfram Weimer:
"With an outstanding variety of projects, more than a thousand volunteers, among others, have made Chemnitz shine as European Capital of Culture 2025. This has resulted in a huge wealth of experience in the realisation of major cultural projects. At the end of this special title year, we are experiencing a creative spirit of optimism in Chemnitz that extends far beyond Saxony and Germany - and will continue to have an impact far beyond 2025. The federal government will remain a friend and supporter of this culturally vibrant city."
Andrea Pier Commercial Managing Director of Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH:
"The Capital of Culture year sparked an enthusiasm that was infectious. It was a special moment for me when it finally started and I realised that something big was beginning. I didn't have this feeling alone, it could be felt throughout the city. All of this was made possible by the reliable support from the business community and many other areas of society, by partners who pulled together. Chemnitz 2025 has shown what you can achieve together when you join forces and how much culture unites."
Stefan Schmidtke, Programme Director of Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH:
"The people of Chemnitz and the Capital of Culture region have surpassed themselves this year. They have made Chemnitz 2025 their project and they have succeeded magnificently. The active participation of so many people has given rise to an enormous creative force, which has really impressed me. I am convinced that the people here will take this new self-image with them into the future and that the Capital of Culture effect is just beginning to unfold."
Barbara Klepsch, Saxon State Minister for Culture and Tourism:
"A unique year is coming to an end for Kulturland Sachsen, the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz and the 38 municipalities in the Capital of Culture region. Countless committed players have put together a unique programme that has attracted and surprised many visitors from Chemnitz itself, from the region, from Saxony and the whole of Germany as well as from Europe. The European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 has received the great attention we had hoped for, the number of visitors and overnight stays has increased significantly and the commitment of civil society to the Capital of Culture is reflected in the enormous participation in the volunteers programme. I would like to thank everyone who has put their heart and soul into everything we have been able to experience this year. Their commitment, creativity and enthusiasm make all these successes possible. Together, we will keep the spirit of the Capital of Culture alive - open, creative, hospitable, innovative and full of encounters."
Alexander Troll, Mayor of the mining town of Lößnitz in the Ore Mountains:
"The Capital of Culture Year 2025 was a complete success for Lößnitz. The numerous, mostly positively surprised and enthusiastic visitors - guests, co-creators, journalists, artists, cultural workers - from all parts of Germany, Europe and distant countries of the world have also changed and sharpened our own view once again - for the value of the many things that have been created together over the past decades, but also for the great potential that our city, together with the region and Chemnitz, offers for the future. This potential lies above all in the people themselves, who, with a positive attitude and the desire to actively participate, have created many great events, encounters and experiences - on the basis of an idea of urban development that has been consistently implemented since the political turnaround and the structures built up within this framework."
Barbara Gessler, Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Berlin
"The motto of the European Capital of Culture "C the Unseen" could not have been more apt. Hundreds of thousands of visitors from the region, Germany, Europe and all over the world have discovered previously unseen and unexpected things in Chemnitz and the region this year. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the outstanding and varied programme and showed how much Europe there is in Chemnitz and the region. I would especially like to thank the many volunteers. The European Capitals of Culture are democracy in action. Chemnitz has shown what artistic and cultural freedom means for our democracies. I am delighted that the great European commitment will continue in Chemnitz in the coming year - with cultural events, but also with the opening of the EUROPE DIRECT Centre on 1 January 2026. Culture is the core of our European identity. It deserves our attention and our political commitment."
