Offical Protocol Opening of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025

Photo: Nasser Hashemi

On Saturday, 18 January at 4 p.m., the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 will be officially opened with a ceremony in the Chemnitz Opera House. Lord Mayor Sven Schulze will welcome Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer, the EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Justice, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Claudia Roth. A total of 700 invited guests from the worlds of politics, business, culture and society are expected to attend.


Andrea Pier and Stefan Schmidtke, Managing Directors of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH, will accept the Melina Mercouri Prize, which is endowed with 1.5 million euros. This prize, named after the former Greek Minister of Culture and initiator of the European Capital of Culture programme, will be awarded to Chemnitz following the jury's recommendation to the EU Commission for the successful third monitoring.


The ceremony for invited guests will be broadcast live on MDR television and also in the press centre in the Carlowitz Congress Center. Journalists who do not yet have accreditation can apply for it here. Please note that places for the ceremony in the opera house are limited.


Press representatives can download video material and photos of the ceremony and the subsequent opening show, which will take place at the Karl Marx Monument from 7 p.m., free of charge for reporting purposes in the Chemnitz 2025 press area after the respective events.

The press release on the website of the City of Chemnitz.

European Capital of Culture The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media Free State of Saxony European Capital of Culture

This project is cofinanced by tax funds on the basis of the parliamentary budget of the state of Saxony and by federal funds from the Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media), as well as funds from the City of Chemnitz.