Visiting Chemnitz, Germany, 2005, by Shelly Franklin

From MemoryArchive

Who: Shelly Franklin
What: Visiting Chemnitz, Germany
When: 2005
Where: Chemnitz, Germany

Having grown up in the time of two Germanys - East and West – traveling to the former Communist country held a certain intrigue for me. I visited Chemnitz, Germany in May, 2005 and was surprised at the beautiful, modern city I found. Chemnitz, formerly known as Karl-Marx-Stadt, lies just west of the Czech border and south of Berlin. The Berlin Wall came down in 1989, thus making travel possible not only to the former East Germany but also between the two halves of the country. However, having visited the western half of Germany several times before (both in the 1980s and 90s), I could sense certain traces of Chemnitz's former economic and political life before the fall of Communism. The architecture, the monuments, and even the young people I met there all had stories to tell of the not-so-distant past. One twenty-something student told the story of her father, who was put in jail for seven years for writing and performing music that denounced the government. On the outskirts of town the virtual sea of block apartments that had been built by the government stand as a monument to the socialist ideals of the past. Many of the city’s buildings erected during the Stalinist planning era call to mind the utilitarian aesthetics of the city’s past. The Karl Marx Monument in particular stands out as being the symbol of Chemnitz. Because the city was heavily bombed during World War II, much of Chemnitz’s prewar architecture was completely destroyed. One notable exception is the Kassberg district – a beautifully preserved Jugendstil (German Art Nouveau) section of the city. Although I noticed many vacant and/or abandoned apartment buildings that had not been destroyed in the war, Chemnitz is currently experiencing a period of urban renewal not seen since before prewar united Germany.