Old mines and new culture in Chemnitz

Mining plays a prominent role in Germany’s industrial history. For centuries, natural resources - particularly lignite and hard coal - were extracted from mines and deep pits for use as fuels. Traces of Germany’s mining history are still visible to this day. In regions such as the Ruhr or the Ore Mountains, many disused mines have now been turned into cultural venues or even afforded special protection as UNESCO World Heritage sites. European Capital of Culture Chemnitz is also a former mining town - as evidenced by its year-long programme of cultural events. 

The exhibition “Treasures and Tragedies” 

For three and a half millennia, people in the Ore Mountains mined not only coal, but also silver, tin, cobalt, china clay, iron and uranium. The opening exhibition of the Chemnitz year of culture explores the many aspects of mining. It is about technology and innovation, power and exploitation, landscapes and wealth, people and nature. 

The “Purple Path” art and sculpture trail 

For the Capital of Culture year in 2025, works by international and regional artists have been gathered together to form a sculpture trail running through more than 38 towns and villages in the Chemnitz region. As a kind of decentralised museum in public spaces, it is an artistic reflection on the 850 years of mining history in Saxony, entitled: “Everything comes from the mountain.” The sculptures are reminiscent of everything from craggy rocks and scaly spruce trees to traditional Räuchermännchen incense smokers and nutcrackers from the Ore Mountains. 

“Melting Pott” photographic exhibition 

Till Brönner is Germany’s most famous jazz trumpeter - both at home and abroad. He devoted a year of his career to the visual rather than the acoustic, travelling through the Ruhr region and undertaking a photographic exploration of the former mining area. Capital of Culture Chemnitz is presenting his exhibition “Melting Pott”. A play on words - as “Pott” is the Ruhr region’s nickname - the exhibition features photographs of hard coal mining, steelworkers and former industrial buildings.