Raik Drechsler has two lives. Life in the era of the GDR, in which a trained tool manufacturer from Karl-Marx-Stadt hired a state body. Being a young owner of a moped, the driver’s license was withdrawn because he traveled too quickly. For many years, he was no longer allowed to rise in pugs from the “Rowdytums”. A few years before the turn he watched Stasi because he founded a bicycle club. It was not very political, but as a “distant” organization, it was suspicious enough to observe.
Today, at the age of 62, he was in his second life for a long time, delighted with trips over long distances that he made after 1989 with the old diesel Benz. He bought it according to use and prepared a screwdriver in his garage. The garage in Schützenplatz in the Altendorf area has already moved to his father in the early 1970s. In vast territory, they are still covered today, 1,200 garages covered with corrugated iron, covered with black wrinkling cardboard and wooden gates.
Drehsler proudly shows his restored “Shvalbe”, Mops Simson in Algrau and a flashing chromium. Hemnitraer can laugh at his first life, laconly explains what fired him into the GDR, how serious the transformation into the federal republic was, but clearly says that he currently misses in everyday life: social unity, which existed until 1989, despite Barter’s flourishing trade.
Drechsler is part of the “garages#3000”, a joint art project in the framework of “C_THE_UNSEEN_”, the official program of the European capital of CHEMNITZ Culture. Many old garages (courtyards) in the city are opened for visiting or pointed as small studios and workshops. He believes that Drechler with a green carpet in the Altendorf area is more than a garage, “residence”, even if in fact it is only a few fallen achievements: “Car shelter”.
“C_THE_UNSEEN_” Sounds as a success story
On Friday, Drehsler looks like many other hemots: inside, at the opening of a garage campus in the old hall of the hall, on Zvikauerstrass. The grapes of people stand together and sniffing. Photographer Maria Sturm talks about her series of photographs “General Assembly”, in which she portrayed 164 garagists in front of her cars. You have a feeling that urban society is coming closer again.
The line -up went peacefully until late in the evening
Photo:
Johannes Richter
It is still too early for an intermediate balance, but the fact that the local cultural producer: inside and hoteliers are transferred to impressions, indicates that “C_THE_UNSEEN_” becomes a success history: tickets with high demand, exhibitions and concerts are well visited, and the number of stay in Hemnitsa also increases from January, and the press, mainly, is also positive.
The financing of the European year of cultural capital is ensured under a contract. Expenses are mixed with financing from the EU, the federal government and the country. One of the reasons why Chemnitz was awarded the “European Capital of Culture” was the Nazirandal of 2018.
Chemnitz actively recorded this in its application and hopes to use a culture to organize a holiday of diversity that returns to the right. Now, in 2025, the Nazis are still active and cruel in the city, as confirms the attack on the popular Balboa bar in January. AFD with Alexander Gauled as the oldest member of the parliament in the Bundestag, who does not care about the beans around Chemnitz, received a lot of votes in the city.
Culture work messages
If you are satisfied with the successful beginning of the capital Culture Chemnitz, you will get bad news. While the city is provided as a figure with the European capital of culture in the European capital of culture, he must significantly save in the field of education, social, culture and youth. Budget blocking was announced, in 2025 there are 25 percent less money.
What this means in a specific expression becomes clear in Chemnitz Club “Weltecho”. His building actually belongs to the city, but the association supports it alive with a large number of volunteer work. Its director Julia Vogt says that from 15 to 20 percent of expenses it is now necessary to save. Therefore, probably the activity of its own, extremely popular cinema of the club has been discontinued. It is even in the room that one of the eight employees is released.
Savings restrictions do not even go through large institutions. Anja Richter, the curator of the Gunzenhauser Museum, where the well -known exhibition “European Realities” recently opened with many unknown works on new objectivity, reports that the museum should present the second weekly closing day, which not only gives employees to reduction of wages, but also prevents the cafe and museum store.
What we save today is worth us
Richter has developed its exhibition for five years, the previous number of visitors confirms the efforts, the second closure makes absolutely no sense. The entire Chemnitz cultural scene has already united to form the Hands in the hand alliance some time ago to improve the commercial, funded by the state and voluntary initiatives in order to prepare for the fight against the right.
Commitment of culture is not evaluated
Free cultural workers under it feel too little valuable for their commitment. “You work more for the city than you go out,” says the playwright, who has been engaged in the youth theater for a long time. In the survey (2023), among the young population of the Hemnitsa, “Culture” is in the second place in which the city should live behind it and moves to stay.
Shauspilhaus Chemnitz, built by Rudolph Weiser in 1980
Photo:
Johannes Richter
As a sign against abbreviations on Friday at about 7 pm, the Chemnitz cultural scene was taken by Chemnitz Schauspielhaus, which was empty since 2022 and rolls out the red carpet at the entrance. You feel that you recall Italy, where the theater is busy for protest against unstable working conditions or lack of space for culture. Things behave a little different in Chemnitz: there is not enough culture, and there is also enough space, but democracy is still unstable.
“We advocate strengthening and stable financing of the proposals of social and educational policy, especially in a time when democratic values threaten the emergence of populist movements on the right side,” the demonstrators in the manifesto, which is also read.
A young man who, otherwise, organizes small festivals, says how important it is to be independent in cultural work. Initially, he was planned in the application for the capital of the cultural year to use the Playhouse building as a “place of intervention” and for its repair. In GDR Times, he was built by architect Rudolf Weiser in 1980 next to the Park of the victims of fascism, who also developed a high -rise tower of the Congress Hotel in the city center.
Schauspielhaus is not used empty
The financing plan for the European capital of culture was originally planned for this. Fire protection specialists and engineers -structural engineers were consulted and dismissed: the repair will be more expensive. Now Schauspielhaus is empty, while the theater is currently in Spinnbau, a former dining room, the atmosphere of which is somewhat wooden, as eyewitnesses report.
In the manifesto, a professional group clearly announces that he is welcoming the European capital year of culture, but does not approve of stiff savings and uncertain uncertainty in Chemnitz. “The fact that we save today is worth us.” They quote the policy of CDU Richard von Weizsacker: “Culture is not a luxury that we can draw, but spiritual soil that provides our actual internal survival.” You would also like to confuse as a message to the new Minister of Culture Wulfram Weimer through his gear on Lake Tegernze.
For Saturday, many Hemnitzer come: obviously welcome the line and bring food and drinks for the invaders: inside. The atmosphere is relaxed from the very beginning. “There is no violence,” says Gulash Knnon, the mayor provides the occupation grant, the police remains in the background. “A democratic, different, stable and stable city needs state funds that can be expected in the long term.”
Demand in the manifesto. Schauspielhaus is a “important building of the monument to the city of Hemnits and the free state of Saxony” in terms of location and art. The GDR Times (state) also listed the Critical Theater, including the director Volker Brown, actress Korinna Harfush was a member of the ensemble.
In 1976, the old gaming house was burned out of arson, it was suspected that Stasi was behind him because the premiere of Tinka Volker Braun should be prevented. Today this story is more and more forgotten. In his garage, Raik Drechsler says that it is important to teach young people about history (GDR), otherwise it can be a “bad position”. “We must study on history.”
