See also: Chemnitz (homonymy)

Chemnitz ( Kamjenica in Sorabe) is a city located in the West of the Saxony. With approximately 250  000 inhabitants, it is after Leipzig and Dresden the third city of the Land for the importance of its population, like one of the six principal centers. Chemnitz has the statute of city-circle and is the seat of the district of the same name.

The city forms with Zwickau the core of the economic area of Chemnitz-Zwickau and fact part of the named metropolitan region Triangle of Saxony.

The name of Chemnitz comes from the river which bears this name and crosses the city. It goes up at the end Slavic Kamjenica (= the stony river in sorabe, of kamjeń = stone).

Mentioned on a document for the first time in 1143, the city developed at the time of industrialization to become one of the industrial towns most important of Germany. The number of its inhabitants exceeded the limit of the 100.000 about 1883, thus giving him the statute of big city.

At the time of the German Democratic republic, of 1953 until the Referendum of the April 23rd 1990, the city was called Karl-Marx-Stadt (literally, town of Karl Marx).

Geographical location

Chemnitz is in the basin of the Metalliferous Monts (in German Erzgebirge ), in a content of valley located on the Chemnitz river, framed by the buttresses of the Métallifères mounts in the south, the heights of the mountains of average Saxony in north and Beutenberg in the east. The base of the basin of the Métallifères mounts rests on a red sandstone formation which was constituted since the carboniferous superior.

Administration

The territory of the town of Chemnitz is divided into 39 districts. The districts of Einsiedel, Euba, Grüna, Klaffenbach, Kleinolbersdorf-Altenhain, Mittelbach, Röhrsdorf and Wittgensdorf are at the same time localities within the meaning of the §§ 65 to 68 of the law saxonne on the communes. Each one has a local council which, according to the number of inhabitants, has between 10 and 16 members with a president.

The local councils are charged to discuss the important businesses which relate to the districts, but the definite decision falls then to the municipal council of the very whole town of Chemnitz.

The current mayor of Chemnitz is Barbara Ludwig (since 2006).

Monuments and sculptures

To leaving the station, several imposing statues with the almost cylindrical forms recall the Communism which strongly marked this industrial area at the time of GDR.

In the downtown area sculpture of a famous person of Karl Marx throne. This sculpture, called Nischel (“head”), is probably heated in order to prevent that snow remains.

There are also interesting museums with Chemnitz:

The museum of l´industrie ( Industriemuseum Chemnitz ).

L´Albertinum (close to will l´opéra) - a museum of l´art and culture. One can find there an exposure with fabrics of Bob Dylan.

There is also DAStietz, the “department store of the culture” (Kulturkaufhaus Tietz), an old department store which lodges the central library today; the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz , a museum with modern paintings; a museum d´histoire natural and popular l university.

Twinnings

Simple: Chemnitz

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