Chemnitz

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Chemnitz
Image:Wappen chemnitz.PNG	Image:Chemnitz-Position.png

Country	Germany
State	Saxony
Administrative region	Chemnitz
District	urban district
Population	246,110 source (May 2006)
Area	220.85 km²
Population density	1,120 /km²
Elevation	296 m
Coordinates	50°50′ N 12°55′ E
Postal code	09001-09247
Area code	0371
Licence plate code	C
Mayor	Barbara Ludwig (SPD)
Website	chemnitz.de

Chemnitz (Sorbian/Lusatian Kamjenica, 1953-1990 called 'Karl-Marx-Stadt') is a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains. The city has a population of 248,021 (31 March 2005), and an area of 220.8 square kilometres. A University of Technology with about 10,000 students is the centre of scientific life.

The city is the third largest in Saxony. It is named after the Chemnitz, a small tributary of the Zwickauer Mulde. The word "Chemnitz" is from the Sorbian language and means "stony brook". In German, "Chemnitz" is pronounced: IPA [ˈkʰɛmnɪʦ].

Chemnitz has been reported as having the lowest birth rate in the world [1].

1 History
2 Sights
3 Urban Renewal
4 Transportation
5 Sports
6 Sister cities
7 External links

[edit] History

An early Slavic tribe's settlement was located at the place of Chemnitz called Kamienica. In 1143 there was a Benedictine monastery at the place where the city is now. A settlement grew around the monastery and about 1170 Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor granted it the rights of an imperial city. In 1307 the town became subordinate to the margravate of Meissen (which was the predecessor of the Saxon state). In medieval times Chemnitz became a centre of textile production and trade. More than one third of the population worked in textile production. This continued through the industrial revolution: factories were established, and by the early 19th century Chemnitz had become an industrial centre (sometimes called "the Saxon Manchester"). In 1913 Chemnitz had a population of 320,000 and is one of very few cities which were larger at that time than they are today.

In World War II the factories of Chemnitz produced mainly goods for the military. As a consequence, the city was heavily bombed and almost entirely destroyed.

The East German government decided to turn Chemnitz into a socialist model city. Boroughs full of concrete slab buildings were erected around the city centre, and few of the pre-war buildings were restored. In 1953 Chemnitz was renamed Karl-Marx-Stadt ("Karl Marx City"). It returned to the original name of Chemnitz on 21 June 1990.

[edit] Sights

Due to the Stalinist planning era of the 1950s there are few tourist sights. Some have been restored before and some after German reunification. As a relic of the old socialist times, the city council decided to keep the Karl Marx Monument, which was built by Lev Kerbel and is lovely called "Nischl" (Saxon expression for "Kopf" = Head) by the locals.

Chemnitz was heavily bombed during the Second World War. After the war, almost all of the old buildings in the city's core were removed to make space for new, modern buildings. Obviously, these were mostly utilitarian and are not pleasing to the eye.

However, Chemnitz still has some beautiful, historical sights. Landmarks include the Old Town Hall with its Renaissance portal (15th century), and the castle on the land of the former monastery, the area around the opera building and the old university. The most conspicuous sight is the red tower, which was built in the late 12th- or early 13th-century. This tower was a part of the city wall.

A petrified forest can be found in the courtyard of Kulturkaufhaus Tietz. It is one of the very few in existence, and dates back several million years. Also within the city limits, in the district of Rabenstein, is the smallest castle in Saxony, Burg Rabenstein.

There are many buildings in typical socialist building styles.

The town has changed considerably after German reunification. Most of its industry is gone and the core of the city has been rebuilt, with many little shops as well as huge warehouses.

[edit] Urban Renewal

Chemnitz has what can be called "Germany's latest city centre". Heavy destruction in World War II as well as post-war demolition to erect a truly socialistic city centre left the city with a vast open space around its town hall where once a vibrant city heart had been. Due to massive investment in out-of-town shopping right after reunification, it was not until 1999 that major building activity was started in the centre. Comparable only to Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, a whole new quarter of the city was constructed in recent years. New buildings include the Kaufhof Department Store by Helmut Jahn, Galerie Roter Turm with a facade by Hans Kollhoff and Peek&Cloppenburg Clothing Store by Ingenhofen and Partner.