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Due to the Stalinist planning era of the 1950s there are few tourist sights. Some sites had been restored in the DDR era, and some have been restored since 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 lovingly called "Nischl" by locals, which is an informal regional Saxon word for "head" (which would be "Kopf" in standard German).
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. Typical of Communist architecture, these were mostly utilitarian and not designed primarily to be pleasing to the eye.
However, Chemnitz still has some beautiful, historical sights. Landmarks include the Old Town Hall with its Renaissance portal (15th century), the castle on the land of the former monastery, and 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 as 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 the typical architectural styles of the Communist period.
The town has changed considerably since 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 shopping centres.
The Chemnitz Industrial Museum is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage. |
Reservation: reservation@lmho.net 
