Chemnitz Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Chemnitz

From top: View over Chemnitz,
Red tower,
Old Town Hall, Modern city centre of Chemnitz

Flag	Coat of arms

Country

Urban districts of Germany

Elevation

296 m (971 ft)

Population

(2021-12-31)

• Total

243,105

Time zone

CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)

Postal codes

09001–09247

Dialling codes

0371

037200 (Wittgensdorf) 037209 (Einsiedel) 03722 (Röhrsdorf)

03726 (Euba)

Vehicle registration

Chemnitz is a city in Germany. It is in the state of Saxony. In 2006, about 245,000 people lived there.

During the partition of Germany Chemnitz was in East Germany. From 1953 to 1990 Chemnitz was called Karl-Marx-Stadt. The name was in reference to the social reformer Karl Marx. Now the city has its old name. This name is from the river that flows through it.

The first mention of the city was in 1143. The city had an important role in the Industrial Revolution. In about 1883, the city population passed 100.000 inhabitants.

Geography
Sights
Railway
Main roads
Public transport
Images for kids
See also

Geography

Chemnitz is north of the Ore Mountains in the western part of the Bundesland Saxony. It is the 3rd biggest city in Saxony with about 245.000 inhabitants. The area is about 220 km². There is a river that is also called Chemnitz. The average temperature is 8 °C and the amount of rain and snow every year (annual precipitation) is 700 mm.

Sights

The Karl-Marx-Monument has been an attraction of the city since 1971. The 7,10 meter high statue was created by the Russian artist Lev Kerbel. The inhabitants of Chemnitz call it "Nischel", which means head in the dialect of the area.

The Roter Turm (the red tower)is one of Chemnitz's oldest sites; it was built in the 12th or 13th century and was once part of the city wall.

Old and new city hall

The town hall of Chemnitz consists of two buildings. The old town hall was built in the 15th century. The new townhall, on the other hand, was built at the beginning of the 20th century and was designed by Richard Möbius. The new town hall was erected next to the old one.

One of the new attractions of the city is das Tietz. The former department store was constructed in 1912/1913. Today the Museum for Natural History, the public library, an adult education centre, a gallery and the Petrified Forest are here.

Railway

Chemnitz Main station

Chemnitz had an ICE connection for a short time, until 2006. Chemnitz is part of the railway line Dresden - Chemnitz - Hof - Nuremberg which is called 'Franken - Sachsen - Magistrale'. Today an InterRegioExpress services Dresden, Nuremberg and Leipzig. There are regional train (RegionalBahn) connections to the Ore Mountains and to Elsterwerda.

Main roads

Here are listed on the most important roads of the metropolitan:

A 4 : Highway, Frankfurt - Giessen - Erfurt - Chemnitz - Dresden - Görlitz - Wroclaw - Kraków
A 72: Highway, Hof - Zwickau - Chemnitz - Geithain ( - Leipzig)

B 95: federal highway, Annaberg-Buchholz - Chemnitz - Borna - Leipzig
B 107: federal highway, Pritzwalk - Dessau - Grimma - Chemnitz

A tram at the central stop of Chemnitz

B 169: federal highway, Neuensalz - Chemnitz - Riesa - Elsterwerda - Cottbus
B 173: federal highway, Bad Staffelstein - Hof - Chemnitz - Dresden
B 174: federal highway, Marienberg (Ore mountains) - Chemnitz

Public transport

Chemnitz has got a big tram and a big bus network. There are 6 tram lines and 25 (+1 at fair days) bus lines. These networks belong to CVAG, the transport companies of Chemnitz.

Images for kids

Chemnitz by 1850
Karl-Marx-Stadt in May 1980, during the German Democratic Republic–Soviet Union Friendship Festival
Chemnitz at night, October 2015
The restored market of Chemnitz
Chemnitz during the Wir sind Mehr concert in September 2018
Downtown Chemnitz in 2014
Map of the tram and Stadtbahn network
BV Chemnitz 99 in January 2020
Stadion an der Gellertstraße
Old and new city hall
Red tower
Chemnitz Opera at Opernplatz
St. Petri church
Lutheran church
Castle church over the Castle Lake
The Mercure Hotel, tallest building in Chemnitz
The Transparent department store
View over Falkeplatz at night
Burg Rabenstein
Bust of Karl Marx, the city's former namesake
Chemnitz University of Technology
View over the city halls and the inner city
Chemnitz-Kulturhaus
Watercastle Klaffenbach
Chemnitz Stadtbad
Guest houses at Castle park
Chemnitz petrified forest inside the Kulturkaufhaus Tietz
Gunzenhauser Museum
State Museum of Archaeology Chemnitz
Volkswagen is the largest employer in the Chemnitz-Zwickau Agglomeration.
Deutsche Bundesbank Chemnitz
The Klinikum Chemnitz GmbH is the largest hospital in the former East German states and the second biggest employer in Chemnitz.
Chemnitz is a shopping destination. Photo shows the Peek & Cloppenburg store in the city centre.
Chemnitz is the centerpiece of tourism in the Ore Mountains.
Chemnitz Hauptbahnhof, the main train station of Chemnitz
Tram stop at Main Stadion at night
A tram in Chemnitz
The small commercial airport Flugplatz Chemnitz-Jahnsdorf

Chemnitz facts for kids

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