Chemnitz

Original photo by Wüstling

By train

• Chemnitz HauptbahnhofChemnitz, as part of the Sachsen-Franken-Magistrale (train route connecting Saxony and Franconia), can be easily accessed by train from several of the other cities in Saxony but also from Bavaria and Thuringia. Chemnitz is one of the biggest cities in Germany to lack any InterCity or ICE service, in part because many routes through Chemnitz lack electrification - the route to Leipzig is not electrified at all, while the route to Nuremberg is only electrified as far as Hof.

• Leipzig (connections every hour, travelling time is about 50 minutes only)
• Dresden and Zwickau (mostly 2 connections every hour)
• Nuremberg (once every hour with a same platform change in Hof)
• Erfurt, Weimar, Jena and Gera (every two hours)

By plane

Andreas Praefcke

• Flugplatz Chemnitz-JahnsdorfThe local airfield in Chemnitz-Jahnsdorf 12 km away serves business and small private charters only.

• Dresden (DRS; 80 km; 50 min by car) Especially Lufthansa (to/from Frankfurt Airport), Eurowings and during summer flights to many destinations in Southern Europe and Northern Africa
• Leipzig-Halle (LEJ; 110 km; 1 hr 15 min by car) Wide range of operators including Lufthansa and Eurowings
• Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) (KLV; ; more than 1½ hr by car) Flights from Moscow
• Prague (PRG) (; 1 hr 45 min by car) International flights hub for Czech Airlines
• Berlin Schönefeld Airport (SXF; 240 km; more than 2 hr) and Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL; 270 km; 2½ hr) Large but somewhat aging international airports to be replaced by the new "Berlin Brandenburg International Airport" (BER) eventually

By car

• Dresden A4, travelling time is about 50 min
• Leipzig B95 and A72, just over 1 hr
• Weimar and Erfurt A4, 1½ and 1 hr 40 min respectively
• Prague D7 and I/7 to Chomutov, then B174 via Marienberg, over 2 hr
• Nuremberg A9 towards Hof, then A72, 2½ hr
• Berlin A13 towards Dresden, then A4, 2 hr 45 min
• Munich A93 or A9 towards Hof, then A72, 3 hr 45 min

Robert Steffens

In the centre

• Karl Marx monumentThe city was called Karl-Marx-Stadt during the East Germany period, and on Brückenstraße may be found a 7-m-tall bronze head of Karl Marx - known as "Charlie" or the "Nischel" (local slang for "head") to the locals. Various souvenirs along with a selection of sweet shops selling Karl-heads made of marzipan or chocolate can be bought.

• The Red Tower (Der Rote Turm)This red-bricked tower right in the city centre survived many wars and centuries and is all what is left from the former Chemnitz city wall.

• Chemnitz Opera

  address: Theaterplatz
  It is one of the most beautiful buildings in Chemnitz.

• Old Town Hall

• New Town Hall

• Siegertsches HausA house on the main market square with a richly decorated baroque facade from 1741. Only a part of the original building survived the war and was restored to its current impressive condition.

• Gunzenhauser MuseumContains 2,459 works by 270 artists of the 20th century that were collected by the art dealer Dr. Alfred Gunzenhauser. Housed in a former headquarter of the Sparkasse Chemnitz, a building in the New Objectivity style completed in 1930.

• Kulturkaufhaus TietzThe former department store now houses a mix of retail and cultural institutions, with bits of the petrified forest in the atrium.

Outside of the centre

• Botanischer Garten Chemnitz

  address: Leipziger Straße 147

• Arktisch-Alpiner Garten der Walter-Meusel-Stiftung

  address: Schmidt-Rottluff-Straße 90

• KüchwaldThe major green areas of central Chemnitz are the Schloßpark and the Küchwald, to the north-west and west of the city centre. The miniature railway and Kosmonautzentrum found in the Küchwald are worth a visit, especially if you're visiting the city with children.

• KulturpalastMuch like many other cities in socialist countries, Chemnitz was afforded a "Palace of Culture" in the post-war period. It is a rather elegant and nice neo-classicist building situated amidst green. It fell into disuse at the turn of the millennium and is now awaiting for the city to find it a new role and tennants.

• Klaffenbach Moated Castle(Wasserschloss Klaffenbach) Located in a small suburb in the south of the city, this is a sight seeing highlight you must visit, especially during the summer season.

• Burg Rabenstein (Rabenstein Castle)This is a beautiful small castle known as the smallest castle in Saxony.

• Schloßbergmuseum

  address: Schloßberg 12, 09113 Schloßchemnitz

• Schönherr.fabrik

  address: Schönherrstraße 8, 09113 Schloßchemnitz

(WT-en) Hbar.cc

• Sächsisches Industriemuseum

  address: Zwickauer Straße 119, 09112
  The museum of industry can be found a little way out from the city centre (maps of the city centre can be got from the tourist information shop, in the front of the town hall). Much of Chemnitz's industrial heritage is detailed here with several working pieces of machinery and an old fireless steam engine. There is also a souvenir shop.

• Volkswagen Motorenwerk Chemnitz

  phone: +49 371 274 3638
  address: Kauffahrtei 47, 09120 Chemnitz
  The Volkswagen engine factory in Chemnitz which builds the TSI units has a visitor's centre which organizes guided tours through the factory for groups of between 10 and 25 people. The tours were temporarily suspended in the first half of 2013.

Sport

• Chemnitzer FCA soccer club in the highest amateur league in Germany (3rd Division) and former East German national champion.

Cinema

• CineStar

  phone: +49 371 69 04 90, +49 371 69 04 99 (program guide)
  address: Neumarkt 2

• CineStar

  phone: +49 371 6 90 44 44
  address: Wladimir-Sagorski-Straße 20

• Metropol Filmtheater

  phone: +49 371 30 46 04
  address: Zwickauer Straße 11

• Clubkino Siegmar

  phone: +49 371 85 19 71
  address: Zwickauer Straße 425

Kolossos

• GDR SouvenirsThe usual nostalgic souvenirs of the socialist era can be bought from various stores, e.g. model Trabis and Ampelmänner postcards. There are also several second-hand stalls (especially in the train station) selling items from the former East Germany.

• Galerie Roter Turm

• Galeria Kaufhof

  address: Am Rathaus 1, 09111 Chemnitz,

• Peek & Cloppenburg

  address: Neumarkt 1, 09111 Chemnitz

(WT-en) Hbar.cc

• Turmbrauhaus

  phone: +49 371 9095095
  address: Neumarkt 2.
  The mixture of a traditional wooden interior with copper brewing vessels and home brewed beer make this a great place to sit down, relax and enjoy an evening. The food served here comes from Saxony/Bavaria, is very good and also reasonably priced. Get there relatively early if you want to be able to pick your table. A night club can also be found in the basement

• Alex

  address: Neumarkt 2
  Alex bar's and restaurants are found in many German towns and cities. The bar-restaurant-cafe is found on the main square in the city centre and has a large summer terrace.

Kolossos

• Youth Hostel

• Dorint Kongresshotel Chemnitz

  phone: +49 371-6830
  address: Brueckenstraße 19, 09111 Chemnitz
  This hotel is the large landmark "radiator" building found in the centre of Chemnitz. At 386 rooms its one of the largest hotels in the area. The rooms are equipped with modern amenities. Parking can be found nearby and the main railway station is within five minutes walk. Facilities include a restaurant, bar, WiFi Internet access and currency exchange. Staff at reception also speak English (in addition to German!). Pets are accepted and there are some smoking rooms.

• Hotel an der Oper

  phone: +49 371 6810
  address: Straße der Nationen 56

• pentahotel Chemnitz

• Seaside Residenz ChemnitzDespite the name of the hotel, Chemnitz is not by the sea.

• Amber Hotel Chemnitz Park

• Schlosshotel Klaffenbach

• Hotel Sächsischer Hof

• Achat Comfort Hotel Messe-Chemnitz

• Grünaer Hof

• City Hotel

• Sport Hotel am Stadtpark

• Günnewig Hotel Chemnitzer Hof

• Business-Hotel Artes

• alexxanders Hotel & Boardinghouse

• Hotel Folklorehof

• Hotel Rabensteiner Hof

• Avenue Hotel

• Hotel & Restaurant Kleinolbersdorf

Jörg Hempel

• Saxon Ore Mountains – Beginning on the southern outskirts of Chemnitz, this mountain region (up to 1215 m high) has a centuries-long mining tradition, many former mines can be visited; additionally it is known for its wood carving tradition, elaborate advent and Christmas customs and decorations; popular hiking, mountain-biking and wintersports destination (between 30 minutes and 1½ hours by car; regional trains to Annaberg-Buchholz or Olbernhau, City Bahn to Stollberg)

• Oberwiesenthal – highest town in Germany, located in the Ore Mountains just at the border to the Czech Republic; during winter large and famous ski resort, discover by taking the train to Cranzahl and then the old steam train to Oberwiesenthal – 55 km south (1 hour by car)