In 1883, Chemnitz surpassed 100,000 residents, growing to 320,000 within 30 years. However, WWII bombing devastated key industries. Post-war, Soviet-occupied East Germany built modest housing, and in 1952, the GDR renamed the city Karl-Marx-Stadt, prioritizing Plattenbau over historic preservation. The city remained a machine construction hub until the 1990s. In 1990, it was renamed Chemnitz, leading to urban redevelopment while East Germany faced mass migration westward. Many historic buildings were demolished to modernize the city.

Now home to 244,000 people, Chemnitz is preparing to be the 2025 European Capital of Culture (ECOC), with the former Fritz Heckert Gebiet as a key focus. The Fritz 51 project seeks to foster identity and community using a Citizen Science Approach, organizing events with the area’s diverse population, including migrants from Eastern Europe, Ukraine, and Syria. Challenges include poverty, unemployment, declining infrastructure, and vacant buildings, yet the area retains a vibrant cultural scene and strong community spirit.

Fritz Heckert is a large housing estate built from 1974 as part of Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz). It housed 90,000 people in 1990, but its population declined to 43,000 by 2004 after German reunification. In 2025, as Chemnitz becomes the European Capital of Culture, the area will mark its 51st anniversary with Fritz 5*, a cultural initiative. Fritz Heckert faces challenges: isolation, weak social and cultural ties to the city center, racism, poverty, high unemployment, declining infrastructure, and vacant properties. Many residents are immigrants from Eastern Europe, Ukraine, and Syria. Despite its negative reputation, the community is stronger than perceived.

The manifestation Fritz 51 uses new methods such as citizen science, artistic urban research, oral history or psychogeographical writing and combines these with classic scientific approaches such as archive research, building surveys or inventories. The aim is to create a kaleidoscopic historiography of great vitality, depth and connectivity, which can serve as a model for a future approach and presentation of the historical heritage in New Town Fritz Heckert, to strengthen awareness, identity and community.

Programme

Wednesday 5 March 2025
Morning:
Arrival of the participants during the morning in Chemnitz
13.00-15.00: Walk through the city centre to Rosenhof, to Neefestraße with Gunzenhauser Museum, vehicle museum, industrial museum, to Zwickauer Straße with Garage Campus and tram museum, return on TRAM 1 to Center, Walk to Hartmannfabrik

Afternoon:
16:00 - 17:45 Welcome by the mayor and the director of ECoC Chemnitz 2025.
Introduction to the theme of the Lab #4 by INTI, presentations of the 2 co-referent
towns, presentation about Chemnitz and Fritz-Hekcert Area

Evening:
18:00 Dinner
20:00 Afterwork drinks (optional)

Thursday 6 March 2025
Morning:
9:00 Meet at the hotel lobby
9:15 Group picture in front of Karl-Marx-Statue
10:30 - 12:30 Visit Fritz-Heckert Area - Construction area 0 and 1 with Norbert Engst
(historian, writer, event manager), interior view
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch

Afternoon:
Groups splits in 2
14:00 - 16:30 Critical Walk/Visit Garage Project
16:45 - 17:15 Transfer to Hartmannfabrik
17:30 - 19:00 Presentation of ECoC-projects - How to build up a new narrative with
the artistic projects Fritz 51, #3000Garages and Living Neighbourhood

Evening:
19:00 - 19:45 Predrinks at Hartmannfabrik or resting at hotel (optional)
19:40 - 20:00 Walk to restaurant
Meeting at Hartmannfabrik
20:00 Dinner

Friday 7 March 2025
9:00 Meet at the hotel lobby
9:30 Walking to Schmidtbank
9:30 - 12:30 Collaborative workshop and final presentations
12:30 - 13:30 Lunch

Afternoon:
End of the Lab and departures