Suche
Mein Konto
Chemnitz commemorates: Peace Day commemorates the bombings of 1945
On Peace Day, March 5, 2025, Chemnitz will commemorate the bombings of 1945 with events, readings and a memorial run.
Chemnitz commemorates: Peace Day commemorates the bombings of 1945
Today, March 5, 2025, “Chemnitz Peace Day” is being celebrated in Chemnitz, which commemorates the devastating bombings of March 5, 1945. The attacks, carried out by around 700 British and American aircraft, resulted in the destruction of 80% of the city center and claimed over 2,100 lives. The city's social and structural structures were severely affected, including the State Academy of Technology, which had been closed since February 24, 1945 due to war damage, reports the Chemnitz University of Technology.
The results of these attacks were devastating. Contemporary witness Irene Pornitz documented the destruction and the flight of thousands from the city. At the beginning of the war, 366 students were enrolled at the academy, but the number fell to just 102 by the winter semester of 1942/43. The air raids not only led to the destruction of rooms, but also to a complete failure of the heating systems and water supply.
Remembering the victims
Chemnitz Peace Day is celebrated with various programs and events that commemorate both the bombing and the victims of wars worldwide. A special highlight is a running event in which participants cover a 10.5 kilometer long route in the shape of a heart. Readings and activities will also take place at Chemnitz Neumarkt between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Every year, not only are the victims of National Socialism remembered on Peace Day, but numerous monuments in Chemnitz also remind us of this sad past. Below there is a memorial stone by the sculptor Volker Beier, which commemorates the deportation of Chemnitz Jews to extermination camps between 1942 and 1945.
Review of past commemorative events
As part of the main event, which took place on the Neumarkt from 6 p.m., children from the municipal music school were also asked to speak. They presented a program that included a powerful appeal for peace around the world. In the words of the children's book author Astrid Lindgren, the suffering and sadness that wars bring with them were discussed. These memories are part of the annual commemoration tradition that goes beyond Peace Day.
The Allied air raids that affected Chemnitz represent only a part of the comprehensive offensive in the Second World War. Criteria such as the targeted shelling of civilian infrastructure and the demoralization of the population through massive destruction are central aspects of these attacks, which also severely affected other German cities such as Dresden and Hamburg. The ethical and moral aspects of carpet bombing remain controversial and cast a shadow over the history of that dark period.