Street life
In the first decades of the 20th century, the city became the central topic of fiction (Wachinger 1999, 263). Generic, these “city novels” were closely related to modernism (Wachinger 1999, 263), which is convenient as this photo-project deals with Chemnitz – The City of the Modernity. In most of the cases, these “city novels” also address a dimension under the surface of the city. This underground is full of secrets and mysteries (Wachinger 1999, 266). Literally, there is no underground in Chemnitz which is open to the public, for instance there is no metro. However, when talking about the underground of a city there is always a mysterious darkness. In Chemnitz, we can find this mysterious darkness at night.
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Tietz
The Tietz was opened in 1913 and in these days it was the largest department store of Saxony.
After the Reichsprogromnacht in 1938 it was closed and from 1949 to 1989 it was again a department store. Since 2004 it is a center of culture where for instance the museum of natural history is located.
The Museum of Natural History invites the visitors to plunge into a prehistoric world of volcanos, fossil animals and the famous petrified forest of Chemnitz.
After the Reichsprogromnacht in 1938 it was closed and from 1949 to 1989 it was again a department store. Since 2004 it is a center of culture where for instance the museum of natural history is located.
The Museum of Natural History invites the visitors to plunge into a prehistoric world of volcanos, fossil animals and the famous petrified forest of Chemnitz.
Theaterplatz
Colourful city
The Chemnitz city centre became noticeably busier during the last years, especially during the night. Stores, bars, clubs and fancy ideas like the city beach attracted the people. And after years of deserted streets at night, the city again became a place of hustle and bustle. When walking through the enlightened streets, I could hear people laughing and chatting, they obviously enjoyed the heated atmosphere of the city.
Pleasure Grounds and Creepy Places
Wandering through Chemnitz when the dusk was approaching was sometimes also eerie. Some places were deserted and the atmosphere there was gloomy and depressive. If there was light at all, it was dimmed and shadows seemed to form creatures of the night. From time to time, noises broke the silence that were distorted by the night and not clearly recognisable. Nevertheless, it was an awesome experience to see these places from the point of view of a flâneur and to recognize all these things consciously.
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Castle
The former Benedictine abbey St. Marien and hunting château nowadays accommodates the Museum of History of the City of Chemnitz. However, the building complex still has its late Gothic charm. The romantically designed park around the museum offers great opportunities for the flâneur to wander around and to observe. And the so-called balcony of Chemnitz offers a gorgeous view over the city. At night, the whole building is enveloped in warm light which obviously makes the people feel very comfortable there. As a flâneur I could recognise numerous people that shared with me the pleasure of wandering around.
Rock 'n' Chemnitz
For the flâneur, the Chemnitz nightlife offers a colourful mixture of trendy pubs, discos, clubs and concerts. Numerous locations are insiders' tips and satisfy the demand of every possible subculture. Watching the people at night, within their scene (I tend to call it their natural habitat) was especially interesting due to the fact that everyone can be him or herself. No one has to hide behind a corporate identity of a company.
The behaviour of people changes at night when they move within their natural habitat. People express themself; they are much more eccentric and confident. As the flâneur it was a true pleasure to watch people in this environment. Furthermore, it was very interesting to watch that people did no longer turn away when I started to take photographs, they wanted to be seen. Therefore I would argue that at night I was no longer the only flâneur. When the everyday work ends, people start to become the flâneurs, they observe and want to be observed and they enjoy the colourful streets that are filled with music.
click the arcades of Chemnitz to read the summary