Munch and street art - what does Chemnitz have to offer in August?

From Munch to street art, from chocolate to wooden toys: as European Capital of Culture 2025, Chemnitz is stepping up its game once again in the second half of the summer. The highly acclaimed art show "European Realities" at the Gunzenhauser Museum will run until 10 August, after which the art collections on Theaterplatz will focus on the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch and the feeling of fear.

Meanwhile, 70 graffiti artists, duos and collectives from 25 countries are working on transforming a former hospital into a gallery for urban art. The result can be inspected by interested parties over three weekends from August 22.

The Munch show is one of the highlights of the Capital of Culture year. The star painter himself was in Chemnitz in 1905 and created several paintings here. According to the art collections, the exhibition will include 140 paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures and video installations on the themes of fear and loneliness. Munch's works will be juxtaposed with works by other artists such as Max Klinger, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Francisco de Goya, Neo Rauch and Marina Abramović. A lithograph of his best-known motif of the scream will be on display, together with Andy Warhol's interpretation of "The Scream".

South American sounds in the open air

On August 8, MDR will ring in this year's Music Summer with South American sounds against the historic backdrop of Theaterplatz, reminding us that the origins of the bandoneon lie in Chemnitz. The program includes works by Arturo Márquez, Astor Piazzolla, Alberto Ginastera, Ángel Villoldo and Omar Massa, according to the broadcaster. The concert will be broadcast on MDR television and ARD cultural radio stations.

Visitors are also invited to get active and creative themselves at numerous events. The Chocolate Festival at the Industrial Museum will provide information about the origin, cultivation conditions and processing of cocoa this weekend. There will also be tastings and workshops. At the Apple Power Plant (12 August), international apple specialties will be prepared under expert guidance and a 48-hour cooking marathon (August 15 to 17) in Neukirchen, where regional dishes will be reinterpreted.

Wooden toy makers invite you to Seiffen

At the end of the month, the toymaker festival attracts visitors to Seiffen in the Ore Mountains (August 29 to 31). Not only will craftspeople from all over Europe be showcasing their creations, from wooden lanterns to music boxes and kits to smokers. The organizers promise that the whole family will be able to experience this traditional craft at workshops, demonstrations and hands-on stations.