With a chain of lights, employees and citizens demonstrated for the preservation of the Congress Hotel in the heart of Chemnitz. The aim was to send "a shining signal, you could also say a warning signal", explained Thomas Lißner from the Food, Beverages and Catering Union. "We are not letting the owner and previous operator off the hook to find a sustainable, viable solution for the future."
The background to this is the closure of the well-known hotel. At just under 100 meters, it is also the tallest inhabited building in the city and was opened in 1974 as the Interhotel. These were high-class hotels in the GDR. The striking building not far from the Karl Marx Monument forms an ensemble with the Stadthalle and the congress center.
Just a few days ago, the management officially confirmed that the hotel would cease operations on January 31. No further details on the exact background were provided. According to the NGG, the operator has changed three times in the past nine years and staff numbers have been reduced. There is talk of an investment backlog.
