Official Protocol Opening

At the Official Protocol Opening in the Chemnitz Municipal Theatre's Opera House, Mayor Sven Schulze will welcome President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer, the EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Justice, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, as well as the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Claudia Roth, and other invited guests from politics, business, culture, and society. Here, Andrea Pier and Stefan Schmidtke, the managing directors of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 GmbH, will receive the Melina Mercouri Prize. This award, named after the former Greek Minister of Culture and initiator of the 'European Capital of Culture' program, is bestowed upon Chemnitz by the EU Commission.

Access to the Official Protocol Opening is only for invited guests. Additionally, the ceremony will be broadcast live on MDR television.