Chemnitz - The German Programmer's Metropolis

 Important Events in Chemnitz' History
 More Information / Interesting Links
 History of the Tramway/Streetcar Network
 Photos (Tramway/Streetcar)

This may be the 1st example of dynamic heraldry (?). © JB 1997

Important Events in Chemnitz' History

• known since 1165 as royal place of far trade, status of a town at least since 1216
• in the Middle ages important textile manufacturing, later machine building (called "Saxon Manchester")
• Here the "Sächsische Maschinenfabrik vormals Richard Hartmann AG" built nearly all locos for the Saxon state railways and exports, inclusive the IVK and VIIK narrow gauge locos which are still in use.
• From 1953 to 1990 the town was named "Karl-Marx-Stadt". If you have a map from that time you should find it under this name.
• Since 1991 Chemnitz is accepted as German programmer's capital by the government (The authorities mark each car registered in Chemnitz with the "C" letter, which is identical with the worldwide most significant programming language)
• Of course -as in each respectable city- there are some railway stations, a tram network with tramway museum and a narrow gauge park railway. The tram runs since 1880 (horse driven, narrow gauge 915mm) resp. 1893 (electrical, later gauge 925mm). From 1958 parts of the network changed the gauge to normal gauge (1435mm) and partially got new ways. But many lines have been abandoned and the last narrow line was closed in 1988. Some BAHN layout files and pictures show this history. Since Dec-14-2002 the Citybahn runs on the railway line between Chemnitz and Stollberg(Sachs), using Vario LRT cars. On Mar-20-2004 the line on the Stollberger Strasse road was opened. The construction time from 1993 to 2004 for a tram line seems to be a record.
  Remark for visitors: The lines to Stollberg (route 522) and the line on the Stollberger Straße (route 4) are two different things!
• Additionally here you can see the Karl Marx monument, the 2nd largest free-standing modeled head of the world (the largest is owned by the Egyptian Sphinx, but its nose has been shot defective)
• In former times here existed the class with stressed education in mathematical-physical sciences at the Technical college (later Technical university) of Karl-Marx-Stadt, where especially the 1985 age group is of importance. At this school -among other things- the use of small (home) homputers had been teached, and PYRAMIDE was played (see Software museum).
• In former times Chemnitz played a leading part in the so-called Saxon model of economy: "In Chemnitz they produce, in Leipzig they sell, in Dresden they waste the money, and in Munich they are envious."
  Today this system is valid partially only.
• An air raid on March 5th, 1945, destroyed wide areas of the town and nearly all the inner city (Even when the former(?) Schmidt bank in 1990 pretended that the city had been "intact" in spring 1945. It's possible to fake history by money, but in a limited range only. In contradiction with popular meaning money can be fishy, too).

Chemnitz' sights (shown in simple BAHN graphics) Town hall (old one 15th/16th century, and new one) Red tower (12th/15th century, last existing part of the old town fortification) Karl Marx monument (by Lew Kerbel, USSR, about 1968)

More Information / Interesting Links

• Official Homepage of Chemnitz
• TeeGee Chemnitz
• CVAG - Chemnitzer Verkehrs-AG (Chemnitz public transport company)
• Citybahn GmbH (Chemnitz regional railway/tramtrain company)
• Tramway Museum
• Saxon Industrial Museum
• Model Railway Club Chemnitz-Rottluff (Rabenstein)

Chemnitz on maps:

• informationfreeway.org
• ÖPNV-Karte (Public Transport Map)
• Google Maps

Part of the "Sächsische Maschinenfabrik vormals Richard Hartmann AG" factory, about 1900:

Tramways/Streetcars of Chemnitzer Straßenbahn AG and VEB Nahverkehr Karl-Marx-Stadt (925mm):

Tramway trains of the Chemnitz Verkehrs AG and Citybahn GmbH (public transport companies):
Tatra T3D+T3D+B3D, manufacturer ČKD Prague 1969-1987, modernized by DWA Bautzen,
and "Variobahn" 6NGT-LDZ, manufacturer Bombardier Bautzen 2001

Tramway train of the Chemnitz Verkehrs AG:
"Variobahn" 6NGT-LDZ, manufacturer DWA Bautzen/Adtranz 1998

History of the Tramway/Streetcar Network

Photos

There follow some older photos. They are of low quality, but you cannot take the most of them again today.

Lines to Altendorf - Rottluff (route 3) and Kappel - Siegmar (at least route 3)

Until 1988 in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz) ran trams on 925mm gauge tracks. The following pictures have been made about 1980. (route 3 Rottluff-Siegmar). The last of these cars have been built in 1929.

Short before the Rottluff terminus, in winter	The same place, in summer
Limbacher Straße in Altendorf	Zwickauer Straße in front of depot Kappel (3 tracks)
in front of the Kappel depot	parked train of route 13 (did run in peak hours only)
Zwickauer Straße at Volksgut Höckericht (in the background the A8 motorway, today A72) Generally we had right-handed traffic, but there were some exceptions for trams ;-)	same place (later named NILES), other direction
between railway station Siegmar and the brewery Reichenbrand in the background the railway line 410 (today 510) to Dresden, Zwickau, Plauen, Hof, Nurenberg	Loop at terminus Siegmar: The tracks inside the loop had been used for parking additional trains used in peak hours.

Line to the Kaßberg hill (Westraße/Kochstraße) (route 8)

The line to the Kaßberg hill was short but interesting. The most pictures here are from the day of abandoning (1983-Oct-15).

The "Kaßbergauffahrt" was the most frequently photographed section. At the upper end there were situated some authorities who did not like photographers. Look at the traffic sign in 4 languages (forbidden for foreign military missions).	Route 8 reached the stop. This stop -and the other one at the upper end- existed only in down direction. Both were compulsory stops for checking the brakes.
Motorized car number 317 is climbing the hill.
Using of sand was needed in both directions. At the left rail only, to prevent the car from getting electrically isolated. right side: Also this car did not overturn...
	Not much information...(Tells only that the stop will move, but not that the bus is to use instead of a tram) But the timetable has been typed manually on typewriter and it was more dense than today.
	Already in 1983 photographers stood in the other ones view...
	The doors were always open. Only the door nearest to the driver was closed sometimes, in winter.
"Changing the type of public transport" with a lot of spectators at terminus Weststraße/Kochstr.
The last trains left the line as special courses, without passengers. Nevertheless, the first buses had been empty...	This picture was taken definitely later (in 1984/85). The route 3 has got Gotha trailers, the Wilhelm-Pieck-Straße (Theatre road) still has not been rebuilt and contains two tracks.

On the other side, new lines have been built:

Opening of the line to Stollberger Str./W.-Sagorski-Straße (Morgenleite) on 1979-Oct-07 (route 5)

	Neither roads nor buildings have been finished. Only a construction site marks the place of the later residential blocks. But the tram is already there.

Opening of the connection Brückenstraße on 1997-Aug-06:

On this day the motorized "Party" car 1102 (LOWA ET54 ex Dresden) did run as additional service on route 2 Bernsdorf - Hauptbahnhof (Central railway station).

Opening new route 4 line on Stollberger Straße on 2004-Mar-20:

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