Irmgard, who is retired, has been dancing with the "Dancing Neighbours" since May 2024, has been involved in the volunteer programme since autumn 2024 and, as a member of a networking group, is organising a meeting of senior citizens from Chemnitz's European twin cities in September 2025 here in the Capital of Culture. She enjoys all the activities very much.
The very title of this exhibition caught my attention and I learnt the following:
After graduating from high school, Edith and her sister Erna were invited to the home of their uncle, their mother's brother and pharmacist at the Adlerapotheke am Markt, Davit Courant, where they were spoilt. "It was a wonderful holiday in the large chemist's house in Chemnitz," Edith is said to have written.
Who knows this?
The exhibition in the Protestant St John's Church was well attended on both days and met with a generally positive response.
Among the visitors were people familiar with Edith Stein's life story who came specifically to the exhibition, such as a lady from near Speyer and two ladies from Belgium and Luxembourg, who also noted with interest our references to the work of Henry van de Velde (a fellow countryman, so to speak) in Chemnitz.
There was one group each from Berlin and Munich, plus others from southern Germany and Bremen.
People from Chemnitz and the surrounding area also visited the exhibition. Most of them were not familiar with Edith Stein, so they were curious to find out about Edith's connections to Chemnitz and were delighted that such a remarkable person had also been to Chemnitz. For these visitors, the motto of the Capital of Culture "C the unseen" came alive and tangible when they visited the exhibition, and a previously unknown fact became known to them.
Others paid tribute to the Polish Edith Stein Society from Wroclaw for bringing this exhibition to Chemnitz in the Capital of Culture year. Some left a donation in the donation basket provided or signed the guest book.
One so-called back-packer, who only wanted to take a quick look inside the church, said as she said goodbye: "Thank you for luring me in, this exhibition is really worth seeing, thank you. "
This volunteer assignment was very enriching for me. I also discovered something that was previously unknown to me in Chemnitz and this has also inspired me to follow Edith's footsteps further.
