Volunteers for Chemnitz 2025 publish reports on their experiences, assignments and adventures around the European Capital of Culture.
Danny is 44 years young and was born and grew up in Karl-Marx-Stadt. He learnt a trade and emigrated "briefly" to the east of Mallorca from 2006-2007. But then he was drawn back home to Chemnitz. He has been active as a volunteer since April 2024, including at the Hat Festival, the Tietz fairground and the Kosmos Festival.
On 31.3.25, the “living neighborhood” team invited people to the “Aufbruch” planting festival in the city park. A planting event for all people who would like to plant an apple tree. Unfortunately, the weather was not kind to us on this day, it was either pouring out of buckets or it was pouring with rain. The Living Neighborhood team reckoned that maybe 40 trees would be planted because of the weather. My work began at 4 p.m. when project coordinator Tina Langklotz said: “You can plant one of the last two trees and then we're done. I learned that shortly after the opening, groups from Volkswagen and Deutsche Post and volunteers were already hard at work. Wow!!! Chemnitz!!!
All volunteers received a video tutorial by email before the planting campaign in which Dr. Julia Naunin briefly introduces the “Living Neighborhood” project, and plant expert Mr. Rainer Amme explains step by step how to plant an apple tree. I took my little tree to one of the remaining planting holes that had been dug in advance.
First, I put the vole basket with some substrate, then the sapling, pressing the vole basket together a little so that the root is protected. Next, fill the planting hole with substrate and soil. Now the tree is fixed to the pre-drilled stake with a certain knotting technique, which unfortunately I can't put into words. That's it. A few volunteers were busy with the so-called volcano crater, the last step. This is a small earth wall around the trunk. All the remaining volunteers packed their tents, benches and shovels into the transport vehicle and a very rainy day came to an end.
