Volunteers for Chemnitz 2025 publish reports on their experiences, assignments and adventures around the European Capital of Culture.
We are Reimund and Sylvia Gottschall. We have lived in Chemnitz for almost 3 years, having moved here from Lusatia. Two of our children studied at the TU Chemnitz. During our visits here, we found Chemnitz to be a great place to live, so we chose the city as the center of our lives after retiring.
We have now completed several volunteer assignments, sometimes together, sometimes each in our own area of interest. So far, we have particularly enjoyed our assignments at the Hartmannfabrik. You get really close to the visitors here.
It's so exciting to look at the faces of the guests as they enter the visitor center. Curiosity, amazement, expectation and sometimes skepticism as to whether their needs can really be met are reflected in people's eyes. They come from Chemnitz, the surrounding area and from all over Germany. All age groups are represented. And what a pleasure it is on both sides when the question “How can I help you?” leads to a conversation! The visitors eagerly absorb the information, try out the merchandise products, collect brochures and tips, have their photo taken ... And the volunteer? He/she enjoys a smile, friendly eyes, appreciative comments about our work and the feeling that the recommendations are gladly accepted. And what's really great? When visitors are enthusiastic about the city, praise its cleanliness (which sometimes brings a quiet smile from us, we know “our dirty corners”), marvel at the architectural features and also tell us with a smile that it is sometimes difficult to understand the locals, i.e. in terms of language.
By the time we say goodbye, our skepticism has turned into delight at an interesting stay, we have absorbed a lot of information about the Hartmann Factory and the Capital of Culture projects and made plans for the near and distant future.
And the next guest is already waiting. A warm welcome! How can I help you?
