Chemnitz 2025: the European lesser-known capital of culture Rail Europe makes you discover by train

Paris, 5 August 2025 – "C the Unseen”  is more than just the official motto of Chemnitz 2025 — it’s an invitation to approach travel differently. This year, the eastern German city and its surrounding region — comprising 38 municipalities — has been celebrating its designation as European Capital of Culture with a programme that encourages visitors to look beyond the obvious. What emerges is a Europe far from the clichés: former industrial sites transformed into cultural venues, open-air art trails across rural landscapes, and a creative identity deeply rooted in post-industrial resilience. It’s a call to travel like a local — and to engage with a region that’s quietly redefining itself through culture. 

Thanks to Rail Europe, this decentralised, culturally vibrant and often overlooked corner of Europe is easy to reach. With seamless train connections from Berlin, Leipzig and Prague, Chemnitz becomes an ideal autumn destination for travellers in search of more than just a place to visit — for those who travel not simply to arrive, but to connect, explore and understand. Here, rail travel opens the door to a deeper kind of journey — one grounded in context, meaning and authentic discovery. 

Among the key highlights for this upcoming autumn are the Purple Path, a 100-kilometre trail of open-air contemporary art across Saxony’s countryside; Eastern State of Mind, a programme exploring cultural identities in eastern Germany and Central Europe; and Makers², which celebrates the region’s craft, textile design and local production within repurposed industrial buildings. This is a cultural experience shaped by place and memory — and by the rail lines that connect them.

Chemnitz brings together exhibitions, city walks, participatory urban art, and much more, while the Cultural Christmas Markets (29 November–22 December) blend Saxon winter traditions with a fresh artistic twist. The full programme is available at  chemnitz2025.

Visitors can travel directly from Leipzig to Chemnitz in just over an hour, with the option to continue to Zwickau — also part of the Chemnitz 2025 programme. International travellers may choose a longer route from Prague to Chemnitz and on to Berlin, with each leg taking approximately 2.5 to 3 hours. Rail Europe makes it easy to book these multi-operator journeys — whether as single tickets or with flexible rail passes — simplifying cross-border travel and encouraging spontaneous, multi-city itineraries.  

In a moment where travellers are turning toward what is real, rooted and responsible, Chemnitz 2025 offers a different vision of Europe — one that is decentralised, culturally alive and intimately connected by train. Because travelling by rail is no longer just about getting there. It’s about seeing what others miss.

Picture: Stadtbad of Chemnitz. Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH by photographer Ernesto Uhlmann