Saxony: Chemnitz monumental building is revived

The Kulturpalast in Chemnitz-Rabenstein was one of the first of its kind to be built in the GDR after the Second World War based on the Soviet model.

Saxony: Chemnitz monumental building is revived

The Kulturpalast in Chemnitz-Rabenstein was one of the first of its kind to be built in the GDR after the Second World War based on the Soviet model. The monumental building stood empty for 20 years and is now being breathed into life again with an investment of millions.

Chemnitz (dpa/sn) - The former palace of culture in Chemnitz-Rabenstein is being renovated for 25 million euros and converted into apartments. Half of the shell work is complete, and the rest of the work should be completed by summer 2024, as the managing director of the Leipzig construction company GRK Immobilien, Peter Wolf, announced on Tuesday. GRK specializes in the renovation of listed buildings and bought the neoclassical monumental building in 2018. It was love at first sight, said Wolf. In the building, which has not been used for a good 20 years, 64 apartments with around 5700 square meters are now being built. They were all sold, they said. The purchase price is around 4500 euros per square meter.

The Kulturpalast in Rabenstein is considered the first of its kind in the GDR. It was built on behalf of the uranium mining company Wismut and inaugurated in 1951. It offered a theater hall with almost 1000 seats and a second large hall, the Rosette Hall, for dance just above the large foyer behind the portal with six huge columns. The building was later used by East German television, which filmed programs such as "Mit Lutz und Liebe" and the quiz show "Schätzen mal" there, as well as New Year's Eve shows. After reunification, MDR initially maintained a television studio here, but the building has been empty since 2000. At times there was even talk of demolition.

During the current conversion, the former theater and broadcasting hall had to make way for an inner courtyard around which the apartments are grouped. In the future, the facade should shine again according to the historical model, as project manager Mike Kohllöffel said. The monumental portal is also preserved. According to Kohllöffel, however, there are no longer any blueprints from when it was created. In addition to the historic building, a residential complex for assisted living with three new buildings is to be built on the site. The start of construction is planned for the end of next year.