Top 10 Things I Love About Chemnitz

In random order:

1. The history of Chemnitz can be traced back to 1136 A.D.! To put it plainly, I love old places.
2. There’s a castle right up the street from our house! How cool is that?! Its name is “Rabenstein,” which translates into “Crow Rock.” Somebody told me it’s the smallest castle in Germany. I don’t know if that’s true or not…but it’s still fun to say that I live next-door to a castle!

3. The Chemnitz Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) is one of my favorite things about winter and the Christmas season. Beautiful lights everywhere; all the traditional Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) Christmas decorations; hot spiced wine; chocolate crêpes; and roasted almonds. Add snow to the mix, and you’ve got a perfect winter evening!

4. The church in Chemnitz is a family with problems, squabbles, challenges, and disappointments…as well as forgiveness, openness, compromise, love, and spiritual growth. Here, I feel like I’m part of a family that sticks together with the common goal of serving and obeying God.

5. Our apartment is in an apartment building full of offices. We live on the top floor. After business hours and on weekends, we have the whole building to ourselves—which means we don’t have to listen to neighbors through the walls!
6. Our neighborhood has quite a bit of variety. Next-door, we have Clintsky and Aprilska—the “Eberharts,” as we like to call them—and the Sullivans and the Smileyneel live on the other side of the backyard. Therefore, I like to call our neighboorhood the Christian Ghetto. ;o) On the other hand, up the street there is housing for alcoholics who have no place else to go. Some of them frequently make their presence known by congregating in large groups outside of the local grocery store. In the summer, they congregate in the nearby park and make rude comments at passersby. This makes life around here pretty interesting sometimes.

7. Uncle Karl presides over the downtown area. Uncle Karl is the bronze, 7.1 meter tall, whopping 40 ton sculpture of Karl Marx’s head, resting on its granite base. Yes, that’s Karl Marx, the Father of Communism, also the former namesake of Chemnitz. (During Communist times, Chemnitz bore the name “Karl-Marx-Stadt.”) Why am I amused by this? Well, directly behind Uncle Karl is a huge, stone tablet proclaiming, “Working men of all countries, unite!” And directly beneath that, perfectly visible behind Uncle Karl, is “Jeans Live,” a clothing store whose logo is taken from the Stars and Stripes. Ahh, poetic justice. ;o)

8. The woods around Chemnitz are great for walking and hiking. Right up the street (past our neighborhood castle!) is a gorgeous section of woods with up- and downhill trails, through firs and pines and leafy trees…and past an out-of-town part of the zoo that houses wildcats, deer, and buffalo! The last time we were there, I took some gorgeous pictures of the setting sun shining through the trees…it was an atmosphere I can only describe as magical.

9. Chemnitz is full of random art, which is a source of neverending amusement to me. I don’t know who’s responsible for them…but peculiar, modern-art-type sculptures dot the city in many unexpected places. Deer made of wooden beams, a metal donkey, and a giant pear are three of my favorite examples.

10. Multi-cultural food is available to suit every palate. (Do I sound like a travel guide or what?!) Greek, Turkish, Japanese, Chinese, Pseudo-Tex-Mex, and not to forget good German fare! ;o) Accordingly, when funds allow, I can indulge my taste for souflaki, döner, sushi, eggrolls, whatever Tex-Mex-like dish sounds good, and Rolladen!

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Bye-bye now! Bye-bye! Bye-bye!