Action!

Anyone who knows the people of Chemnitz knows this: they love to keep active. Everywhere you look, people are dancing, cycling, playing football, running and doing sport. After all, being active isn’t just fun – it brings people together. There were many wonderful moments like this during the City of Culture year.

As the successor to the historic International Peace Ride, the European Peace Ride combines ambitious grassroots sport with a sense of European community. With absolutely no exclusion criteria, over 220 cyclists from across Europe rode in 2025 in three stages from Passau via Plzeň and Ústí nad Labem to Chemnitz. Accompanied by Jan Ullrich as guest of honour on the final stage and by cheering crowds, the tour culminated on 13 September at the ‘Sattelfest’ at the Jutta Müller Ice Sports Centre – an emotional highlight for European solidarity during the Capital of Culture year.

A combination of skateboarding – an Olympic discipline since 2020 – music and urban art: over three days, professional, sponsored and amateur skaters from across Europe competed against one another in the Street and Bowl categories. There were competitions for young people under 16 and adults over 30. During and after the events, graffiti, stencils and other open-air artworks were created before the after-skate party began. The winners qualified for the finals of European tour series and earned points towards international rankings.

From Beethoven’s 9th Symphony to hip-hop and electronic music: under the banner ‘Culture on the Move’ , participants explored Chemnitz and its sights. What made it special was that the running route became the world’s longest stage. Various orchestras, choirs and DJs provided unique musical highlights. Furthermore, at the European Capital of Culture Marathon, visitors joined the thousands of runners taking part in the 50th German Sparkassen Marathon.