Station: [151] Prologue

Ladies and gentlemen, the exhibitions along the bow front highlight a more recent period of Saxon history. The focal point is, of course, the Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology, which used to be a Schocken Department Store. The first floor exhibition is dedicated to the architect of the building: Erich Mendelsohn. The second floor exhibition tells you all about the Schocken company and the history of the building itself and on the third floor we introduce you to one of the builder-owners and department store founders, Salman Schocken. Both Erich Mendelsohn and Salman Schocken were German Jews and alongside architectural and economic history, these exhibitions also shed light on some aspects of jewish history in Saxony, Germany and Israel.

Erich Mendelsohn was described as „the only born revolutionary of his generation,“ a characterization that reflects his work as architect, member of important artist and architects associations, travelling lecturer, author of books and publicist.

The 17 models on this floor are of his most prominent buildings and document his artistic work over three decades.

The audio guide introduces you to some of these buildings in more detail.

We hope you enjoy the tour!