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Anyone who wanted to be on the train on 8 September had to get up early: Around 200 cyclists and some 60 business representatives set off punctually at 5.51 am from Chemnitz, the 2025 European Capital of Culture, in the red railcar of the Erzgebirgsbahn for the direct journey to Görlitz. Also on board were Chemnitz’s Mayor Sven Schulze and Professor Volker Tolkmitt, Rector of Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. During the ‘rolling’ MIKOMI Business Dialogue, they struck up conversations with their fellow passengers. Tolkmitt said: “It’s a brilliant idea to bring business, academia, culture and sport together on a train. Mittweida University of Applied Sciences is once again breaking new ground. We, the European Capital of Culture and the European Peace Ride are united by the drive to think ahead and overcome boundaries.”
The shared destination of the trip: the Old Town Bridge, which links Görlitz with Zgorzelec in Poland and served as the starting point for the three-day European Peace Ride (EPR) cycle tour from 10.30 am. After bidding farewell to the cyclists, the participants in the MIKOMI Economic Dialogue, together with Saxony’s Minister-President Michael Kretschmer, proceeded to the Baroque House of the Görlitz Collections. Kretschmer emphasised the importance of a solid democratic foundation for a prosperous economy. He also did not hold back in his praise for the contribution that Mittweida University of Applied Sciences makes to Saxony’s economy through its academic research.
Before the return journey at 14:58, there were further contributions from the podium, including one from Max Jankowsky, President of the Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce. At themed tables, participants discussed, amongst other things, the sustainable potential of the Chemnitz Capital of Culture project for the region’s economy.
A detailed report can be found on the MIKOMI website.
The MIKOMI Economic Dialogue regularly brings together stakeholders from business, academia and politics at various venues. On 8 September, it took place on a train for the first time.
Mittweida University of Applied Sciences and MIKOMI are supporting the EPR this year. This support for the European ideal is visible in the logos on the three railcars of the Erzgebirgsbahn, which are now in service in connection with the European Capital of Culture 2025 and beyond.
