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Chemnitz city centre was completely redesigned after the Second World War. Large sections of the historic buildings and streets were destroyed in the bombs on the night of 5 March 1945. Once the war was over, the city began to consider how to rebuild itself. Eventually, it settled on a design based on the concept of a new socialist model city.

The Stadthalle Chemnitz was built between 1969 and 1974 and was formally opened on 4 October 1974. The red-flamed Rochlitz Porphyry stone sections characterizes both the outer facade and the foyers. It forms an interesting contrast to the outer shell of the Stadthalle Chemnitz made of shaped stones in a honeycomb structure, which was designed by sculptor Hubert Schiefelbein. The striking plaster elements span the large hall of Stadthalle Chemnitz. Five large steel doors at Stadthalle Chemnitz foyer, made by blacksmith Achim Kühn, create an interesting tension with the glass front. They lead into the large foyer, where columns underline the hall character.

It was soon playing host to a wide range of events including concerts, exhibitions, trade fairs and conferences, and quickly became the cultural hub of the Karl-Marx-Stadt region. With the addition of the Carlowitz Congress Center in 2020/2021, it further established itself as a popular venue for events and conferences in the heart of the city.
 

Not only from the outside, but also on the inside the Stadthalle boasts striking architecture. The walls are made of concrete and cracked spruce trunks with the expression of petrified wood. This design by Hans Brockhage is a reminiscent of the Petrified Forest in Chemnitz. Eberhard Reppold designed the very characteristic ceiling in the foyers. One of the artistic treasures of the town hall is the organ. It is also one of the largest in a secular building and was built in 1976 by VEB Orgelbau Dresden, today‘s Orgelbau Jehmlich.

Two of the city‘s most important artworks can be seen in the foyer: the bronze sculpture "Das Leben des Galilei – und sie bewegt sich doch" (Galilei‘s life – and yet it moves) by Fritz Cremer and the mural "Die Befreiung der Wissenschaft durch die sozialistische Revolution" (The Liberation of Science by the Socialist Revolution) by Horst Zickelbein.

On the south side of the complex, an inner-city park with water basins, fountains, seating areas, flower beds and fine art was created. In addition to other works of art, the sculpture "Würde, Schönheit und Stolz des Menschen im Sozialismus" (The Dignity, Beauty and Pride of Humanity under Socialism) by Gerd Jaeger and the sculpture Science as a "Wissenschaft als Produktionskraft" (The Productive Power of Science) by Wieland Förster were erected to mark the opening of the Stadthalle in 1974.
 

The 97 metre hotel was built between 1969 and 1974 as the Interhotel Kongreß and was formally opened on 10 February 1974. It was the fourth largest Interhotel in the GDR and, with 26 floors, the largest building in the city. The creative head of this multifunctional synthesis of cultural center and hotel was chief architect Rudolf Weiser. Under his leadership, the structure of the hotel with the catering and conference rooms as well as the two halls of the town hall were functionally connected in such a way that both the stages and the foyer areas could be used with each other. After 1990, the entire complex was extensively remodelled and redesigned, acquiring a new façade made of glass and aluminium, based on designs by Peter Koch.

The hotel and neighbouring Stadhallen-complex are one of the foremost examples of East German modernism still in existence, and are now
protected buildings.