Grave stele of Johann Ambrosius Weigand

We are now standing in front of the grave stele of Johann Ambrosius Weigand. On the front of the sandstone monument is a bronze medallion with Weigand's portrait. On the back is the emblem of the German gymnasts and the fire department. The inscription reads: “His goal was to strengthen the power of the people.”

Johann Ambrosius Weigand was born in 1799 into poverty in Bohemia. He trained as a shoemaker and had his own shoe shop in the center of Chemnitz. However, he gave this up in 1830 and devoted himself to the then frowned-upon art of dance and gymnastics. Today, he is considered a pioneer of gymnastics in Chemnitz, as his gymnastics schools led to the introduction of gymnastics lessons into the school curriculum in 1848. Today's “Köhler Schimmel” dance school is the successor to Weigand's dance school. He also rendered great services as co-founder of the first volunteer fire department in Chemnitz.

 activate compass