The Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz is one of the most significant art museum networks in eastern Germany, holding around 65,000 exhibits spread across several historic buildings in Chemnitz. It's a place where classical German art meets Expressionism and contemporary work, and in 2010 the museum was named Museum of the Year by the German section of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA).

The main building is the Art Nouveau König-Albert-Museum on Theaterplatz, opened in 1909, full of bright, spacious skylit halls perfect for displaying painting and graphic art. The atmosphere shifts with each temporary exhibition, but the permanent core includes an outstanding collection of works by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, the second-largest in the world. In winter the cosy interiors invite longer visits, while in summer it's easy to combine a museum trip with a stroll through central Chemnitz.

The museum group also includes the Museum Gunzenhauser with classical modernist art, the Henry van de Velde Museum in Villa Esche, the Schlossbergmuseum with Rabenstein Castle, and the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House.

• Chemnitz city centre, Theaterplatz — walk from the main train station, about 15-20 minutes, easy route, well signposted through town
• Local tram or bus lines stop near Theaterplatz

• The collection includes around 1,400 paintings, featuring Caspar David Friedrich, Max Liebermann and Gabriele Münter
• The Graphic Art Cabinet holds 25,000 works on paper, from Albrecht Dürer to A.R. Penck
• The museum library holds around 80,000 volumes, open for research purposes
• The Carlfriedrich Claus Archive contains over 550 drawings and 850 prints

Interesting fact: in 1937 the Nazis confiscated 724 works from the collection as part of the Entartete Kunst campaign, many destroyed forever — today the museum openly presents this history as part of its story.