Chemnitz (kĕmˈnĭts) [key], formerly Karl-Marx-Stadt kärl-märks-
shtät, city (1994 pop. 279,520), Saxony, E central Germany, on
the Chemnitz River. It is a major industrial center and an
important road and rail junction; it has become one of the most
heavily polluted cities in Europe. Manufactures include machine
tools, machinery, chemicals, private and commercial vehicles,
and textiles. Nearby is a large open-pit lignite mine. Of
Wendish origin, the city was chartered in 1143, when it was also
granted a linen-weaving monopoly. It grew as a trade center, was
devastated in the Thirty Years War (1618–48), and recovered its
prosperity after the introduction (late 17th cent.) of cotton
milling. Noteworthy buildings of the city include two
Renaissance-style city halls (one built in 1496 and the other in
1911) and a late-Gothic church, the Stadtkirche (1136). The city
was renamed Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1953 but returned to its original
name shortly after German reunification in 1990. The Columbia
Electronic Encyclopedia,