Threads: Mobile memories

As part of the “Year of Jewish Culture in Saxony 2026” the special exhibition „Threads: Mobile Memories – A Jewish Family Looks Back“ will be on display at the Museum of Saxon Vehicles in Chemnitz from May 8th to August 30th in 2026.

Smiling faces, joyful excursion and a passion for cars and motorcycles – looking at the photos of the Ascher family from the 1920s and 30s one can feel their zest for life. But in just a few years everything changed for the Jewish family, who owned a thriving shoe store at the market in Chemnitz.

With the rise of the National Socialists the family felt the repression too. And so the subjects of the pictures also changed: proud photos of the shoe store stand in stark contrast to images of National Socialist rallies all the way to the destroyed store.

The Museum of Saxon Vehicles in Chemnitz offers a glimpse into the family’s „photo album“, lovingly preserved by their descendants. But it’s not just the photos that bring back memories of the Ascher family. Also on display are vehicles such as those that – dearly treasured – had to be left behind in Germany when the family emigrated to America.

This exhibition is part of the „Threads“ series, which is shown at the Staatlichen Museum für Archäologie Chemnitz (smac), the Industriemuseum Chemnitz and the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz.