Chemnitz School Planetarium Reopens Following Teacher Shortage Closure

The school planetarium at the Albert-Schweitzer-Oberschule in Chemnitz will reopen on Saturday, March 28, 2026, after a closure of almost a year caused by a shortage of teachers. The reopening coincides with the nationwide Day of Astronomy, and the city of Chemnitz has invited the public to a program beginning at 17:00. The facility, which projects an artificial starry sky onto a dome accompanied by age-appropriate lectures, will transition from a school-based operation to an extracurricular learning venue available to all of the city's schools. Thomas Weisbach, a physics and mathematics teacher who has led the planetarium for nearly 30 years, will resume operations alongside three external staff members working on a fee basis. „We all work full-time and have to see how the project will get off the ground.” — Thomas Weisbach via N-tv

City budget commits 40,000 euros to keep stars shining The city of Chemnitz has allocated in its current biennial budget to fund the new staffing model, with the money directed primarily toward the three external fee-based employees. An additional per year has been set aside for teaching and instructional materials, equipment maintenance, and software. The funding structure reflects a broader shift in how the facility will be managed, moving away from reliance on school-employed teachers toward a model that can function independently of the teacher shortage affecting Saxony's schools. Weisbach explained that over the years the planetarium had been progressively squeezed out of the school schedule. „There were more and more hours cut. In times of teacher shortages, that will not change.” — Thomas Weisbach via N-tv The city confirmed the funding details in response to an inquiry from the German news agency dpa.

City expects event count to more than double from previous levels With the new staffing arrangement in place, Chemnitz now expects the planetarium to host at least 300 (events per year) — minimum annual events targeted by the city, which is more than twice the number held before the closure. Before the shutdown, approximately 5,000 students used the facility annually, a figure Weisbach cited as evidence of sustained demand throughout the region. Despite the nearly year-long pause in operations, inquiries from schools in Chemnitz and the surrounding region continued to arrive weekly, according to Weisbach. A full return to regular teaching operations is planned for the new school year in autumn 2026, once all staff have been trained on the technology. „Then everyone should have been trained and know how to operate the technology.” — Thomas Weisbach via N-tv Planned programming includes live lectures for various age groups on topics related to space and celestial bodies, as well as observations through the observatory located on the school's roof.

Chemnitz School Planetarium: Before and After Reopening: Operational model (before: School-based, teacher-led, after: Extracurricular venue, fee-based external staff); Annual events (before: Fewer than 150 (pre-closure level), after: At least 300 targeted); Budget for staff (before: No dedicated external staff budget, after: 40,000 euros in biennial budget); Full teaching operations (before: Suspended (closure ~1 year), after: Expected from autumn 2026)

Saxony's broader network of school observatories faces similar pressures The Chemnitz planetarium is not an isolated case within Saxony's educational landscape. According to the Saxon Ministry of Education, several schools across the state operate a planetarium or school observatory, including the Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium in Löbau and the Siemens-Gymnasium in Großenhain. In Radebeul, schools in the surrounding region cooperate with the local observatory, offering lectures, observations, and projects in partnership with scientific institutes. The Chemnitz facility has existed in its current form since 1981, according to Weisbach, giving it a history of more than four decades as an educational resource. The Albert-Schweitzer-Oberschule planetarium was first visited by Thomas Weisbach in 1981, when Chemnitz was still known as Karl-Marx-Stadt, a name the city carried from 1953 until German reunification in 1990. The facility projects an artificial starry sky onto a dome and also includes a rooftop observatory for direct celestial observation. The Day of Astronomy is an annual German event designed to promote public engagement with astronomical science. The reopening of the Chemnitz planetarium represents a model that other school planetarium operators across Germany may look to as teacher shortages continue to affect extracurricular science programs.