Press

Students move into modernised halls of residence in Zwickau

After just 15 months of construction, the comprehensive modernisation of the student hall of residence at Innere Schneeberger Straße 23, Building 1, is largely complete. Since the beginning of October, 287 accommodation places have been available there in modern studio flats and two-person shared flats. The remaining work will continue until early 2027.

The Chemnitz-Zwickau Student Services Organisation has invested around 15 million euros in the modernisation of the building, which was constructed in 1971. Funding has been provided by the ‘Junges Wohnen’ support programme, the Free State of Saxony, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Studentenwerk’s own resources. The hall of residence has been thoroughly modernised and adapted to meet today’s requirements for student accommodation.

The result is 125 fully furnished studio flats, each with around 16 square metres of living space, two accessible flats and a further 160 places in modern two-person shared flats. The former large shared flats have thus been replaced by contemporary living arrangements, whilst at the same time creating an additional 18 places. The average monthly rent is €367, varying depending on the type of room and living arrangement, and is therefore below the current flat-rate housing allowance under the BAföG.

“With this modernisation, we have not only brought the building up to contemporary standards. Above all, we are creating accommodation that meets the needs of today’s students. The fact that we are able to make all 287 places available again after just 15 months of construction is a remarkable achievement,” says Dirk Päßler, Head of the Accommodation/Technical Department at the Chemnitz-Zwickau Studentenwerk. The short construction period was made possible in particular by the close and reliable cooperation of all those involved in the project. Construction firms, planners, architects and, above all, the site management worked together to keep the construction phase as short as possible. A key objective was to limit the temporary loss of several hundred student accommodation places to three semesters. “Everyone involved pulled together and never lost sight of the common goal: we wanted to keep the disruption to students as short as possible and ensure that Zwickau remained an attractive location for student accommodation,” said Päßler.

In addition to the new floor plans and modern fittings, the building has also undergone comprehensive fire safety upgrades. The fire safety measures comply with the latest technical standards and ensure a high level of safety for the residents. The building’s external appearance was also taken into account during the modernisation. The balconies will be greened with climbing plants. This will create green west and east façades, which will enhance the building’s aesthetic appeal and contribute to a more pleasant urban environment.

The Null13 student club will also remain part of the building to support student life. The club had temporarily relocated during the refurbishment and will return to its original premises once the remaining work, which is still in progress, has been completed.

An official opening of the hall of residence is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027, at which time interested members of the public will also have the opportunity to view the modernised hall of residence.

This project is co-funded by tax revenue based on the budget approved by the Saxon State Parliament and the European Union, as well as through the ‘Junges Wohnen’ funding programme from the Federal Government and the Free State of Saxony.

Media contact:

Vicky Loske
, Press Officer
, Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau
, Telephone: 0371 5628-126,
Email: presse@swcz.de
, www.swcz.de

About the Chemnitz-Zwickau Studentenwerk

The Chemnitz-Zwickau Studentenwerk offers students in Chemnitz, Zwickau, Glauchau, Breitenbrunn and Plauen a wide range of social, financial and cultural services to provide them with the best possible support during their studies. To provide students and university staff with affordable and balanced meals, the Chemnitz-Zwickau Studentenwerk runs canteens and cafeterias, lets out affordable, fully-furnished halls of residence rooms and administers the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG). Students can access free counselling services in the areas of social, psychological and legal advice. In addition, the Chemnitz-Zwickau Studentenwerk runs its own nursery and promotes student culture. The Chemnitz-Zwickau Studentenwerk is co-funded by tax revenue based on the budget approved by the Saxon State Parliament.

14 July 2025

Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau invests 15 million euros in the modernisation of a student hall of residence in Zwickau 

Thanks to support from the ‘Junges Wohnen’ programme, our hall of residence at 23 Innere Schneeberger Straße, Block 1, will be modernised by the 2026/27 winter term. The aim is to create a student hall of residence that meets today’s requirements in terms of both construction and design – comprising mainly self-contained studio flats and two-person accommodation units.

The building, originally constructed in 1971, was last refurbished in 1997 and no longer met the structural requirements or the students’ expectations for accommodation. By the end of February this year, all rooms had been vacated. Our administration also moved to the new premises at Villa Falck, Äußere Schneeberger Straße 35, in mid-March. This was followed by the gutting of the building, before the actual construction work could begin at the end of June. 

In order to meet today’s living standards, it was necessary to adapt the existing floor plans. The future accommodation will consist mainly of fully furnished micro-flats with approximately 16 m² of living space, as well as several two-person flats. Following the modernisation, this hall of residence will offer 287 beds – 18 more than before the modernisation. Particular emphasis is being placed on sustainable design. The balconies will be covered with climbing plants, creating green west and east façades – a real highlight for the cityscape and the local climate. The aim is to create a modern, energy-efficient and liveable residential environment for students.

Social aspects have not been overlooked either. The Null13 student club, which moved temporarily during the refurbishment, will return to its original premises once the work is complete.

The reopening of the fully modernised hall of residence is scheduled for the 2026/27 winter semester. The Chemnitz-Zwickau Student Services Association is investing around 15 million euros in this modernisation project. Of this, 10 million euros comes from the ‘Junges Wohnen’ funding programme run by the federal government and the Free State of Saxony. As part of social housing development, this special programme supports the creation and modernisation of affordable accommodation for students and trainees.

26 June 2025

Joint press release from the Saxon student services organisations

Budget resolution by the Saxon State Parliament: Additional funding for student services organisations alleviates funding shortfall

Chemnitz/Dresden/Leipzig/Freiberg, 26 June 2025. Following the Saxon State Parliament’s approval of the 2025/2026 biennial budget, the Saxon student services organisations will have access to additional funding of five million euros per year. The Saxon student services organisations expressly welcome this decision and thank all democratic parliamentary groups for their cross-party support.

For the Saxon student services organisations as a whole, this is an extremely important and positive development. Anja Schönherr, Managing Director of the Chemnitz-Zwickau Student Services Organisation and spokesperson for the Working Group of Saxon Student Services Organisations, comments:

“We are very relieved about the grants approved today as part of the 2025/2026 dual budget, which are now higher than initially envisaged in the government’s draft. It is precisely in economically difficult times that students need us as reliable partners,” says Anja Schönherr, spokesperson for the Saxon student services organisations. “With our extensive range of affordable accommodation, low-cost catering, childcare, student finance and psychosocial counselling, we enable access to academic education regardless of a student’s background or their family’s financial situation. We would like to thank everyone who has helped ensure that we can maintain these services and continue to provide Saxony’s students with a wide range of support in the future – the members of the Saxon State Parliament, the State Ministry for Science and Culture, and, last but not least, the students themselves, who – supported by the KSS and the local student unions – have championed the Saxon Student Services with great commitment.”

The additional funding now approved makes a significant contribution to reducing the funding shortfall that has arisen in recent years as a result of sharp rises in staff, energy and operating costs. 

Although the originally planned two-year budget provided for an increase in the state grant for day-to-day operations from 12.85 million euros to 13.5 million euros for all student services organisations, this still fell significantly short of the cost increases seen in recent years. At the same time, apart from the federal-state funding under the ‘Junges Wohnen’ scheme, no funds whatsoever were made available for new investments. Nor would the substantial investment requirements have been covered by the federal ‘Junges Wohnen’ programme. This programme is important and helps to stabilise accommodation capacity, but it does not fully meet the needs. It is not available at all for the refurbishment work required in the canteens. As a result, the Saxon student services organisations were faced with insurmountable challenges.

In Dresden in particular, the social infrastructure for students was hanging in the balance. As early as March, the Dresden Studentenwerk had highlighted the resulting risks to key service areas – particularly in university catering, the provision of social housing and student advisory services. A reduction in, or even the closure of, key services could no longer be ruled out.

In order to safeguard the existing range of services, at least in the short term, intensive discussions have been held with student representatives over the past few months. At the board meeting on 8 May 2025, a decision was subsequently taken to introduce a temporary increase of 15 euros in the semester fee – primarily to cover the increased demand for psychosocial and social counselling, as well as to stabilise the deficit in university catering. As a result, the half-yearly semester fee payable to the Studentenwerk in Dresden rose to €112.73.

“This budgetary decision sends an important signal regarding the social infrastructure at university campuses. We would like to thank the political groups that campaigned for and approved this increase in funding. This cross-party support demonstrates that students’ concerns are being taken seriously and supported,” explains Michael Rollberg, Managing Director of the Dresden Studentenwerk. “Even though the allocation of the additional funds is still to be decided and the deficit cannot be fully covered by these funds, this financial measure provides us with much-needed stability for the coming months,” Rollberg continued. “It creates the framework to avert immediate cuts and to continue with the measures already underway to safeguard our services.”