Zwickau gained its nickname as the Detroit of east Germany thanks to the picturesque city’s pioneering role in the country’s mighty automobile industry, which is now facing a mortal threat from downsizing at Volkswagen.
Like the Michigan metropolis, the city’s centre is marred by beautiful but abandoned old buildings bearing glum witness to the sector’s boom-and-bust cycles. The ornate art nouveau facades of the historic town centre, now filled with discount bakery chains and doner kebab shops, whisper of a glamorous bygone era of endless expansion.
