Foreign rule and tolerance
Route »Foreign rule and tolerance«
The unique cultural landscape of Upper Lusatia
The rulers of Upper Lusatia often changed in the course of history. The region therefore has not only Saxon but also Silesian, Bohemian, Hungarian and Austrian characteristics. For centuries, Germans and Slavonic Sorbs have coexisted. Tolerance has always been important, as is shown by the many church buildings and works of art to be found on the “Via Sacra”.
Distance approx. 165 km
Center of Sorbian culture
The Old Town of Bautzen has kept its medieval character. It lies picturesquely on a rock above the Spree river, dominated by the Ortenburg castle, once the seat of the foreign governors. The Sorbian Museum in an adjacent building shows its visitors a rich and lively ethnic culture. St Peter’s Cathedral has been used by both Protestants and Catholics since 1524. Rich treasures can be found in the cathedral chapter.
One of the most beautiful towns in Germany
Farther to the east and on the border with Poland is Görlitz, with 3,500 architectural monuments from the Gothic to the Art Nouveau periods. Even the synagogue survived the trials of history. The façade of the Biblical House is decorated with scenes from the Old and New Testaments. St Peter’s Church captivates its listeners with the Baroque “Sun Organ”, which can even imitate the chirping of birds. From there a pilgrims’ path leads to the “Holy Sepulcher”, a 500-year-old replica of the original in Jerusalem.
Catholic island in the motherland of the Reformation
The Cistercian monastery of St Marienthal, halfway between Görlitz und Zittau, has existed since 1234. In the former service buildings there is now an international meeting center.
The town between the three countries
The impressive Old Town of Zittau on the border of Saxony with both Poland and the Czech Republic is dominated today by Classicist buildings. Zittau gained its wealth through the production and trade of textiles. It is no surprise that the town’s most outstanding works of art are also made of textiles – and they are unique in Germany. The purpose of the lavishly decorated lenten veils was to separate off the altar room during Lent. The Great Lenten Veil hangs in the former Church of the Holy Cross, and the Little Lenten Veil in the former Franciscan monastery, now the town museum.
The smallest mountain range in Germany
South of the town, the Zittau Mountains can be reached daily by steam-driven narrow-gauge rail. On the rocks above Oybin are ruins of the castle and monastery grounds, which inspired such Romantic painter as Caspar David Friedrich. To the west of Zittau is the Althörnitz Castle Hotel.
Successful missionaries
Halfway to Löbau is Herrnhut. It was here that Ludwig Count of Zinzendorf founded the Moravian Church with religious refugees from Moravia, who had already split from the Catholic Church before Luther. The “Herrnhut Brothers” worked successfully as missionaries all over the world. The “Herrnhut Daily Watchwords” are the oldest Protestant prayer book, and the famous “Herrnhut Christmas Stars” are popular in many countries during Advent.
The modern and the traditional
The town of Löbau not only has an attractive Old Town but also an outstanding building of the modern era: Villa Schminke. Farther west is Cunewalde, with the largest Protestant village church in Germany. The village is characterized by the Umgebinde houses, which are typical of the region, a perfect synthesis of the German half-timbered and the Slavonic wooden block room styles. From Cunewalde, it is only a short distance back to Bautzen.