Upper Lusatia offers a rich culture - developed from its exciting history
Görlitz - Pearl on the Neisse
Discover Germany's easternmost city, the European City of Görlitz/Zgorzelec, and stroll through the medieval alleyways along the banks of the Neisse. Cafés and restaurants invite you to enjoy culinary delights, while culture enthusiasts will get their money's worth in the city's theaters and museums.
Görlitz is enchanting - even in winter! Let yourself be inspired by the charm of the city with its numerous cultural and culinary highlights.
Bautzen - the city of towers
The sight of it takes the breath away: fortified bastions and towers rise up into the sky on a granite rock. Below them, the Spree winds its way around the more than 1,000-year-old city complex, as if to emphasize with its glitter what connoisseurs have long known: Bautzen's silhouette is one of the most impressive cityscapes in the whole of Germany.
Behind the fortress walls, over 1,000 cultural monuments are waiting to be discovered.
Milestones in architecture
The old towns of Bautzen with its medieval castle and Görlitz with its merchants' palaces are true cultural treasures. The Umgebindehaus landscapes, unique in Germany, and the Schminke House, one of the world's most important milestones of classical modernism, are tangible testimonies to an impressive past.
Travel through the formative stylistic epochs of an impressive architectural diversity.
The joy of knowledge
Let yourself be drawn into the world of science and the achievements of Nobel Prize winners and great researchers from Upper Lusatia.
Discover the life's work of Lessing, Böhme, Scultetus or Prince von Pückler-Muskau and experience exciting chapters of European history in inspiring places.
There is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom in the cultural treasures of Upper Lusatia!
Experience living industrial culture under steam
Experience railroads under steam today.!
The Zittau narrow-gauge railway invites you to travel back in time to bygone eras. Steam trains run daily between the spa town of Jonsdorf and the spa town of Oybin, taking you back to the 1900s and the Golden Twenties.
Exceptional rail travel is offered by the Muskau Forest Railwaywhere diesel and steam trains take you on a journey to Bad Muskau, Kromlau or the Schwerer Berg, where the scenic attractions can be experienced particularly intensively. A large steam locomotive on standard-gauge railroad lines is operated by the East Saxon Railway Friendsfrom Löbau. There is also a railroad museum in the historic engine house.
Discover the Sorbian culture in Upper Lusatia!
Numerous lovingly cultivated traditions, lively customs, amazing worlds of legends and a unique bond with their culture - that is what defines the Sorbs.
The place and street signs in Upper Lusatia make it clear to every guest - this region is shaped by the coexistence of two cultures. The smallest Slavic ethnic group has lived in Lusatia for around 1400 years and maintains its culture to this day. This also includes the Sorbian language, which is still used by many in everyday life today. Lovingly decorated Easter eggs, zamping, bird weddings, maypole throwing - numerous unique Sorbian traditions are also preserved to this day. Discover the traditional, legendary and unique world of Sorbian culture!
Pückler's garden dreams - let yourself be inspired too!
Idyllic parks that invite you to escape from everyday life - flower-filled gardens that exude incomparable beauty - fairytale castles that take you on a journey through time at the sight of them.
Immerse yourself in the dream world of famous landscape architects and building artists! Discover unique parks, gardens, palaces and castles in the German Upper Lusatia and in the Polish Giant Mountains. Go on a journey back in time, when Prince Herrmann von Pückler-Muskau, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Joseph Lenné, Friedrich Herrmann Rötschke and many others worked here. Find relaxation in green oases or let yourself be enchanted by the artistic buildings, discover hidden treasures or famous pearls of history. In short: let yourself be inspired to dream!
The Upper Lusatian Six Cities Association
The historic cities of Upper Lusatia: Bautzen, Görlitz, Kamenz, Löbau, Lubań (Poland) and Zittau invite you to discover the historic pavement.
The Upper Lusatian Union of Six Cities was founded in Löbau in 1346 as an important assistance pact. Trade and handicraft increased in importance. The alliance lasted almost 500 years before it lost its importance. The cities of the six-city alliance are today very special attractions for travelers from near and far. Magnificent town houses, proud churches and fortified fortifications bear witness to the era when the cities were united in the medieval alliance. They also provide the backdrop for a variety of cultural events. Anecdotes from the history of the cities are told during gripping city tours. Sacred treasures of European standing are impressively presented in imposing churches and invite you to discover them. Four of the nine German stations on the Via Sacra are located in the cities of the six cities. Culinary offers in the inns with traditional and modern cuisine are a tasty addition to this journey through time.
Via Sacra in the border triangle between Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic
The Via Sacra is a church, culture, art and history tour in one. The "Holy Street" connects 20 sacred stations, which invite you to discover an extraordinary European cultural area.
A millennium of Central European culture comes to life on the Via Sacra. It runs along the Via Regia and other trade and pilgrimage routes through Upper Lusatia, Lower Silesia and Northern Bohemia. There are nine stations on the German, three on the Polish and eight on the Czech side. Since the beginning, criteria for the selection have been the cultural-historical rank and show value, but also superlatives that are effective for tourism. Every sacred building has something special to offer. Examples are the St. Marienthal monasteries in Ostritz and St. Marienstern in Panschwitz-Kuckau, where the "Ora et labora" principle is still lived today. The Große Zittauer Lenten Cloth from 1472 tells the story of the Bible in 90 pictures. The Wang Church in Karpacz and the Benedictine Abbey in Broumov delight their visitors.
Welcome to the land of culture discoverers!
Discovering the innumerable facets of Upper Lusatian culture is a fascinating adventure. Magnificent buildings, lovingly cared for traditions, sacred treasures, artfully decorated surrounding areas - you can experience all this and much more up close here. Let yourself be inspired by the cultural treasures of the beautiful region in the border triangle Germany-Poland-Czech Republic, for example in the cities of Bautzen, Görlitz, Zittau, Löbau, Kamenz and Lubań. In order to protect their trade routes, these cities came together in 1346 to form a strong federation that lasted more than 500 years and which also helped them to prosper. Even today, imposing buildings, medieval fortifications and magnificent town halls testify to the former wealth of the cities of the Upper Lusatian Six-City Association. The old town of Görlitz has fascinated people for some time as the world-famous film set "Görliwood". Numerous sacred sights can also be found in the cities, for example the large and small Zittauer Lenten Cloth or the St. Petri Cathedral with its magnificent treasury in Bautzen. These sacred treasures are part of the Via Sacra, a tourist route that crosses borders through Upper Lusatia, Northern Bohemia and Lower Silesia. 20 church stations can be visited here over a distance of more than 500 kilometers. These include, for example, the Loreto Chapel in Rumburk or the Wang Church in Karpacz.
Are you more interested in well-known pearls of garden culture, historic castles and palaces? Then immerse yourself in the dream world of famous landscape architects and building artists. The German Upper Lusatia and the Polish Giant Mountains combine a multitude of unique buildings and green oases - for example the Fürst-Pückler-Park Bad Muskau, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the largest rhododendron complex in Germany, which is located in Kromlau, and the Rammenau castles , Neschwitz, Lomnitz or Buchwald.
The half-timbered houses, which are mainly to be found in southern Upper Lusatia, are just as worth seeing. Its unique folk architecture is made into a feast for the eyes through numerous details, such as artful slats on the facade or ornate arches, which can only be marveled at in the land of cultural discovery. The rooms of these impressive buildings were often used for weaving. This craft is firmly rooted in Upper Lusatia, with damask weaving being a specialty. Pottery and blue printing were and are traditionally practiced in the region. Pulsnitzer Pfefferkuchen and Moravian Stars have achieved particular fame.
Another cultural highlight of the region are the Lusatian Fish Weeks. The first ponds were created in the region as early as the 13th century. Today one of the largest pond areas in Germany is located here, the Upper Lusatian heath and pond landscape. Fishing festivals attract numerous visitors in autumn. Dedicated restaurateurs invite you to enjoy culinary delicacies around the topic of "Lusatian fish".
One of the many cultural specialties that Upper Lusatia has to offer is a wealth of tradition that is second to none. The Sorbs are also at home here as the smallest Slavic people, whose language and extensive customs have been preserved to this day. For example, the Easter riding and the bird wedding have grown to become nationally known.
We cordially invite you to explore the land of cultural discovery yourself. Walk in the footsteps of the past or enjoy the numerous facets of Upper Lusatian culture in the here and now!
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Lusatia Festival
From August 24 to September 14, the multidisciplinary festival invited visitors to Lusatia for extraordinary art experiences.
This year's inspirational motto "Anderselbst" ("Other Self") often led people from near and far to unusual places in Lusatia to experience art: in-house theater productions, Chinese Kunqu opera, readings, chamber concerts,
jazz and much more closely linked Lower and Upper Lusatia
.
The sixth Lausitz Festival will open on 25.08.2025. More information will follow shortly.
Impressions
Überraschend!
Das Kulturentdeckerland Oberlausitz
Die Oberlausitz ist eine Region mit vielfältigen Landschaftsformen und einer reichen Kultur. Ihr Gebiet erstreckt sich von der Europastadt Görlitz Zgorzelec im Osten bis an den Rand der sächsischen Landeshauptstadt Dresden im Westen. Im Süden wird es begrenzt vom Naturpark Zittauer Gebirge und vom Oberlausitzer Bergland; der Norden wird vom Biosphärenreservat Oberlausitzer Heide- und Teichlandschaft sowie dem Lausitzer Seenland geprägt.
Großes Erbe Faltkarte
Wie kaum eine andere Region Deutschlands steht die Lausitz für gewaltige Gegensätze auf engstem Raum. Gegensätze als Ergebnis eines ständigen Wandels. So prägen noch immer Wunden die Landschaft der Lausitz, allerdings im Kontrast zur Lieblichkeit der englischen Gartenkunst historischer Parkanlagen. Und die Landschaft heilt nach und nach.
Aus Bräuchen und Gegensätzen wird hier Welterbe geschaffen. Von der UNESCO ausgezeichnete Kultur- und Naturerbestätten, Kulturlandschaften, vom Tagebau geprägte Gegenden oder Städte wie Görlitz und Bautzen sind Leuchttürme der Region. Sie erzählen Geschichten, die teils Jahrhunderte überspannen. All das nennen wir unser großes Erbe, welchem wir uns verpflichtet fühlen.
Ausgezeichnet! Großes Erbe im Lausitzer Land
Lassen Sie sich inspirieren von dieser Broschüre, tauchen Sie ein in die Geschichte der Lausitz, ihre Landschaften und Gegensätze,
ihre Architektur und Traditionen. Und gehen Sie selbst auf Entdeckungsreise, bevor es alle tun – das große Erbe wartet auf Sie!
ViaSacra - Für Herz und Seele - Pilgern entlang sakraler Stätten im Dreiländereck
Entdecken Sie die "heilige Straße" mit ihren sakralen Schätzen im Dreiländereck Deutschland, Polen und Tschechien - egal ob zu Fuß oder per Rad. Die Via sacra läd ein zur inneren Einkehr.
