Traditions throughout the year
In addition to the well-known Easter festival, the Sorbs celebrate numerous other lively customs. On January 25, the bird wedding takes center stage, where children dressed in bird costumes and traditional wedding attire commemorate the marriage of magpie and raven. Zapust marks the end of winter with a colorful parade, traditional costumes and lots of dancing, while masked villagers parade noisily through the streets asking for gifts. In summer, the "Łužica - Łužyca - Lausitz" festival attracts folklore groups every two years and in Schleife, bagpiping has been cultivated and celebrated for over 400 years at the International Bagpipe Festival.
It couldn't be bluer
Since 1600, the Indian dye indigo has shaped blue printing, an indispensable part of Sorbian traditional costumes and a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage site since 2016. In blue printing, patterns are applied to linen or cotton using a stamp and a water-repellent substance known as "papp". The fabric is dipped several times in an indigo dye bath, first green and then blue through contact with oxygen. The white patterns appear when the cardboard is removed in a special water bath.
A city and its glass
Fine glass sands, coal, wood - Lusatia offered ideal conditions for glass production, which flourished in Weißwasser in particular at the beginning of the 20th century. A total of eleven glassworks produced their wares here. One of them, Neue Oberlausitzer Glashüttenwerke Schweig & Co. AG, was even the world's largest manufacturer of light bulbs. The Weißwasser Glass Museum provides interesting facts about the transparent material, from production to finishing techniques. More than 60,000 exhibits can be seen in the former villa of the Gelsdorf family of entrepreneurs, themselves pioneers of the glass industry in the region.
The Kamenz Forest Festival: a 300-year-old tradition
The highlight of the Kamenz Forest Festival are the traditional parades, in which children and young people parade through the town dressed in white, with sashes and flower decorations. The parades are accompanied on Mondays and Thursdays by brass band concerts, gymnastics demonstrations and a marksmen's parade. The festival week is rounded off with church services, organ concerts and a spectacular fireworks display.
Masterpieces of the art of sound
The historic Haus Eule, located in the heart of Bautzen, is an impressive combination of tradition and modernity. Generations of organ builders have passed on and continuously developed their knowledge and skills here. This heritage is reflected in every single organ that leaves the house - each instrument is unique, created with a love of detail and a deep understanding of music.
Living heritage
Intangible cultural heritage includes living traditions from the fields of dance, theater, music, oral traditions, natural knowledge and craft techniques. These forms of cultural heritage are decisively supported by human knowledge and skills. They are an expression of creativity and ingenuity, convey identity and continuity and are passed on from generation to generation and constantly reshaped. Intangible cultural heritage often also forms the basis for tangible cultural heritage.
UNESCO International List of Intangible Cultural Heritage
The International Intangible Cultural Heritage List is compiled by UNESCO and includes cultural traditions and forms of expression from all over the world. The aim of this list is to preserve and promote the diversity of intangible cultural heritage worldwide and to support international cooperation and the exchange of experiences. The International List recognizes cultural assets that are important not only for individual countries, but also for humanity as a whole.
Examples from Germany on the international list:
- Blue printing (together with four other countries) - Pulsnitz site
- Manual glass production (together with five other countries) - Weißwasser site
- Organ building and organ music - Bautzen site
Intangible cultural heritage in Germany and Lusatia
The nationwide list of intangible cultural heritage in Germany includes cultural traditions and forms of expression that are practised and passed on within Germany. This list is compiled and maintained by the German UNESCO Committee. It aims to raise awareness of the cultural diversity and rich cultural heritage within Germany. Entry on the national list is a prerequisite for nomination to the international UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.
In Lusatia, this includes
- Social customs and festivals of the Lusatian Sorbs
- Kamenz Forest Festival
- Construction and use of the Spreewald barge
Impressions of the living heritage
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!
