Schirgiswalde-Kirschau offers different ways to explore local history and church architecture. The Borderland Tour also crosses the border into the Czech Republic.
Museums and Local History
The Kirschau Castle Museum presents the history of Körse Castle and the town. It displays finds from excavations on the castle hill and a model of the castle. A local history room with a working handloom adds to these exhibits. The museum thus focuses both on the castle and its finds and on local history.
The “Carl Swoboda” Local History Museum in Schirgiswalde was founded in 1924. It houses rural furniture, household items and Upper Lusatian folk art. This gives it a different focus from the Castle Museum: rural life and regional folk art take centre stage here.
Other local sights include carved historic signposts, the gondola pond, a railway viaduct, churches, traditional half-timbered houses with enclosed courtyards, and viewpoints. The Neoclassical town hall and a former town jail are also among them. The Schirgiswalde Local History Museum has a permanent nativity scene exhibition.
Churches and Their Distinctive Styles
The parish church of the Assumption of Mary in Schirgiswalde is a Catholic church with two towers in the Bohemian Baroque style. It is considered the only church of its kind in the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen. Kirschau is home to St John’s Church, an Art Nouveau domed church with an altarpiece by Bernhard Müller. The church tour also includes the church in Crostau, which has a Silbermann organ.
For a cultural visit, these churches offer different architectural points of interest: the twin-towered Bohemian Baroque design in Schirgiswalde, the Art Nouveau dome in Kirschau and the Silbermann organ in Crostau. These places and features can be grouped by architectural style or musical interest.
The Borderland Tour and Walking Routes
The Borderland Tour starts and ends at the Schirgiswalde hiking car park by the gondola pond. Along the way, it crosses the border into the Czech Republic and passes through Rožany before returning. Schirgiswalde-Kirschau is also a rest stop right on the Neumarkt Trail. In the surrounding region, the certified Upper Lusatian Mountain Trail runs for 107 kilometres to Zittau.
Cycling Routes in Bautzen District
Bautzen District also offers regional cycling routes. The Bautzen North Tour is a 43.1-kilometre circular route from Bautzen via Quatitz, Großdubrau, Milkel, Klix and Malschwitz, returning to Bautzen. It passes through the heath and pond landscape and along the nature trail in Crosta. The Hills and Valleys Route is a circular tour through the West Lusatian Hills in Bautzen District; the Krabat Cycle Route follows in the footsteps of Krabat, the hero of Sorbian legend.
There are further regional routes for longer rides: the Spree Cycle Route runs from its source in Upper Lusatia to Berlin; its section from Taubenheim to Zerre lies in Bautzen District. The Central Germany Route is a long-distance cycle route from Zittau to Aachen, with a section through the Upper Lusatian Highlands in Bautzen District. Upper Lusatian carnival also has its strongholds in Bautzen District, in Schirgiswalde and Wittichenau.
Planning Your Stay
The tourist information centre provides free brochures on hiking, cycling, excursions, leisure facilities and cultural institutions. If needed, check in advance what is currently available. Bus and train travel in the region is served by the Upper Lusatia-Lower Silesia Transport Association and the Upper Elbe Transport Association. Check current timetables and connections for your travel date.
Discover more destinations: Kirschau, Schwepnitz, Sohland an der Spree, Steinigtwolmsdorf, Frankenthal, Laußnitz, Wittichenau, Demitz-Thumitz
Back to the regional travel overview: Bautzen District.
