Clocks from decommissioned factories, documented waterwheel sites along the Goldbach stream and a lake landscape created from a former lignite open-cast mine reveal three very different sides of Olbersdorf. Other attractions include a demonstration workshop, a sculpture park and the history of the Zittau narrow-gauge railway. When planning a stay, you can focus on industrial history, crafts, art or landscape. Olbersdorf is part of the Zittau Mountains Nature Park.
Clocks and crafts
The privately run Clock Courtyard preserves clocks from decommissioned factories. Its exhibition covers the complete production of electric clocks in the former GDR. The subject thus ranges from timepieces made at factories that have since closed to the historical manufacture of electric clocks. At the Hilger coconut weaving workshop, durable products made from coconut fibre, sisal and hemp are produced in a demonstration workshop. In contrast to the Clock Courtyard, the emphasis here is on processing these materials and making things by hand. The two places have different focuses: collections and industrial history on the one hand, and workshop production on the other.
Themed trails and the narrow-gauge railway
Along the Goldbach stream, the Olbersdorf Mill Trail marks at least 18 documented former waterwheel sites; information boards explain each location. Their number gives the trail a serial character: its subject unfolds across several sites along the stream. The Steam Railway Trail explores the history of the Zittau narrow-gauge railway through information boards and pictures. Completed in 2015, it runs from Zittau to the resorts of Jonsdorf and Oybin. The two themed trails have clearly distinct subjects: former waterwheels along the Goldbach or the history of the narrow-gauge railway. The 750 mm narrow-gauge railway itself is a separate attraction; it runs through Olbersdorf towards the Zittau Mountains. At Bertsdorf station, the railway branches towards Oybin and Jonsdorf; two steam locomotives can depart at the same time there.
Sculpture park and Lake Olbersdorf
The sculpture park features works in stone, wood and clay by artists from the surrounding area and neighbouring countries. The variety of materials and places of origin gives the park its own distinctive character alongside the technical and historical attractions. Lake Olbersdorf is a post-mining landscape created from a former lignite open-cast mine. After the 1999 State Garden Show, a beach and an adjacent campsite were established by the lake. A version of the route around the lake that is five kilometres shorter is wheelchair accessible.
Sporting events and travel planning
Olbersdorf hosts major sporting events, including the Zittau Mountains Run & Hiking Meet and the O-See Challenge. If you would like to plan your trip around one of these events, check the dates in advance.
Choose the focus of your stay
When looking for a hotel in Olbersdorf, consider whether you would like your stay to focus more on the history of clocks and crafts, a signposted themed trail or the post-mining landscape around the lake. Collections and a demonstration workshop, historic trail themes and the lakeside landscape each give the trip a different focus.
Discover more destinations: Groß Düben, Hainewalde, Hähnichen, Oderwitz, Herrnhut, Oybin, Mücka, Boxberg/Oberlausitz
Return to the main travel overview: Görlitz.
