At Rotstein, a newly built tower at the Rotstein restaurant offers panoramic views in the Bischdorf district of Rosenbach. Rotstein is considered Saxony’s oldest nature reserve and is home to botanical rarities. The views and plant life appeal to different interests: visitors come both for the panoramic views and for botanical highlights. When looking for a holiday rental, you can first consider whether nature and views or church architecture and historic interiors should shape your stay.
Churches and milling history
The church in Bischdorf dates from the 13th century; its chancel has a stone vault. The restored Mittelmühle is also in Bischdorf and is regarded as having Saxony’s oldest still-functioning internal waterwheel. The church in Herwigsdorf adds another historic highlight: it dates from 1545 and has a roof turret, a Baroque pulpit altar and a patron’s gallery. It also features a painted coffered ceiling from the 16th century.
In Bischdorf, the focus is on the stone-vaulted chancel; in Herwigsdorf, several details from roof to ceiling create a broader picture of its interior features. The Mittelmühle complements the church architecture with milling technology. Rosenbach’s sights therefore appeal to visitors interested in everything from sacred buildings to a restored watermill.
Görlitz: a distinct urban cultural focus
Within the broader destination of Görlitz, historic urban architecture is a distinct highlight. The old town has around 4,000 listed buildings and is one of the best-preserved historic ensembles in Central Europe. At Untermarkt, the historic heart of Görlitz, grand townhouses from the Renaissance and Baroque periods line the square. After a city fire, Schönhof was rebuilt in the Renaissance style from 1526 onward. It is the main building of the Schlesisches Museum zu Görlitz and is one of the oldest Renaissance buildings north of the Alps.
St. Peter’s Church is Saxony’s largest hall church and a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. It houses the Sun Organ, built by Eugenio Casparini towards the end of the 17th century, which can imitate birdsong. The Holy Sepulchre in Görlitz was built between 1481 and 1504 and comprises the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, the Chapel of the Anointing and the Adam Chapel. It is a unique replica of the holy sites of Jerusalem and the oldest surviving structure of its kind north of the Alps.
Görlitz’s landscape also has an urban connection: laid out in the 19th century, the city park offers expansive lawns, mature trees and romantic walking paths in the heart of the city. The historic Via Regia is also significant to the cityscape. Görlitz owes its still-visible wealth and exceptional splendour to this European trade route. The route once connected the trading regions between Thuringia and Saxony in the west and Silesia, Bohemia and Poland in the east.
Choose the right focus
With its urban heritage and museums, Görlitz adds a distinct cultural highlight to the broader destination. Choose your holiday rental search according to the themes you want to shape your stay.
Discover more destinations: Lawalde, Schönbach, Neusalza-Spremberg, Beiersdorf, Quitzdorf am See, Olbersdorf, Markersdorf, Bertsdorf-Hörnitz.
Back to the broader travel guide: Görlitz.
