Geopark Muskau Arch (UNESCO Global Geopark)

The Muskau Folded Arch is considered one of the most beautiful pronounced push moraines in Central Europe. In 2015 the cultural and old mining region officially became a UNESCO Global Geopark. It has the shape of a large horseshoe and transcends borders from Brandenburg via Saxony to Poland. The river Neisse flows through the middle of it and cuts up to 30 metres deep into the land. Raw materials mining left behind a large number of attractive lakes in the area, some of which shimmer with magnificent colours. About 340,000 years ago, when thick blocks of ice moved south from Scandinavia, a glacier in what is now Lusatia drove the bedrock to a depth of 300 metres. Layers that were originally horizontal were then folded and erected. Lignite, clay and glass sand were pulled up from the depths. Dry sandy plateaus alternate with humid and swampy depressions. www.muskauer-faltenbogen.de

Europäischer Parkverbund Lausitz (European Park Association Lusatia)

The European Park Association Lusatia was founded in 2010 for the Pückler parks in Bad Muskau and Branitz as well as the Brühlsche Schlosspark in Brody/Pförten and the East German Rose Garden in Forst (Lusatia). Its aim is to preserve historical heritage and develop it regionally through joint projects. Their work includes publications and exhibitions, for example about the hostility between Frederick the Great and Count Brühl. The Park Association is considered an exemplary German-Polish cooperation project. It aims to expand progressively to bring the common European history of Saxony, Brandenburg and Lower Silesia to life. The network should therefore grow around the Rhododendron Park in Kromlau (link), the park in Altdöbern, the park in Neschwitz and the facilities in Zatonie (Günthersdorf) and Zagan (Sagan).

The Oberlausitzer Heide- und Teichlandschaft (UNESCO Biosphere Reserve)

Southwest of Bad Muskau begins the largest contiguous pond landscape in Germany. For this reason, the water-rich area between Kamenz and Niesky is also called “the land of a thousand ponds”. The waters have been used since the 13 th century mainly for the cultivation of carp. Around 30,000 hectares of the region have been under special protection since 1994: as a UNESCO biosphere reserve. It is the only one in the Free State of Saxony. More than 5,200 plant and animal species are at home in the region, some of which are endangered. Among these are white-tailed eagles, Eurasian otters, cranes, woodlarks and marsh harriers. A visit to the House of Thousand Ponds (Haus der Tausend Teiche) in Wartha, the centre of the Oberlausitzer Heide- und Teichlandschaft Biosphere Reserve, is highly recommended. A multi-media exhibition is dedicated to pond management and focuses on carp farming in the changing seasons. The nature trail through the Guttau ponds begins close to the visitor and information centre. www.biosphaerenreservat-oberlausitz.de

The Lusatian League

Bautzen, Kamenz, Löbau, Görlitz, Zittau and Lauban (today Luban in Poland) achieved economic and cultural prosperity through a strong alliance: the Lusatian League. It was signed in 1346 and lasted for almost half a century. The cities joined forces to defend themselves against predatory attacks by the land-owning nobility. Löbau served as the seat of the Convention, where delegates of the six Allies met regularly. Magnificent town halls and bourgeois houses, medieval alleyways, richly decorated churches and well-fortified ramparts still define the historic towns today. You can discover many traces of its eventful history here. www.oberlausitz.com/ferien/kulturell/sechsstaedtebund.htm

Glassmaking city Weißwasser

Weißwasser grew up with fragile goods. From the end of the 19th century, the town developed into a stronghold of the glass industry. The glassmaker’s fountain located directly in front of the main station is reminiscent of the tradition. If you want to understand the city’s special industrial history, a visit to the glass museum is worthwhile. Guests will be given an insight into the work of the famous product designer Wilhelm Wagenfeld and others. The Bauhaus student was artistic director of the Vereinigte Lausitzer Glaswerke (Union of Lautzner Glass workers) in Weißwasser. The zoo and the bath at Jahnteich, the Muskau Forest Railway or the ice skating area are other points of interest for those visiting the city, where two companies still continue the glass industry tradition. www.glasmuseum-weisswasser.de

Spreewald (UNESCO Biosphere Reserve)

Spreewald is a good hour’s drive northwest of Bad Muskau. One of the special features of the region is its intricate network of rivers and streams with a total length of 1,500 kilometres. The Spreewald’s distinctive river branches were formed during the last ice age. The charming floodplain landscape provides a protected habitat for around 5,000 animal and plant species, including rare animals such as the European fire-bellied toad, white-tailed eagle, green hawker and Eurasian otter. The old alder trees and the large wet meadows and moors are home to numerous plant species such as sundews, marsh rosemary, cranberry and cotton grass. Roughly 47,500 hectares of the Spreewald have been placed under special protection by UNESCO. A wide range of information about the biosphere reserve is available in three visitor centres: The Haus für Mensch und Natur in Lübbenau (House for People and Nature in Lübbenau), in the Alten Mühle in Schlepzig (Old Mill in Schlepzig) and the Schlossberghof Burg (Schlossberg Castle Courtyard). www.spreewald-biosphaerenreservat.de

Upper Lusatia by bike

Muskau Park is located directly on the Oder-Neisse Cycle path, one of five supra-regional cycling routes that run through Upper Lusatia. These include the Spreeradweg or the Froschradweg, which leads to Berlin. Cyclists also cross the border to Brandenburg on the Lower Lusatia Mining Tour (Niederlausitzer Bergbautour) or the Seenlandroute (Lakeland Route). There are also a number of themed routes, such as the Seeadler-Rundweg or the route with Sorbian sights. The Krabat-Rundweg trail in the city-triangle between Hoyerswerda, Kamenz and Bautzen follows the path of one of the most famous Sorbian folk tale figures. www.oberlausitz.com/ferien/aktiv/radwandern.htm

Kromlauer Park

Starting in 1844, the landowner Friedrich Hermann Rötschke (1805 – 1893) had his property in Kromlau redesigned. Native and foreign trees were planted there, including weeping beech, 30-metre tall tulip trees, magnolias, catalpas, false cypresses and Platanus trees. Thousands of rhododendrons and free-range azaleas grew in the bog valleys. In spring, they create a magnificent sea of colourful blossoms that is unrivalled in Germany in terms of size and beauty. The charming park spans about 200 hectares in a district of the municipality of Gablenz. A special eye-catcher is the Rakotzbrücke, also called the “Devil’s Bridge”. It was built between 1863 and 1882 from basalt and field stones. The impressive arched bridge is 35 metres long and spans Lake Rakotz. When reflected by the water surface, it forms a full circle and is thus probably the most famous photo motif of Kromlau Park. The buildings from the middle of the 19 th century include the Old Palace and the Cavalier’s House. www.kromlau-online.de/index.php/der-park

Erlichthof Rietschen

The rustic “scrap” timber houses on the outskirts of Rietschen look cosy and comfortable. Most of the buildings in the small settlement are from villages that had to be moved to make way for lignite mining. The 300-year-old buildings were carefully removed and rebuilt in Rietschen at the Erlichtteich pond, in accordance with the original. The Erlichthof first opened as a museum in 1994. The exhibition in various buildings of the farmstead illustrates the daily life of the heather farmers. The settlement has a total of more than 20 “scrap” timber houses, which include a nature and tourist information centre, wolf barn, stone oven bakery, weaving house, ceramic barn and farm shop. The charming ensemble shows off a unique construction method. Three years before felling, the bark of the trees selected for house building was cut off. This allowed resin to accumulate in the trunk, naturally preserving the wood. The trunks were later roughly shod with a Schrotaxt, a “scrap axe”. The houses are named “scrap” after this axe. The heather farmers laid the square-cut beams on top of each other without dowelling and sealed them with a layer of fern, moss and felt. www.erlichthofsiedlung.de

Erratic block park Nochten

Around 7000 geological heavyweights constitute the landscape garden in the Boxberg district of Nochten, which is unique in Europe: the Lusatian Erratic block park. The Nochten opencast lignite mine and the Boxberg power plant frame the approximately 20-hectare site. Simultaneously, the connection to mining is evident, as the stones that give the park its name were uncovered when the mine’s operation. The glacial erratics came to Lausitz during the ice age. These huge masses pushed their way in from Scandinavia across the country and flattened entire mountain ranges. Some of the boulders resisted the momentum and were left as erratic blocks in Eastern Saxony where they came to light again during coal mining. In Nochten they were included in the design of the park, which was opened in 2003. There is a circular path leading through heather, stone and pond gardens, natural heather and moorland. The pond, of which only one end can be seen when standing on the bank, was designed based on examples of Asian garden art. The geological nature trail offers a foray through “Little Scandinavia”. The manifold flora has been laid out in such a way that something blooms in almost every season. www.findlingspark-nochten.de

Lusatian Lake District

In the past few years, numerous former lignite mines between Berlin and Dresden have been transformed into lakes. Closed opencast mines were flooded to create the largest man-made water landscape in Europe. More than 20 artificial lakes are part of this spectacular water world. In the future, 10 of these lakes will be connected by navigable canals. The first of these waterways, the Barbara Canal, was opened in 2003 between Lake Geierswald and Lake Partwitz. The Lusatian Lake District is near the Muskau Park, the closest of the lakes is Lake Bärwald. The northern bank of Pückler’s landscape garden is only about 25 kilometres away. Thanks to its 23-kilometre-long circular route, a harbour and beautiful beaches, Saxony’s largest body of water has already become a magnet for water sports enthusiasts, cyclists and skaters. www.lausitzerseenland.de

UNESCO 5 – Great Heritage

Nowhere else in the world you will find five UNESCO awards in four different categories in such a small area: In constant flux, Lusatia is unique with its cultural and natural heritage that even transcends national borders. UNESCO awards different distinctions to highlight the special nature of a place, a building, a region or tradition.

Lusatia can boast itselfs with five UNESCO awards in these four different categories:

• UNESCO World Heritage Site – Muskauer Park/ Park Mużakowski,
• UNESCO Global Geopark – UNESCO Global Geopark Muskau Folded Arch/ Łuk Mużakowa,
• UNESCO Biosphere Reserve – Spreewald & The Oberlausitzer Heide- und Teichlandschaft,
• Intangible Cultural Heritage – The Sorbs and Lusatian Blueprinting.