Published on 10 Jul 2023
TExTOUR and the UmgebindeLandSommer have together organised tour through Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia, the area in the border triangle between Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany offers a diverse cultural tourism programme. Whatever your interests: local culture, idyllic villages in beautiful surroundings, or unique historical buildings, this area offers them all, encouraging visitors to spend time enjoying the region.
The framework of the TexTour project gave the opportunity to show this diversity, through three tours, each in a different country of Upper Lusatia.
The tours took place in mid-June 2023, as part of the UmgebindeLandSommer festival. On each tour, around 25 tourists were accompanied by expert guides to selected locations in Upper Lusatia. The first tour, “Living and Weaving”, concentrated on the German part, with six stops. The focus of this tour was the Umgebinde house as a living and working space: home weaving and later the textile industry shaped the villages, and a loom once rattled in almost every Umgebinde house. The former farming villages became “homeworking settlements” and later, industrial locations. During the day it was possible to observe this development through several stages: firstly, the historical museum in Dittelsdorf showed life in an Umgebinde house of the time; the tour then proceeded to the ‘Spinnwebe’ showroom in Walddorf, where the historical craft of weaving was demonstrated . It then visited Ebersbach-Neugersdorf and its industrial weaving mill, before a stop at the UmgebindeHaus miniature park in Cunewalde and finally a return to the present day thanks to the photographic exhibition in the MEDA Mittelherwigsdorf and the ‘Inselhaus’ holiday house in Großschönau, which both bear witness to modern life in Umgebinde houses.
The second tour, on June 18th, took place in Poland and focused on the creativity of the local population demonstrated by folk architecture from the past and present day. With great commitment and unusual ideas, the inhabitants show that traditional folk architecture is suitable for many uses, captivating visitors. Renovations and new buildings of Umgebinde houses are a visible expression of the creative awakening here. The tour visited various houses, some in their original condition and some renovated, and concluded with culinary and cultural experiences provided by the “Day of the Open Garden” in Giebultów.
The third tour, also on June 18th, entitled “Handicraft and Cultural Enjoyment”, took place in the Czech Republic. The route of this tour wound through deep valleys to several villages where, in addition to lovingly renovated houses, participants could also admire modern buildings, sensitively adapted to the style of the villages. A visit to the glass museum in Kamenický Senov and a tour of the glass house in Nový Bor highlighted the influence of glass in historical and modern architecture and the importance of glass art to the development of tourism in Northern Bohemia. The landscape during the tour was characterised by the Umgebinde houses with their striking black and white block walls. There was also the opportunity to experience the culture of the local population, by savouring culinary delicacies and musical offerings.
The three adventure tours highlighted the distinguishing characteristics uniqueness of Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany in Upper Lusatia. At the same time, however, the unifying element, the Umgebinde houses, which give the region its unique character, also became apparent.
These tours served as a prototype for future tours, which can either be undertaken individually or with a guide.
Embark on an incomparable journey of discovery through Upper Lusatia.
