Zittau Mountains

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Zittau Mountains

Zittau Mountains
Germany’s last corner

In the extreme south-east of Germany, nestled between Poland and the Czech Republic, in Upper Lusatia lies the republic’s smallest low mountain range. And maybe the most exciting too. A very special travel tip.

Sylvia Lischer

07/03/2001

“Hans! Quick, come on ?? Here, you have to see that! ”Two dozen startled passers-by turn around, then one breaks out of the crowd and rushes straight towards me. Auweia – I hadn’t imagined the reception in Gorlitz to be quite so exuberant. While Hans and his buddy inspect my single-cylinder machine without further ado, I feel like the test driver of an Erlkonig. “That should be an MZ! I catch ?? it doesn’t. ”It takes Hans a while to be convinced that the Baghira doesn’t have MuZ on it for camouflage. With his own MZ built in 1977, all they have in common is a fuel tap and cylinder fins. »It’s really about time they built something modern.« Another short sound sample and I am released into the streets of Gorlitz to applause. The baghira scurries through as colorful as a harlequin, seamlessly flanked by the crumbling facade of the former socialism . There is hardly any sign of Wende here. Renaissance and Baroque town houses compete for the palest shade of gray and the largest hole in the plaster. Boarded up shops and window frames with broken glass sprouting like shark teeth ?? Nobody seems to feel at home here for a long time. Around 3500 houses are listed in Gorlitz. Only a few have been restored so far, the rest of them continue to dream of a deep slumber in this old trading town that grew in the Middle Ages. The journey ends abruptly in front of the bridge on the Street of Friendship. Since the Berlin Wall came down, one should assume that the days of divided cities are over. Not so in the easternmost tip of Germany. While I pull out my passport at the end of a line of cars, I look at the other half of Gorlitz on the opposite bank of the Neisse: Zgorzelec. In 1945 the river to the German-Polish border and the city was divided. After 25 minutes I am over there, have answered the mandatory questions about where to go and disclosed my identity to the heavily armed customs officers. In Zgorzelec it is easy to see what there is to see. Most of the historical buildings are in the German part, over here mainly concrete blocks of flats grow. On the riverside, a couple of dim establishments advertise sex offers at the lowest prices, behind them an old man is fishing. The other bank will probably remain the last outpost of European prosperity for him for a long time to come. I drive back and no sooner has I reached the road to Zittau than there is no stopping it. The speedometer needle shoots up and the contours of the landscape blur into diffuse brushstrokes. The B 99 rolls through the Zittau basin parallel to the Neisse, wide and clear. For a long time the area stood for lignite mining and vegetable growing, so nothing that could encourage motorcyclists to stop spontaneously. But in the meantime the former open-cast mine has mutated into a green recreational area, and storks breed in huge nests on the disused chimneys. As soon as the B 99 increases in altitude in long curves near Ostritz, the Bohemian-Baroque splendor of the Cistercian monastery of Marienthal can be marveled at from the sloping position on the left. Behind its walls, the idea of ​​the model town of Ostritz-St.Marienthal was born, whose 3500 inhabitants cover their energy needs with biomass and small hydropower plants, solar and wind energy. Meanwhile, a stone’s throw away, the chimneys of the large Polish power station Trzcieniec continue to smoke. The open-cast mine there is still in full swing, the hills are now gradually getting higher in the west and instead of the kilometer-gnawing on the Zittauer Highway, a leisurely dangling over Wittgendorf and Oberseifersdorf now beckons. The traffic is becoming noticeably less and soon the last houses will also be saying goodbye in the rearview mirror. Between wide corn fields I curve south, almost surprised by the first view of the almost 500 meter high, almost parallel mountain ranges of the Oberlausitzer Bergland. The Zittau Mountains lie in the far south-east, in the triangle of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. The Upper Lusatia seems to be compressed into a kind of mini-mountain range there, with steep peaks and narrow valleys. It is the smallest low mountain range in Germany. Behind Zittau, the road almost disappears in dense, dark mixed forest and makes adventurous swerves around the now increasingly towering red sandstone cliffs. Strangely shaped like petrified figures in an enchanted forest, give the Baghira a new field of action. In Jonsdorf there are more and more, some rocks are enthroned like giant marbles in the middle of the village, others form a bizarre figure cabinet along the Jonsdorf millstone quarries, sculptures in the shape of tables, organs, lions and even St. Bernard and mousetrap shapes. I have reached the heart of the Zittau Mountains. All around neat half-timbered houses in traditional Lusatian construction. Since culture doesn’t care about barriers, the typical Slavic block building has made its way into the village scene in Upper Lusatia. Perfectly restored half-timbered constructions nestle around apartment blocks like loosely tied support corsets, gardens with overflowing flowers in front of and behind. Everything seems like it’s just waiting for a beauty pageant. He also lives in a half-timbered house, says the landlord of the “Zum Berg Oybin” hotel, and there is no alternative. After all, a half-timbered house belongs to southern Upper Lusatia like the sandstone to the Zittau Mountains. Next door is a small train station, which with its wild west romance doesn’t really fit here. The “Zittauer Bimmelbahn” is just steaming up, a narrow-gauge railway with Marklin flair that has been running slowly between Zittau, Jonsdorf and Oybin since 1890. In the background the most popular rock in the mountains: the Oybin. Beefy and fearful of the weather, it rises 513 meters. On its legendary summit, the ruins of a castle and monastery are enthroned, which already animated Caspar David Friedrich to scramble up and to paint the sight for the German romanticism. The early morning fog is still hanging in the valleys when I set off for the high forest the next morning – with 749 meters of altitude one of the greats in the Zittau Mountains, which to the south with the north Bohemian Luzicke hory – the Lusatian Mountains ?? apparently continues seamlessly. But soon a barrier ends the south course in Luckendorf. Behind it, the narrow and tempting Gabeler Strabe disappears – after an abrupt name change to Luckendorfskà Silnice – in the woods: »Hiking trail Luckendorf – Petrovice« is written on a green sign, »Passing the state border is permitted for pedestrians, cyclists, skiers and wheelchair users Carry my passport with me. «Since it seems hopeless to redeclare the Baghira accordingly, I turn to the motor vehicle crossing at Zittau, 13 kilometers away. The female customs control is knee-free and figure-hugging, as if the shooting for the latest James Bond flick was taking place here. Only the film smile does not want to appear – it remains motionless, as if it were carved in stone. I take off under the no less rigid gaze of a garden gnome colony for sale across the border. Until the next barrier. It’s too late to look at the map, so I take the liberty of asking which country I am entering now? Czech Republic. So it was Poland before. Pretty awkward route guidance. But when I turn onto the narrow country road to Rynolitice near Hradek and hunt through the Bohemian forests on class A motorcycle routes, I feel more than compensated for the delay. Other road users appear briefly on the N 13, after the exit near Hermanice there is radio silence again. Dreamy border villages pass by, a baroque church suddenly peeks out of the thicket, then the forest surrounds me again. Varnsdorf comes into view and the first inns. It has to be simple: Bohemian dumplings with meat and sauce. The landlord asks about my travel route with interest. He is extremely pleased that the answer is not Seifhennersdorf – Varnsdorf – Seifhennersdorf. Most visitors just come to eat and shop cheaply, he says. No wonder – the dumpling orgy plus cola costs the equivalent of just six marks. Next door at the Vietnamese restaurant there are cigarettes, alcohol and copied designer clothes at bargain prices. In the group of bargain hunters, I drive back to Germany near Seifhennersdorf and on to Grobschonau. In front of the Veterans Museum, a motorcyclist rushes out of the side street – not up, but next to his machine, panting, trying to bring the aged Emme to life. “I’m more into older stuff,” explains Markus later with a sideways glance at the Baghira, and apart from a few starting problems, his hand-restored military machine is really reliable. Soon the narrow streets fill with the clatter of engines, and Markus triumphantly patters up front to the old factory hall, where the MC Robur Zittau presents motorcycle collectibles on two floors. These include delicacies such as the Megola Sport from 1923 with a five-cylinder radial engine. “They’re tending the old things and they’re still looing.” Only 20 kilometers to the 583-meter-high Kottmar, where the highest of the three Spree springs rises. In the direction of Bautzen I follow the young river through Ebersbach, Neusalza-Spremberg, Taubenheim, Schirgiswald … – the villages never end, there is no speed. »Grobpostwitz ?? Budestecy «?? a bilingual place-name sign wakes me up again. This is where the settlement area of ​​the Sorbs begins – the smallest Slavic people and probably even the smallest in Europe. 40,000 of them live in Saxony today, and 20,000 in neighboring Brandenburg. They have never had their own state in the course of their 1,000-year history. Soon you will reach Bautzen – Budy? In, the cultural center of the tribe and with 17 massive towers a kind of medieval Manhattan. I rattle through the narrow »Tachantska hasa« – Domgasse – to the main market, where the town hall calculates 890 days until the 1000th anniversary with digital neon letters. Much less well-founded information can be found about the co-founders of the city: »Sorbs? No idea. Perhaps in the Volkstheater? ”The waitress in Cafe Stadtwaage ponders with a shrug. From a historical and administrative point of view, Bautzen is indeed the center of the Sorbs, as the Sorbs info later explains diagonally across the street, but the folk customs are only cultivated in the villages. I discover something of it north of Bautzen. In a small bar, on black and white photos showing Easter riders in tails and top hats, cross and church flag in their hands. No, they weren’t taken a hundred years ago, laughs the landlord, the processions take place every year. He leads me behind the restaurant, where an elderly woman in elaborately tailored costume and a lace bonnet is turning hay. “I feel undressed without the bonnet,” she admits with a laugh. Your neighbor sees it no differently, regrets that the younger ones only wear the costume at parties. There wouldn’t even be traditional dressmakers any more. “The old days are over,” the 80-year-old constrained, “we were the last.” I march thoughtfully to the parking lot. A small people who define themselves through language and customs demonstrate to the rest of the world that identity does not have to be based on a state border secured by armed force. I drive west, and at some point the place-name signs will be monolingual again – without a barrier interrupting the onward journey.

INFO

With an area of ​​48 square kilometers, the Zittau Mountains are the smallest low mountain range in Germany. But if you extend the travel radius to Upper Lusatia and beyond the southern and eastern border lines, you will still find a real adventure area.

Arrival and general information Upper Lusatia is part of Saxony and is located in the outermost corner of Germany, on the border with the Czech Republic and Poland. The landscape is characterized by the granite mountains of the Oberlausitzer Bergland and the light sandstone of the Zittau Mountains to the south. For those arriving from almost all parts of Germany, the fastest route is via the A 13, A 14 or A 4 motorways via Dresden to Bautzen or Gorlitz. Since the region was a popular travel destination even before the fall of the Wall, it also has a good tourist infrastructure with hotels and guest houses. The Zittau Tourist Information (see information) sends out a comprehensive list of accommodation. We have had good experiences in the hotel “Zum Berg Oybin”, Friedrich Engels Str. 34, Oybin, phone 035844/7320, fax 73299. Double room from 80 marks. Campsites are rare. They can be found, for example, at the Bautzen dam and in the Upper Lusatian pond landscape near Wartha. The traditional restaurant Meja, Dorfplatz 27 in Radibor, phone 035935/20970, offers typical Sorbian dishes. The motorcycle veterans and technology museum in Grobschonau, David-Goldberg-Strabe 27. Open from April to October, Tuesday until Friday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (weekend until 5 p.m.), admission: two marks. Also worth seeing is the old steam train that runs between Zittau, Jonsdorf and Oybin. More details at the tourist information in Zittau (see information). The handy Marco Polo travel guide “Spreewald / Lausitz” for 14.80 Marks and the Lausitz travel guide “From Spreewald to the Zittauer Gebirge” from Domowina Verlag, 9.80 Marks, offer a good overview of the region. In addition, chapters on the area can be found in the HB-Bildatlas »Saxony« for 14.80 Marks and in the edition MOTORRAD Unterwegs: Deutschland Volume 3, »The most beautiful tours between Rugen and the Erzgebirge« for 29.80 Marks. Maps: The region and the southern part of the Czech Republic are included in the Marco Polo general map sheet 11 “Chemnitz, Dresden, Erzgebirge” in 1: 200,000. Those who want to travel deeper into the border countries come with the RV map “Dreilandereck Deutschland -Poland-Czech Republic ”in 1: 300,000. For detail freaks: Leisure map “Oberlausitzer Bergland – Zittauer Gebirge – Nordbohmen” in 1:65 000 from Seeger Kartographie.Information The Tourist Information Zittau has extensive information and room records ready, Markt 1 / Rathaus, 02763 Zittau, phone 03583/75213739, fax 752161. The Sorbian cultural information center in Bautzen offers information about the Sorbs people, phone 03591/42105, fax 42811. TIME EXPENSE: two days DISTANCED DISTANCE: Approximately 250 kilometers

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