# Upper Lusatia and its towns, a very beautiful region in Germany



## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

Central market and the town hall from the early 18th century, although parts are of course much older. The dot to the right of the uppermost clock is the head of a Turk, which was added to commemorate the Turkish threat of 1683. The fountain on the left shows knight "Dutschmann":











The central market and the surrounding streets are shaped by Saxon baroque. If you want to know how Dresden looked before 1945 visit Bautzen:


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

Restored advert from the beginning of last century. The beer company doesn't exist anymore, and the phone number doesn't work either:


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

One last look. The old house in the middle down in the valley is the so called Hexenhäusl (witches house), built before 1604. It survived all fires because of, according to legend, a fire blessing by an old gipsy. The roof tiles and rain drains are wooden:










Done.


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## Tiaren (Jan 29, 2006)

SO AMAZING!!! 
...the cities and of course your talent as a photograper! Really, just amazing!


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## erbse (Nov 8, 2006)

Saxon cities are a peak of human achievements in architecture. I'm always speechless when visiting or looking at photos of Görlitz, Zittau, Pirna, Meißen, Bautzen and theirlike.


Thank you so much for introducing Bautzen, Karasek! It's a true gem and we should be thankful neither the Soviets nor the SED torned it down.


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## erbse (Nov 8, 2006)

Karasek said:


> Johannes *Karasek*, Upper Lusatias most famous robber, was jailed in Burgwasserturm for three years. He was a deserter from Prague, mugged the rich... and kept it:
> 
> http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/2476/butzz023.jpg


And I always suffered from the illusion you got your name from this funny dude :lol:


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## Johnor (Jan 8, 2008)

Thank you Karasek for bringing your wonderful pictures from Lausitz in one thread.


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## StoneRose (Sep 13, 2004)

Oh my, Bautzen is even more beautiful and interesting than I thought.

Great pics as well, you're talented.

Very interesting stuff about the dual use of the church.


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## missioneiro (Sep 18, 2008)

Wonderful!! Wunderbar!!! Maravilhoso!!! 

A imponent and lovely city! I love Germany.


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## erbse (Nov 8, 2006)

Still one of the most beautiful areas in the center of Europe :yes:


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## JValjean (Oct 15, 2009)

Karasek said:


> The expellees from Silesia and Bohemia form up to 1/3 of the overall population today. Many Silesians remainded in and around the city of Görlitz (between 1815 and 1945 part of the Prussian province of Lower Silesia), which led to the strange situation that the city adopted a second, Silesian, identity


Hm, spricht man nicht vom Raum Görlitz als der "niederschlesischen Oberlausitz"? Und ich dachte immer das wäre vollkommen korrekt ...

P.S.: Stellst du auch noch Bilder von Zittau rein?


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

JValjean said:


> Hm, spricht man nicht vom Raum Görlitz als der "niederschlesischen Oberlausitz"? Und ich dachte immer das wäre vollkommen korrekt ...
> 
> P.S.: Stellst du auch noch Bilder von Zittau rein?


If I can find my Zittau pics I will upload them.

And it is correct. But Upper Lusatia and Silesia are two historic regions, seperated by the Queis river (now in Poland). Prussia annexed parts of Upper Lusatia in 1815 and simply added this part to the *administrative unit* of Lower Silesia. This however didn't change the culture of the region, which was still Upper Lusatian and not Silesian (althought they have much in common, since they both were part of Bohemia for a long time). From a historic perspective the name Prussian Upper Lusatia would be more appropriate.


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## JValjean (Oct 15, 2009)

All right and thanks for the answer. How about the old dialects spoken in Upper Lusatia especially in the eastern parts. Weren't they heavily mixed by Silesian idioms? I always thought that the rolling "R" of the Upper Lusatians is due to the neighbouring Silesia. Or perhaps this kind of dialect had been brought by American immigrants? :|


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

JValjean said:


> All right and thanks for the answer. How about the old dialects spoken in Upper Lusatia especially in the eastern parts. Weren't they heavily mixed by Silesian idioms? I always thought that the rolling "R" of the Upper Lusatians is due to the neighbouring Silesia. Or perhaps this kind of dialect had been brought by American immigrants? :|


Certainly not. 
The dialect with the rolling "R" is only spoken in the mountainous southern part of Upper Lusatia and indeed very closely related to Silesian dialects. Actually, this Upper Lusatian dialect almost sounds like the dialect once spoken in the Giant Mountains (minus the "R"). He's not related to any other existing German dialect and could be called the last remaining Silesian dialect.
The people in so called Silesian Upper Lusatia however, in and around Görlitz, speak a pretty good High German without any hint to Silesia.


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## JValjean (Oct 15, 2009)

Thanks for the information! 

Did you find your Zittau pictures? If so I would appreciate it if you could upload them too!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Those new photos looking really very nice


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

Some pics of the Nikolai cemetery in Görlitz, a rare examply of a early Protestant cemetery. The cemetery offers more than 800 tombs and epitaphs from the early 17th to the middle of the 19th century and 17 crypts of the 17th and 18th century. Jakob Böhme is buried here.


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

Done


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

During the European Heritage Days many houses in Görlitz open their doors and you can have a look inside. The houses in the old town often show late Gothic halls mixed with Renaissance balustrades, whereas the living rooms often offer baroque ceilings. Sadly I can't find most pics from previous years anymore, but anyway.

Look into a unrestored house with a main hall from 1480 and baroque stuccoed ceilings:




















Görlitz also offers huge Wilhelminian style quarters since the town was a popular old-age residence for Prussian senior officials. Most interiors are preserved:


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## Zombile (Jul 11, 2006)

Thank you, Karasek, for your impressive collection!
I really hope Görlitz and the whole region will experience an economic and demographic improvement soon so that this heritage kan be kept and vibrant life is added to these architectural panorama.


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

The eastern part of Upper Lusatia was awarded to Poland after WW2, the Germans were expelled and the region resettled with Poles. Because of the population exchange today the region isn't considered to be part of Upper Lusatia anymore.
Görlitz was divided too, the eastern part forms the Polish town of Zgorzelec now. There you can find the Dom Kultury, which was once called the Oberlausitzer Ruhmeshalle (Upper Lusatian Hall of fame), a huge building from the late 19th century. It was built to commemorate the unification of Germany and served as a museum. The exhibits are gone since 1945 and the statues destroyed, now the building is used for several purposes. 




















A new eagle was added after '45:





























Removed coat of arms in the entrance hall. The Bohemian lion is still cognizable.











Main hall, the statue of two emperors is gone:











Cupola with the coat of arms of several German states and the flag of the German empire:





























Empty pedestral. Once six German rulers of the 19th century stood there:


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

Manor of Albrecht von Roon, Prussias minister of war. The manor was pretty run down and also blemished after 40 years of Communism, but now it looks great again.
A statue of him in the Upper Lusatian hall of fame (shown before) was destroyed after '45.

Before restauration:


















http://www.reichenbach-ol.com

Now:


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

Time for a village again. This is Dittelsdorf, very rural and pretty unspoilt by modern times. 




















The smith of the village. The car is a Wartburg, built in Commie times:


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

This very old type of _Umgebinde _ houses was built between 1700 and 1800:











This small farmstead originates from the 17th century:











No, my lens does not distort that much:


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

These street signs were invented in the nearby Giant mountains, now in Poland. This is a very small version:











The man wears the traditional costume of an Upper Lusatian weaver, and the road is called weaver mountain:


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

No space for a garden:


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

Done


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## Chadoh25 (Dec 28, 2007)

Cute homes!


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

The park of Bad Muskau is a World Heritage Site. The neorenaissance castle was destroyed in WW2 but gets reconstructed right now.











The white house to the left is the old castle:


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Breslau (Oct 9, 2007)

Karasek said:


> The city lost its hinterland (and the biggest communal forrest in Germany) and *also 80% of its movable cultural assets*, which were hidden to the east of the Neisse river during the war.
> So, the street on the left side is the border bridge:



Hi, can you explain the bolded portion more?

also, any pics inside the Polish side?

thanks


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

Breslau said:


> Hi, can you explain the bolded portion more?
> 
> also, any pics inside the Polish side?


Sorry, no pics of the Polish side.
The museums of Görlitz moved their inventory to several places in the surrounding countryside during the war, most of it to the east of the Neisse river. When the new border was established these cultural assets wheren't returned but moved to other parts of Poland. Most of them are probably in Wroclaw. 10% of all incunables of Wroclaws university for example are from Görlitz (around 300).


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## Johnor (Jan 8, 2008)

Thank you for your new photographs of Muskau palace. It is a very beautiful. So is your photographs. Please continue!


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## archnyer (Jul 15, 2010)

Where did they film Inglourious Basterds? Somewhere around here? With the famous tower?


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## aljuarez (Mar 16, 2005)

amazing thread, it really gives an idea of what it would be like to visit. The quality of the photos is great, too!


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## Johnor (Jan 8, 2008)

archnyer said:


> Where did they film Inglourious Basterds? Somewhere around here? With the famous tower?


They filmed parts of the movie in Gorlitz....


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

Some more pics of Görlitz, which not only offers a completely preserved old town but also huge Gründerzeit quarters (late 19th century).


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

The Bahnhofsstrasse, the street between the train station and the old town, was the most important part of the 19th century expansion of the town. Sadly especially this street is pretty run down, but the city authorities plan the revamp the street completely in the next years. AFAIK the lamps for example will be replaced.


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

Late Jugendstil:




















View towards the train station:


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

Landeskrone in the background, Görlitz' landmark mountain:


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

Some houses in side streets are still not restored. Sometimes the turrets on corner houses get reconstructed:


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

In case you wonder why you don't see more people on the streets: all shops are closed on sunday in Germany, and most people leave the town and go hiking or biking on beautiful says like this:


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)




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## aljuarez (Mar 16, 2005)

Are all the photos since Post #141 taken in Gortlitz?


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## Karasek (Apr 6, 2008)

aljuarez said:


> Are all the photos since Post #141 taken in Gortlitz?


Yes, and this is only a small part of the much bigger area from the 19th century.


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## Bavarian Angelshark (Nov 27, 2007)

mg:It's so beautiful, it even hurts my eyes! :banana:


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

Thank you for this wonderful pictures of Görlitz! Might be one of Germany´s most beautiful small cities, I must visit the city when I´m in Germany again.


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## Dr.Mabuse (Jun 6, 2009)

Malyan said:


> Thank you for this wonderful pictures of Görlitz! Might be one of Germany´s most beautiful small cities, I must visit the city when I´m in Germany again.


may i ask you very are you from?

you should check out Dresden then when there  And Leipzig. Lübeck too And Quedlinburg, haha!

In the South of Germany, the city of Bad Tölz, oh and dont forget Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

In France, Straßburg.

Here you have a list of german cities with historical old towns (inclued rebuiled ones after ww2, too, but also untouched or very little touched by allied bombs)

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Städte_mit_historischem_Stadtkern


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## Malyan (Apr 2, 2011)

I´m from Vienna, but as I have relatives in Germany which I visit pretty often, I have already been to most parts of Germany at least for a short visit, but southwestern Germany is the region I know best - in Strasbourg I already was three or four times, in Bad Tölz once. I haven´t visited Rothenburg yet because I always was a bit afraid the city has become too touristic, so I only visited the also very beautiful Dinkelsbühl in this area.

In Eastern Germany, I have only been to Berlin, Potsdam and Erfurt yet but would like to visit Leipzig, Dresden, Magdeburg, Görlitz, Naumburg and Stralsund the next time.


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## Dr.Mabuse (Jun 6, 2009)

Malyan said:


> I´m from Vienna, but as I have relatives in Germany which I visit pretty often, I have already been to most parts of Germany at least for a short visit, but southwestern Germany is the region I know best - in Strasbourg I already was three or four times, in Bad Tölz once. I haven´t visited Rothenburg yet because I always was a bit afraid the city has become too touristic, so I only visited the also very beautiful Dinkelsbühl in this area.
> 
> In Eastern Germany, I have only been to Berlin, Potsdam and Erfurt yet but would like to visit Leipzig, Dresden, Magdeburg, Görlitz, Naumburg and Stralsund the next time.



ah, ok. you should give use a view of austrian cities in the future.


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