Discover Guben: Museums, history and the Neisse

Guben offers several distinct points of interest for a stay: the history of cloth-making and industry, insights into the preparation of anatomical teaching specimens, memorial sites, and opportunities to enjoy outdoor activities. If you’re looking for a hotel in Guben, it helps to decide on the focus of your trip first: Would you like to visit an exhibition, discover history around the city, or plan some time by the Neisse and at a climbing facility? The destinations below show how the city caters to these varied interests.

The history of cloth-making and industry

The “History of Guben’s Cloth-Makers” exhibition features a complete sample collection of fabrics dating from 1873 to 1990. The dates give the exhibition’s subject a broad time span. The exhibition also includes films about industrial culture for visitors of all ages. Guided tours are offered for children; a museum trail with prizes and a photo and selfie corner featuring the mascot Kopsinchen add further highlights. Check with the museum for the latest details about these offerings before your visit.

The exhibitions on Guben’s industrial history are especially tailored to families. Their exhibits invite visitors to explore by seeing, observing, hearing, feeling, touching and smelling. This is a point to consider when deciding which approach to industrial history would make your visit most interesting.

A combination ticket is available for the “History of Guben’s Cloth-Makers” exhibition and also allows a visit to the Town and Industrial Museum. If you’re planning to visit both, check the current ticket terms with the museum, as the offer may change. Visitors can relax on a picnic lawn in front of the exhibition.

Insights into special subjects

PLASTINARIUM in Guben is considered unique worldwide. Visitors can see how anatomical teaching specimens are made and watch preparators at work. Unlike the cloth-making exhibition, the focus here is on specimen preparation and anatomical education. Check PLASTINARIUM’s current visitor information before your visit.

Sprucker Mill also offers a glimpse into Guben’s history: it is a former grain mill in the Altsprucke district, on the Schwarzes Fließ. The grounds of the Sprucker Mill Local History Museum also contain a fragment of the original Saxon milestone column. This makes it possible to combine a visit here with another historical landmark in the city.

Memorial sites and milestone column

Gravestones at Guben’s memorial site commemorate Soviet soldiers who fell in battle. Another memorial stone is dedicated to Otto Thiele and Franz Blümke, victims of the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch. A replica of the Saxon milestone column stands at the descent to the Poetensteig. Dresden sculptor Ralf Börnerow created it for Workers’ Day in 1989. The original fragment on the grounds of the Sprucker Mill Local History Museum and the replica at the Poetensteig are two distinct landmarks to keep separate when exploring Guben’s history.

Park and climbing crag

The cross-border shared park connects the western bank of the Neisse with Theater Island on the Polish side and Koenig Park via a foot and bicycle bridge. The park is therefore a destination focused on connections across the border. Reichenbacher Zinne offers a different focus: this artificial reddish-brown climbing crag, made of concrete slabs, has 17 climbing routes of varying difficulty. When comparing these destinations, the park is all about the cross-border connection, while the Zinne is all about climbing.

Discover more destinations: Heinersbrück, Forst, Teichland, Schenkendöbern, Hornow-Wadelsdorf, Kolkwitz, Drebkau, Felixsee.

See the main travel overview: Spree-Neisse.