Discover Bischofswerda: Old Town, Art and Nature

Bischofswerda combines historic buildings and art with wildlife experiences and trails at Butterberg. For your plans, you can choose from different options: public city tours last about 60 minutes, while the nature discovery trail at Butterberg is almost four kilometres long. This lets you tailor your visit to your interests in local history, culture or outdoor activities.

Old Town and Churches

The medieval town centre includes the town hall, built in the Classical style in 1818, the Paradise Fountain and townhouses around the historic Old Market Square. In addition to the old town, public tours cover the Green Belt, industrial history and the Schiebock tradition. The meeting point is the town hall at the Old Market Square; tours last about an hour. This makes it easy to plan a guided introduction to a range of Bischofswerda topics.

Christ Church stands at the highest point in Bischofswerda’s city centre. Built in the Classical style between 1816 and 1818, it also hosts concerts throughout the year, as well as church services. If you plan to attend a concert, check the specific dates in advance.

St. Benno is another destination for architecture enthusiasts: the church was built in 1925 in the Art Deco style. Together with the rectory, it forms an ensemble that was largely restored in 2008. The church is open from the side during the day; check access on site if visiting is essential to your plans.

Art and Industrial History

The municipal Carl Lohse Gallery is located in the historic bishop’s residence and is dedicated to the life and work of Expressionist painter Carl Lohse. A permanent exhibition showcases his work, alongside changing exhibitions by regional artists. If a particular temporary exhibition is a deciding factor for your visit, check the current programme.

The Bischofswerda Industrial Heritage Route takes visitors through different chapters of local industrial history. These include the former F. G. Hermann & Sohn cloth factory, the history of the glass factories, textile processing and more recent industrial history. The Karl May performances also have a longstanding historical connection to the town: they have been staged since 1993 at the Bischofswerda Forest Stage with the youngest performers. Programmes may vary from year to year.

Butterberg, Animal Park and Trails

The nature discovery trail at Butterberg is just under four kilometres long and includes ten sports and adventure stations. Along the way, visitors can learn about nature, test their balance and play; these activities are also suitable for children. In 2023, the trail was named Saxony’s first certified family hiking trail. Compared with the roughly hour-long city tour, Butterberg offers a longer route with a particular focus on nature and outdoor activities.

At the Bischofswerda Animal and Culture Park, animal experiences focus on bears and their habitats, endangered native species, and up-close encounters with domestic animals. In the contact area, visitors can interact respectfully with traditional breeds of regional significance. The park’s cycling and hiking centre rents out bicycles, e-bikes, Nordic walking poles and GPS devices.

Bischofswerda is also connected to four themed cycling routes through West Lusatia. The West Lusatia Nature Discovery Route includes Butterberg and its observation tower in Bischofswerda as a highlight. Visitors travelling along this route can reach the town by bus and train; check current connections before setting off.

Discover more destinations: Rammenau, Radibor, Ohorn, Steinigtwolmsdorf, Großpostwitz/Oberlausitz, Cunewalde, Löbau, Doberschau-Gaußig.

For the higher-level travel overview: Bautzen District.