Discover Nebelschütz: Culture and Cycling Tours

In Nebelschütz, church art, Sorbian traditions, sculpture and cycling tours come together. If you are looking for a hotel for your stay, these themes offer practical guidance for choosing your destination. When planning, bear in mind that access to the church may depend on the service schedule, and some activities are seasonal or available only by prior booking.

St. Martin’s Church and the Wendish Gate

St. Martin’s Church was built on granite rocks between 1741 and 1743; its plans are associated with the architect Gaetano Chiaveri. Inside, the space is dominated by a Baroque wooden high altar. It is 16 metres high and 5.5 metres wide. The Baroque pulpit is also a striking feature: it depicts the four Evangelists. St. Martin’s is used for services and visits. Access for sightseeing may vary depending on the service schedule, so plan your visit accordingly.

The Wendish Gate offers another perspective on the town’s history. It originally served as the entrance to the Wendish Village at the 1896 Dresden Exhibition of Saxon Crafts and Applied Arts. It preserves traditional Sorbian gatehouse craftsmanship and was officially handed over in 2006. Nebelschütz also offers opportunities to experience Sorbian village culture, traditional costumes and crafts.

Customs and sculpture

The Easter tradition in Nebelschütz includes a procession on Easter Sunday: men ride decorated horses from church to church, proclaiming the Easter message. The Craft and Tradition cycling tour also offers seasonal activities that must be booked in advance, including the chance to watch Sorbian Easter egg decorating after visiting St. Martin’s Church and enjoy a snack made in a traditional oven.

The International Sculpture Workshop is a recurring cultural event. It has been held annually since 2006 in the former Miltitz quarry, known as Krabatstein. For two weeks, artists from Saxony, Poland and the Czech Republic work there. Visitors can watch them at work and ask questions; specific opportunities to take part may vary. Sculptures around the quarry can also be viewed on foot all year round, even outside the workshop. The flooded Krabatstein quarry also contains small underwater sculptures that divers can visit. Check the dates of the summer workshop for the year of your trip.

The Miltitz Frog in Miltitz is a protected granite outcrop shaped by glacial processes. A large colony of sand martins lives nearby, along with several characteristic bird species. The forest section of the cycling route to the Miltitz Frog features land art by various European artists. The natural and artistic highlights of this tour therefore differ from the works at Krabatstein.

Cycling tours with different starting points

The 24.72-kilometre circular “Craft and Tradition” tour starts and ends at the Nebelschütz municipal office. It is considered an easy family cycling tour, but is not signposted. One section passes St. Martin’s and follows a roadside cycle path in Wendischbaselitz, marked as the Krabat cycle route. The tour itself is therefore not signposted, even though this section of the path is marked. Plan your navigation accordingly.

The tour includes stops where you can watch woodworkers and potters and learn more about traditional costumes. Some stops may require contacting the organisers in advance. By contrast, the family cycling tour to the Miltitz Frog starts and ends at the car park next to the Heldhaus. The two tours therefore differ both in their starting points and in their described stops and destinations.

Note about the Heldhaus

Since 1 December 2020, the Heldhaus has been rented out privately, is not available as a hostel and does not accept reservations. Check this dated status before your trip.

Discover more destinations: Panschwitz-Kuckau, Guttau, Weißenberg, Schönteichen, Kubschütz, Räckelwitz, Löbau, Schirgiswalde-Kirschau

For the regional travel overview: Bautzen District.