Discover Schirgiswalde-Kirschau

Churches, museums and tours offer different ways to explore Schirgiswalde-Kirschau on your trip. You can focus on local history and architecture or include hiking and cycling routes in your plans.

Museums, Churches and Local History

The history of Körse Castle and the local area takes center stage at the Kirschau Castle Museum. Exhibits include archaeological finds from the castle hill and a model of the castle. A room dedicated to local history complements the exhibition with a working handloom. The Carl Swoboda Local History Museum in Schirgiswalde was founded in 1924. It houses rural furniture, household items and Upper Lusatian folk art. The Schirgiswalde Local History Museum also features a permanent display of nativity scenes.

The Church of the Assumption of Mary in Schirgiswalde is a Catholic church in the Bohemian Baroque style, with two towers. It is considered the only double-towered Catholic church in the Bohemian Baroque style in the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen. In Kirschau, St. John's Church is an Art Nouveau domed church; its altarpiece was painted by Bernhard Müller. The church tour also has a special connection to churches: it includes the church in Crostau, with its Silbermann organ.

Other sights in Schirgiswalde-Kirschau include carved historic signposts, the gondola pond, a railway viaduct, traditional Upper Lusatian half-timbered houses, viewpoints, a Neoclassical town hall and the former town jail. The range of places and architectural styles offers opportunities to explore different aspects of local history.

Hiking Trails and Navigation

The Grenzland Tour begins and ends at the Schirgiswalde hiking car park by the gondola pond. It crosses the border into the Czech Republic and returns via Rožany. Schirgiswalde-Kirschau is also a rest stop directly on the Neumarktweg. In the surrounding region, the certified Upper Lusatian Mountain Trail runs for 107 kilometers to Zittau. For planning your outings, you can choose between a circular route with a fixed start and end point and a longer hiking trail to follow.

The tourist information center offers free brochures on hiking, cycling, excursions, leisure facilities and cultural institutions. As the selection may change, check in advance which brochures are currently available if needed. Bus and train connections in the area are available through the Upper Lusatia-Lower Silesia Transport Association and the Upper Elbe Transport Association. Network and timetable details may change, so check connections for your travel dates.

Cycling Routes in Bautzen District

Further afield, in the larger Bautzen District destination, additional cycling routes cross a variety of landscapes. The Bautzen North Tour is 43.1 kilometers long and runs from Bautzen via Quatitz, Großdubrau, Milkel, Klix and Malschwitz before returning to Bautzen. Along the way, it passes through the heath and pond landscape and along the nature trail in Crosta.

The Hills and Valleys Route is a regional circular tour through the West Lusatian Hills in Bautzen District. The Krabat Cycle Route is also a regional circular tour in Bautzen District, following in the footsteps of Krabat, the hero of Sorbian legend. The Central Route is a long-distance cycle route from Zittau to Aachen; one section runs through the Upper Lusatian Highlands in Bautzen District. The Spree Cycle Route runs from its source in Upper Lusatia to Berlin. In Bautzen District, the section runs between Taubenheim and Zerre. These routes differ in their itineraries and themes, offering different ways to explore the wider Bautzen District by bike.

Upper Lusatian carnival is also part of the region’s cultural heritage: its strongholds in Bautzen District are Schirgiswalde and Wittichenau.

Discover more destinations: Kirschau, Bautzen, Radibor, Schmölln-Putzkau, Frankenthal, Lichtenberg, Kubschütz, Cunewalde.

See the overview of the wider travel destination: Bautzen District.