Germany, Sachsen (Saxony): Around Dresden

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Paul Smit Mick Palarczyk | Features, Photos and Text
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FEATURE (Category: Europe | Germany | winter | cultural-historical | scenic drives)

This feature is an exploration of the area around Saxony's capital, including the Dresden/Elbe Valley UNESCO world heritage site (please read excerpts of the article). That is a stretch of castles and palaces along the river, including the restored heart of Dresden itself. The trip starts in porcelain city Meissen and sheds light on two inventions, both done in the Albrechtsburg castle: porcelain and the ribless cellular vault. The scenic drive ends in Zittau, near the spot where Germany, Poland and Czechia meet, with a touching story about Zittau's famous Lent Cloth. On the way we visit walled Bautzen, meet artist Franz Gruss and his dinosaurs and hike in the Elbsandsteingebirge with its table mountains and national park.

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Smit & Palarczyk > [GERMANY.SACHSEN 7501] 'Lent cloth, Zittau.' Zittauer Fastentuch (Lent Cloth), row 1, image 2: God creates the four elements. In the Middle Ages during Lent such cloths would shroud the altar, the most holy, to make the congregation also fast in a spiritual sense. Originally they were white, later biblical stories were painted on them. They ultimately became quite huge and would hide the entire choir from sight with their comic strips. Only a handful has survived. The cloth in Zittau is the largest and most beautiful. Photo Zittauer Stadtmuseum.

Smit & Palarczyk > [GERMANY.SACHSEN 7502] 'Lent cloth, Zittau.' Zittauer Fastentuch (Lent Cloth), row 1, image 8: God on his seventh day of creation (his day off). In the Middle Ages during Lent such cloths would shroud the altar, the most holy, to make the congregation also fast in a spiritual sense. Originally they were white, later biblical stories were painted on them. They ultimately became quite huge and would hide the entire choir from sight with their comic strips. Only a handful has survived. The cloth in Zittau is the largest and most beautiful. Photo Zittauer Stadtmuseum.

Smit & Palarczyk > [GERMANY.SACHSEN 7504] 'Lent cloth, Zittau.' Zittauer Fastentuch (Lent Cloth), row 7, image 4: Mary causes tumbling of heathen sculptures in Egypt. In the Middle Ages during Lent such cloths would shroud the altar, the most holy, to make the congregation also fast in a spiritual sense. Originally they were white, later biblical stories were painted on them. They ultimately became quite huge and would hide the entire choir from sight with their comic strips. Only a handful has survived. The cloth in Zittau is the largest and most beautiful. Photo Zittauer Stadtmuseum.

Smit & Palarczyk > [GERMANY.SACHSEN 7505] 'Lent cloth, Zittau.' Zittauer Fastentuch (Lent Cloth), row 8, image 3: Jesus enters Jerusalem. In the Middle Ages during Lent such cloths would shroud the altar, the most holy, to make the congregation also fast in a spiritual sense. Originally they were white, later biblical stories were painted on them. They ultimately became quite huge and would hide the entire choir from sight with their comic strips. Only a handful has survived. The cloth in Zittau is the largest and most beautiful. Photo Zittauer Stadtmuseum.

Smit & Palarczyk > [GERMANY.SACHSEN 7509] 'At the Alte Waage house.' Renaissance detail of the house Alte Waage at the Untermarkt in Görlitz. Photo Paul Smit.

[GERMANY.SACHSEN 7500]
'Ruins of the Oybin abbey church.'

The atmosphere on top of Berg Oybin (Oybin Hill) in the Zittauer Gebirge (Hills of Zittau) attracted many romantic artists during the 19th century, because of its abbey church ruins. If you succeed in avoiding the tourists, you'll find the same spirit. Photo Paul Smit.