Budziszyn.pdf
(
3043 KB
)
Pobierz
Bautzen
Budys˘in
1
On her journey along the Way of St James,
the young journalist Isabell plans to stop
over in Bautzen, and stays there – longer
than intended, anyway. Her impressions are
recorded in a travel diary.
2
3
The Alte Wasserkunst in the
background (left) holds a water pump
system that makes it what must be one
of Bautzen’s most important buildings.
The Reichenstraße is a vibrant pedestrian
zone. Its end is marked by the truly leaning
tower of Bautzen, the Reichenturm.
the old town, raves about his city almost like a
qualiied tour guide. During those few minutes
he tells me about the 1,000-year-old history
of the formerly wealthy trading centre. After
the political changes in 1989, the marvellous
old town with its romantic lanes and squares
underwent almost complete restoration. “On
the left you see towers, bastions and Ortenburg
Castle rising over the valley of the River Spree”
he explains during a short extra tour across the
Friedensbrücke bridge. A little later we stop in
front of a small hotel in the middle of the old
town, and despite the long railway trip I am
eager to set out on a tour of discovery.
Today, my trip along the Way of St James took
me to Bautzen. This old pilgrims’ trail leads from
Kiev through the middle of Bautzen as far as
the Spanish town of Santiago de Compostela. I
travel by train and feel at liberty to stay a while
wherever a place entices me. Bautzen was
mentioned to me as a true top tip several times.
Even from a long way off, a line from the guide
book proves to be true: the epithet “City of
Towers” is no exaggeration for Bautzen, which
used to be called the “many-towered capital of
Upper Lusatia”. On my arrival I am surprised at
the bilingual signs in the railway station, although
I know that Poland and the Czech Republic are
near, but my smattering of Polish is not enough
to ind out what language the inscriptions below
those in German are. In front of the station, the
taxi driver offers a double surprise: irstly, he
explains that the language I could
not identify is Sorbian, and
secondly, he says it without
a Saxon accent. Despite
my great curiosity I ask no
further questions, for my
chauffeur, while driving to
After a few steps, with the guide book and
the city map from the tourist information in
hand, I marvel at the ornate façades of Renais-
sance and Baroque buildings. At the end of
Reichenstraße, the Reichenturm
indeed seems to be leaning.
An elderly lady, able to
read my inquisitive glance,
conirms that it deviates
from the vertical by 1.44
metres.
4
5
The Liebfrauenkirche in Bautzen
is the starting point of an Easter
procession to the neighbouring
community of Radibor. Easter
Riding is a centuries-old tradition
of the Sorb people and an
expression of their Christian faith.
The existence of a bilingual region at the heart of
Saxon Upper Lusatia has preoccupied me since
my arrival, and so I decide to go to the
bottom of it.
Asking the receptionist what’s
special about the Sorbs brings me
into lively conversation with him.
Did I know that the Saxon Minister
President was Sorbian, he asks with
audible pride in his voice. The Sorbs
are the smallest of the Slavic peoples,
have inhabited the region for almost 1,500 years,
and maintain their culture and language with
great intensity.
“Many aspects of culture and customs are
ubiquitous for the people of Bautzen”,
he explains. The annual Easter Riding
and Birds’ Wedding are traditions
brought to life. The Sorbian-
language educational institutions,
from kindergarten to Gymnasium,
are open to all children. Those who
want to know more about Sorbian life,
about theatre, literature or gastronomy
in Sorbian Lusatia, should visit the Sorbische
Kulturinformation.
After that I’m not too
astonished to hear that the
bilingualism of the German-
Sorbian signs and oficial
publications is required by
law in the areas where the
Sorbs traditionally live. And the
centre of the Sorbs is Bautzen,
the friendly gentleman behind
the counter inishes. My question
where his detailed information
comes from is answered “Ja sym Serb” – I am a
Sorb, and this is not much of a surprise for me.
6
7
I’m in the mood for sauntering along the streets
and browsing through shops. Will shopping
here, near Eastern Europe, be different from
where I live, near the German-French border?
other typical products from Bautzen. “The
internationally appreciated Eule pipe organs,
the trams which they use world-wide, as well
as edding markers are produced in Bautzen”
is the spontaneous answer that comes from
a lady behind me. She turns out to be
a city guide and seems to understand
my question as a sign of greater
interest in local business. She tells
me that Bautzen holds one of the
top positions in Saxony in terms
of employment. We make an
appointment for the day after
tomorrow for an excursion
of the city’s churches and
ecclesiastical sights, and I
am glad to have found such a
competent companion.
I stroll around the market which is held
several days a week in front of and
behind the historic City Hall. A
relaxed atmosphere envelops the
lower and vegetable booths, the
ish and cheese offered for sale,
and the old oven from which
comes freshly baked bread.
I discover a shop for Bautz’ner
Senf, the locally produced
mustard which has a good name
even in the west of Germany. Being
a real mustard gourmet, I am pretty
astonished to ind an incredible number of the
most delicious mustards presented in ceramic
pots. Without hesitation I have wine and garlic
mustard packed up, together with the classic,
“Bautz’ner mittelscharf”, and I ask about
Some shops later, I sit in front of a small
bar with a Latte Macchiato in the afternoon.
Browsing extensively through the historical
vaulted shops was real great fun, as they have
a truly unique atmosphere.
Sauntering in a shopping temple or
“browsing for fashion and style” in the
vaulted boutiques in the town houses in
Reichenstraße
Bautz’ner Senf, the widely known
delicacy, is available in many varieties
8
9
Plik z chomika:
elasmir
Inne pliki z tego folderu:
Fryburg.pdf
(14581 KB)
Wandern-in-Uhlstaedter-Heide.pdf
(4136 KB)
Wandern_Muehltal-Zeitzgrund.pdf
(3367 KB)
Wandern_Taelerdoerfer.pdf
(1830 KB)
Jena reiseplaner.pdf
(16846 KB)
Inne foldery tego chomika:
Mapy
Rowerem pieszo
Zgłoś jeśli
naruszono regulamin