I don’t like to start off a town on a “bad note” but the town of Ebersbach-Neugersdorf has been losing its population, despite the merge of Ebersbach and Neugersdorf back in 2011. But, because I’m a “glass half-full” kinda person I’ll choose to see it as there’s more room for you and me. ;-)
Where is this place? Oh, easy, in eastern Saxony, in a region known as Upper Lusatia, right on the German and Czech Republic border. So, if you hear folks speaking Czech — you went too far. ;-)
It seems a little remote out here, doesn’t it? Yeah, but at least you’re not scrounging for a way to get around — the town itself is accessible by some six bus lines, and the Bischofswerda-Zittau railway.
Additionally, two sources of the Spree start here — one in Neugersdorf, another in Ebersbach, and the countryside from atop the nearby Spitzberg is just spectacular.
For a bit of fun, there’s a summer toboggan track that zings down the mountainside.
Ebersbach-Neugersdorf isn’t just about some outdoor hiking or tobogganing on Upper Lusatian Mountains. Heck no, the Jacobimarkt has been going on in town since 1728. It’s been said it’s one of the biggest of its kind in all of Upper Lusatia.
Despite its small size Ebersbach has quite a few museums. (Take that big city!) There’s a Fire Museum, which is NOT a place where pyromaniacs set things ablaze. It’s a museum dedicated to the heroic Fire Brigade.
The other museum in town is the Local History Museum, known in German as the Heimatmuseum; but also called the Heritage Museum around these parts. It’s got exhibits on the town’s economy, daily life, and how it was when the town was part of East Germany.
Speaking of when Ebersbach was part of the German Democratic Republic, there’s a memorial at the Neue Rathaus (New Town Hall) on Reichstraße 1 to those who suffered under Fascism; and another to resistance fighter Oswald Richter who died at the Dachau Concentration Camp in 1943.
For a change of pace from the museums and the historic, rent a bicycle and explore the countryside. It’s all right if you don’t like to ride a bike since there are plenty of walking trails to do instead (the views from the observation tower are simply splendid). Don’t want to get lost? Get in on one of the guided hiking tours available.
If that’s still too much effort just relax at Ebersbach’s outdoor pool, look around the Botanical Garden, sculpture park, or take photos of the many timber-framed houses.
After a good rest go over to the Evangelical Lutheran Church. It’s got three floors, galleries, and fantastic artwork — it should since it was built during the Baroque period in 1726.
Moving over to Neugersdorf, the very fact that many residents from the Czech towns of Rumburk (its German name is Rumburg) and Filipov (whose German name is Georgswalde) used to come to Neugersdorf to work in its textile industry — makes it worth a note here.
Two of the more popular spots to see in Neugersdorf are the Bismarckturm, or Bismarck Tower, built in 1904; and the Baroque Evangelical Lutheran church from the 1730s. Add in a stop to the Rathaus (Town Hall) to see the Fascism Monument, while you’re at it.
From the looks of it today, you’d never guess that Neugersdorf was deserted for decades back in the 1500s thanks to it be destroyed by the Hussites. It took a long time for it to make a comeback afterwards, with barely 300 people living here right up until the late 1700s.
I’m not so sure why no one wanted to be here — it’s certainly nice enough these days, even with those bureaucrats changing things. ;-)
