With thousands of towns and villages in Germany, I couldn’t possibly begin to know everything there is about it. And it always surprises myself when I find little facts and tidbits about a town that I wouldn’t have seen coming. What is it this time around?
Today it’s lovely Glashütte in the Ore Mountains in Saxony.
While other regions in Germany are famous for clocks and clock making, who would have guessed that for more than a century almost the same thing was going on in the east of the country? The Uhrenmuseum (Watch Museum), located at Schillerstraße 3a in Glashütte, details a lot of the history surrounding the trade.
Mining was big business here too, but there isn’t a mining museum. Too bad.
What is here are castles. Big, massive, “Oh-thank-Heaven-I-don’t-have-to-clean-these-monster” castles. Schloss Reinhardtsgrimma is the closest and the youngest, having been built in 1767. It’s now a Baroque venue for weddings, concerts, and lounging around in its park.
Want another one? Schloss Lauenstein is more than 750 years old, and is now a museum. Less than a century younger is Schloss Weesenstein, with a museum of Saxony’s history. Oh, forget that, it’s got a restaurant and brewery. ;-)
Glashütte also has old churches, like the Evangelical in Reinhardtsgrimma whose 30 meter high tower can be seen from quite a distance. Architecture aficionados will appreciate the Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque accents, while music lovers will want to hear the concerts that often play here.
Nature lovers, I would never leave you out. As I mentioned earlier, Glashütte lies within the Ore Mountains, which explains why its swimming season is so short (June-August); but that still leaves plenty of time to go horseback riding, bicycling, and hiking. Or, for visiting the Wildpark Osterzgebirge for that matter.
Maybe you’re a Party Animal? I won’t judge, I’ll just tell you to come in mid-September for the Dorffest (Village Festival). ;-)
Wow, in no time at all we’ve covered museums, castles, nature, and festivals—now if I only knew what time it was. Oh yeah, forgot, I’m in a watch making town. Perhaps I should go get one. ;-)
