Saxony’s town of Oederan (sounds like the name of a planet in a sci-fi film, doesn’t it?) is a town of extremes. Which, in this case, isn’t a bad thing — I assure you.
Yes, it has the obligatory historical stuff to see, like its City Church of Our Lady that’s been here from the 13th century. And it also has your traditional museum experiences, like the Weaving Museum houses in its Renaissance Rathaus (Oederan’s Town Hall from the time of the Renaissance).
Oh yeah, a Village Museum that’s just bursting with information on the town’s longevity. (It’s open Tuesdays through Thursdays, 9am-4pm, March-October.)
Oederan also has some great outdoor recreation. Guided bicycle and motorcycle tours are just the beginning. You’ll find well-marked bike and hiking trails (all neatly color-coded) that range from 10 to 15km (the Green and Yellow Trails), and another that’s 23 miles long (that’s the Blue Trail).
Tiring, no? And I haven’t even mentioned the cross-country skiing or Nordic Walking trails yet. ;-)
When a slower pace is more to what you’re looking for, might I suggest just moseying on over to the Hertzdorf Viaduct. No, it doesn’t really “do” anything, but this 19th century structure sits along some romantic countryside. Just perfect enough to steal a kiss and/or snap a few photos to bring home.
Doesn’t sound too extreme yet, does it? Well, keep your shirt on… I’m gettin’ to it right now. ;-)
Starting at the “smallest,” you’ll want to see the Klein Erzgebirge; thought to be the oldest miniature park in Germany. Semantics don’t matter — either way you’ll find over 200 “monuments” found throughout the Ore Mountains in a 1:25 scale.
Pretty nifty, if I do say so myself!
Ending at the largest, Oederan has the “largest” nutcracker in the world, standing a whopping 7.14 meters tall. Don’t believe me, look it up in the Guinness Book of World Records. You’ll even find there the largest Easter Bunny on the planet.
Wow, could you imagine what it would cost to feed that thing (not to mention the clean-up) if it were real? Talk about extreme!
