Sonneberg

Bautzen is an impressive looking walled city east of Dresden, in the region of Lusatia. Settlement dates back to the Stone Age, with the first German settlement being in the Third Century CE. The Sorbs,a Slavic people with whom the region is now so closely identified, arrived in the Migration Period (remember from the last trip, what we called the “Barbarian Invasions” back in my day) in the Sixth Century.

Again, like many of these towns and cities in Central Europe, Bautzen (in Upper Sorbian, Budysin) went back and forth between different ruling factions, countries, nobility, etc: the Kingdom of Poland, Margraviate of Meissen, the Holy Roman Empire, Duchy of Bohemia, Kingdom of Sweden, Saxony. It was besieged by the Hussites (not successful), the Swedes (successful, if you consider destroying the place a success), and was the site of yet another battle in the Napoleonic Wars.

It was the site of two Nazi prisons, Bautzen I and II. After the war, these became Communist prisons, bearing the same names. Bautzen I was colloquially known as the Yellow Misery, due to its terrible conditions. Bautzen II was under the control of the DDR Ministry for State Security, and held high value political prisoners. Since I forgot my notes, we missed them.

Bautzen became a center for the preservation of Sorbian culture in the 1830s. After the war, and Reunification these institutions were strengthened and flourished. Today they include the Sorbian Institute which sponsors research into Sorbian language, history and culture, a boarding school, museum, arts groups, radio station and the Foundation for Sorbian People.

A note on the Sorbs, since I keep mentioning them. They're a Slavic ethnic group that lives in Saxony and Brandenburg, sometimes called Wends. Their languages: Upper and Lower Sorbian are now officially recognized minority languages in Germany. They controlled the lands in what is today called Lusatia in the Early Middle Ages, but were incorporated first into a larger western Slavic empire, then into east Francia, the eastern part of Charlemagne's Empire which became the core of the German possession of the Holy Roman Empire through the Salian Dynasty. They had a distinct language and culture from the Germans who moved into their territory during their early drive to the east. The territory went back and forth, with some very nasty behavior on the part of the Germans. Margrave Gero's murder of thirty Sorbian leaders at a feast is one such incident that springs to mind. Germanization continued on and off. Sometimes assimilation was voluntary, more often not. That's probably more than anyone wanted to know, and there's a lot more online if you want to pursue it further. For our part, we're going to the Sorbian museum, and hope to get up to Spreewald in Brandenburg on a future trip. Unfortunately the museum's photo fee is 8.50 Euros, and I'm too cheap. You'll have to look at Sorbian costumes and etc online. It's a nice museum.

There are a lot of interesting things to see. Surprisingly, despite the best efforts of the Hussites, Swedes, French, and various armies in World War II, there's a good Medieval center in Bautzen. The city is ringed by a large defensive wall and many towers. There are two significant churches, and you know I can't get enough of Medieval towers and churches, so it'll be a busy a day.

And a Christmas market, can't forget that, since Christmas markets are the reason for the trip.Read more