Herrnhut

Herrnhut is a small town in the Upper Lusatia (Oberlausitz) region of Saxony (Sachsen), in Germany. In the 18th century, Herrnhut gave birth to the Moravian spiritual renewal and missions movement under Count Nicolaus Ludwig Von Zinzendorf (1700-1760). It remains a haven for Christian pilgrims, and is the world headquarters of the Moravian Church (Evangelische Brüdergemeine). The church claims the legacy of Jan Hus, a would-be religious reformer in 14th- and 15th-century Bohemia who was burned at the stake in 1415 in Konstanz.

Understand
Herrnhut was born as a result of people fleeing religious intolerance: Protestant refugees fled Catholic persecution in Moravia, now part of the Czech Republic, and were given permission by the devoutly Christian German nobleman Count Nicolaus Zinzendorf to settle on his lands. Zinzendorf's estate included what became the town site of Herrnhut. The name 'Herrnhut' translates as 'the Lord's watchful care' and was chosen by the Moravians because they saw themselves as being under God's protection. The count soon took on a direct leadership role with the refugees, helping to mould them into a strong community.

From this tiny village hamlet, a vibrant missionary movement began. Herrnhut sent out 100 missionaries to the far-flung corners of the world in the 25 years after 1727, more than all Protestant efforts at missions in the previous 200 years, since the birth of Protestantism in the wake of the Reformation. (Another 1900 have left in the years since and to put that in context, the town's population in 2019 is about 5,800.)

There is an egalitarian spirit that runs through the veins of the town today. While it may be socially conservative, even too much so for some people’s tastes, the genuine community values of the town’s founders and their descendants, which have seen them prize freedom and gentle persuasion over coercion, makes Herrnhut a very welcoming place for everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs or lack thereof.

The local economy has fared well despite being in the 'poor former East Germany', running, as it does, on a mix of church administration, light manufacturing and services, and tourism largely driven by the area's Moravian heritage. In addition to the town site, the municipality of Herrnhut oversees local government services for the villages of Euldorf, Friedensthal, Großhennersdorf, Heuscheune, Neundorf auf dem Eigen, Ninive, Ruppersdorf, Schwan, Schönbrunn and Strahwalde.

Talk
Most locals under 50 speak some English. As with the rest of Germany, the younger the person, generally speaking, the better the English. As many English-speaking tourists come here to soak up the town's religious history, those involved in the local tourism industry usually have excellent English skills. Also, those aged over 50 may have some ability in Russian, which was a compulsory second language in East German schools.

Get in
Herrnhut is approximately 90 km east of Dresden, the capital of Saxony.

By plane
International airports nearest to Herrnhut are Dresden, Berlin and Leipzig (in Germany) and Prague (in the Czech Republic). For inexpensive flights with discount carriers from within Europe, Prague and Berlin-Schönefeld are the best airports. For flights from the USA, the best airport is Dresden, which is also the closest airport to Herrnhut, followed by Prague and Berlin-Tegel.

By train
The nearest train station to Herrnhut is in Löbau (Sachsen). On online train timetables, it is referred to as "Lobau (Sachs)", i.e. do not search for Lobau (Sachsen), as that will call up a different train station.

To travel from Dresden to Löbau: head to the airport's S-Bahn (streetcar/tram) stop which is found on the lower level of the airport. Buy a ticket at the automat directly by the S-Bahn. The ticket to Löbau should cost €13.70. You can check out train/bus schedules or buy your ticket ahead of time here. Enter “Dresden Airport” as your origin and “Löbau (Sachs)” as your destination. Take the S-Bahn #2 (in the direction of Pirna) for 5 minutes and exit at the Dresden-Klotzsche stop. Alternatively, you can take Bus #80 or Bus #77 + #72 (transfer at Klotzsche Rathuas) to the train station at Dresden-Klotzsche. The bus platforms are directly out the front door of the airport. From Dresden-Klotzsche you will take a regional train in the direction of Görlitz to the Löbau stop. This takes about 1 hour.

By bus
It is possible reach Herrnhut via Löbau using bus No. 27 that runs between the larger towns of Zittau and Löbau (known on train timetables as "Löbau (Sachs)" to distinguish it from other locations in Germany of the same name). On this bus route, get off at the bus stop named Zinzendorfplatz.

Here are links to the bus company website and the bus timetables from Löbau to Herrnhut.

Prague (see above), to travel from Prague to Herrnhut: Travelling from Prague to Herrnhut is very cheap but takes at least 3 hours and involves several connections. You will also need to have cash in Czech koruna (Kč) to pay for some of your fares throughout this journey. There are two Czech cities near Herrnhut which can be reached from the airport or the centre of Prague: Varnsdorf and Liberec.

From Prague to Varnsdorf: The closest Czech city to Herrnhut is Varnsdorf, directly on the Czech/German border. At the kiosk in the Prague airport arrival hall, buy a 75-minute public transport (26 Kč each, plus an extra half-ticket for each large piece of luggage.) These are valid for 1 hr 15 min on buses, trams and metros within Prague. From the airport, take Bus #119 to Dejvicka. At Dejvicka, take the Metro A (green, direction of Depo Hostivar) to Muzeum. Take the Metro C (red, direction of Ladvi) to Nadrazi Holesovice. Go outside to the bus station to find the bus to Varnsdorf (platform 2, 3 or 7). Tickets cost about 100 Kč, plus about 10 Kč for each piece of luggage. Bus schedule is here. Varnsdorf is approximately 25 minutes by car from Herrnhut. Taxis are usually available for this portion of the journey.

From Prague to Liberec: Liberec is 30 km south of Herrnhut. At the kiosk in the Prague airport arrival hall, buy a 75-minute public transport (see above). From the airport, take Bus #100 to Zlicin. Take the Metro B (yellow) to Cerny Most. Take the Student Agency bus (platform 3 or 7) to Liberec. The buses are usually full at least an hour ahead of time, so it is best to book in advance. You can do this with a credit card. Tickets cost 90 Kč for adults. Booking can be done here. Choose Praha-Cerny Most as your point of departure and Liberec AN as your point of arrival. The bus may stop at two different places in Liberec. Exit the bus at the terminal station, which is the main bus depot. Liberec is approximately 45 minutes by car from Herrnhut. Alternatively, take a train across the border to the city of Zittau and from there take the bus 27 to Herrnhut.

By car
From Dresden, take the A4 in the direction of Görlitz to the Bautzen-Ost exit. Turn left on the B156 in the direction of Bautzen. In Bautzen, turn left on the B6 in the direction of Löbau at the second traffic light. After approximately 20 km you will approach the town of Löbau. Turn left on the B178 in the direction of Zittau. From here there are signs to Herrnhut. The drive from Dresden to Herrnhut takes about 1.5 hours.

Walking
The best way of getting around is on foot. The town is small and one can easily walk between the museums and landmarks in a short space of time.

See




Do






Buy




Eat


If you're staying in town a few days or longer and want to get some groceries head to the local Penny Markt or Netto, both on Löbauer Straße and both open M-Sa 07:00-20:00. Dürninger's, on Dürninger Straße, is a little pricier than the supermarkets but they stock many items you can't get elsewhere. Now and then you find imported goodies like Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce, which are not the easiest items to locate in Germany. It is part of the Abraham Dürninger company, founded by Herr Dürninger in 1747 and at one time one of the largest trading companies in Europe. Phone: +49 35873-2466. Opening Hours: M-F 07:00-18:00, Sa 07:00-11:00.

Also, Ramona Wendland Fruit & Vegetables (Ramona Wendland Obst & Gemuse), also on Dürninger Straße, is a local 'gourmet' food store which stocks fresh organic produce from the region - sun-dried tomatoes, etc. . Open: M-W F 08:00-18:00, Th 08:00-19:00, Sat 08:00-12:00.

Drink
Sample the regional beers of choice: Eibauer, a dark beer popular in GDR times and revived after reunification (see below), and Landskron, a Pilsner type beer similar to lager but stronger and with a more distinctive taste of hops.



Sleep




Stay healthy

 * If you fall ill and need medication then head over to the Hutberg Pharmacy (Apotheke zum Hutberg) located opposite the Moravian Church on Zinzendorfplatz. Phone +49 35873-2341. Open: M-F 09:00-18:00, Sa 09:00-12:00.
 * If you need medical attention there is a doctors' surgery on Fleischergasse (enter the door to the right of the Döner and head up one flight of stairs). The physician, Dr Kay Herbrig, speaks good English. Phone +49 35873-369858. Open: M Tu 08:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00, W 09:00-12:00, Th 08:00-12:00 and 15:00-18:00, F 08:00-11:00.

On the doorstep

 * Eibau - Home of regional favourite Eibauer dark beer (Schwarzbier - see above). Also notable for the Kottmar Tower (Kottmarturm), a 130-year-old lookout tower situated on Kottmar Mountain, standing 16 m tall and offering a great panoramic view over the Upper Lusatian hills to the Zittau Mountains and the Bohemian Mountains. The Path of Legends (Sagenpfad) is also on Kottmar Mountain, a 4.5 km trail with explanatory panels regarding several legends which have grown up around the mountain. Eibau is also the location of the source of the Spree River, which flows all the way to Berlin. 9 km from Herrnhut.
 * Löbau - Features the King-Friedrich-August Tower (König-Friedrich-August-Turm),, the biggest cast-iron tower in Europe and which offers incredible views of the Upper Lusatian Mountains. 11 km from Herrnhut.
 * Obercunnersdorf - Notable for its UNESCO-listed 260 timber-framed houses ("Umgebindehäuser"),, each lovingly-maintained by their owners and featuring striking decorations, patterns and shapes. Also visit the town's large square windmill which has a bakery with wood oven to tempt hungry visitors, and the Barber Museum (Friseurmuseum), , which takes you on a journey through the hairdressing of yesteryear. 6.5 km from Herrnhut.
 * Oderwitz - Features a model train museum consisting of two railway circuits - a 105-m² indoor track running dozens of trains and a larger 800-m² outdoor track in the museum garden,, as well as the studio of renowned regional artist Max Langer (1897-1985), an innovator of glass paintings, which were popular in GDR times. 7km from Herrnhut.
 * Zittau - Border town close to the tripoint of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. To reach the tripoint, drive across the border into Poland and continue for about 1 km where you will cross into the Czech Republic, stop at the petrol station on your right and then walk along the footpath into the forest for about 100 m until you reach the river. It's great for photos with one foot in one nation and another foot in another nation, if you can straddle the stream that runs off the river. Zittau is also the home station for the Zittau Mountains Railroad, a steam train that travels into the mountains at a leisurely 16 km/h, allowing passengers to soak in the countryside, . 15 km from Herrnhut.

Further afield

 * Bautzen - Cultural centre for the Slavic Sorb minority and historical capital of Upper Lusatia, Bautzen remains the unofficial regional capital. It has a well-preserved medieval old town district featuring such notable landmarks as the Reichenturm, one of the steepest leaning and still passable towers north of the Alps, and the Alte Wasserkunst, one of the oldest preserved waterworks in central Europe. Also renowned for Bautz'ner senf, its iconic mustard. 31km from Herrnhut.
 * Görlitz - The easternmost town of Germany and containing a rich architectural heritage (Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Historicist, Art Nouveau) that has largely been preserved (in contrast to the rest of the country). Restoration of the town to its pre-GDR glory is arguably more advanced than other towns in the region thanks to a mysterious benefactor who lavishes a rumoured €500,000 on redevelopment/restoration projects every year. Take a stroll across the Neisse River into Poland using the pedestrian footbridge and get a different perspective of the old town from a distance. 32 km from Herrnhut.
 * Grabstejn Castle (Hrad Grabštejn) - Just over the border in the Czech Republic (between Zittau and Liberec). The first castle was built in the 13th century, and it was rebuilt many times over the centuries. This Czech fortress is one of the oldest in northern Bohemia. It was opened to the public in 1993. Visitors can view the Gothic cellars and the rooms in two storeys of the chateau that are furnished mostly with original pieces of furniture, decorated with paints and other items. The real jewel is the Renaissance Chapel of St. Barbara with rich frescoes and original arches from the 16th century. The tower offers views of distant surroundings. 26 km from Herrnhut.
 * Kleinwelka - A subdivision of Bautzen, it is also a Moravian foundation. The edge of town features a trio of adventure parks: a dinosaur park, a miniature village, and a giant maze garden. 37km from Herrnhut.
 * Liberec - The third-largest city in Bohemia and fifth-largest in the Czech Republic, Liberec is dominated by Ještěd Mountain, atop of which sits a tower, built in the 1960s, that has an unusual hyperboloid shape. The tower serves as a hotel and TV transmitter and offers great views of the surrounding region. Liberec also has a zoo (the first ever opened in the country - in 1919) and a large botanical garden with nine plantation glasshouses and a large exterior terrain. 45 km from Herrnhut.
 * Ostritz - Notable for St. Marienthal Abbey, a Cistercian nunnery that has existed uninterrupted since 1234. The nuns prize hospitality and guests are welcome to come and stay at the abbey for a time of silence and reflection, as well as to work and pray with the sisters. Also, one curious fact about Ostritz is that, due to geography, its train station lies in Poland in the village of Krzewina. 17 km from Herrnhut.
 * Oybin - German spa town (i.e. filled with health resorts) nestled in the Zittau Mountains (see below) on the Czech border, with the unusual beehive-shaped Oybin mountain looming large over the district and the almost 'mystical' ruins of a Celestine monastery (Burg und Kloster) at its summit, complete with castle museum, . 24 km from Herrnhut.
 * Zittau Mountains (Zittauer Gebirge) - The Zittau Mountains,, are the smallest, but some say most beautiful, mountain range in Germany. About 20 km from Herrnhut.