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How have the first months of the year been for you? Team Saxony got off to a good start: Not only did the largest UK travel association ABTA include our region with the two key city destinations Dresden and Leipzig in their “Destinations to Watch in 2024” report. The New York Times also listed Dresden as one of its “52 Places to Go in 2024”. Needless to say, we’re delighted, and hope that our latest newsletter will provide you with some ideas to make Saxony part of your travel plans, too.
Enjoy reading!
Your Saxony Tourism Team
Header image: Oybin © S. Dittrich
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| Escape from Colditz Castle reloaded
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Prisoner of war camp, asylum, hospital: Colditz Castle near Leipzig has a moving history. It was once a magnificent hunting lodge, later a symbol of the desire for freedom. The castle has been empty for years, but its walls harbor centuries of secrets. From 17 April 2024, they will be brought back to life with the “HistoPad“ tablet guide. Immerse yourself in the era of World War II, when Colditz Castle served as the Oflag IV C prisoner of war camp. Legendary escape attempts by POWs such as Pat Reid, the author of “The Colditz Story“, still exert a special fascination today. Test at an interactive experience station whether you would have succeeded in escaping with the famous Colditz glider. Take a look at the once stately Renaissance chambers of Frederick the Wise. Discover the castle interactively and experience adventurous stories – goosebumps guaranteed!
Image: Stepping back into time at Colditz Castle © Histovery
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| UEFA EURO 2024™: Leipzig’s hot football summer
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Hooray, football is coming home to Saxony! After all, the German Football Association (DFB) was founded in Leipzig and VFB Leipzig was the country’s first domestic champion. This summer, the city is one of ten German host cities for UEFA EURO 2024™. Apart from group stage fixtures (Portugal/Czech Republic, Netherlands/France, Croatia/Italy), the city will also become a fan destination for one round of 16 match. Throughout the event there will be a “fan mile” on Augustusplatz square right in the city centre, featuring big screens for open-air viewing, and football fans will, no doubt, also appreciate Leipzig’s famous “Drallewatsch” going-out neighbourhood around the Barfußgässchen alley with its bars, pubs and restaurants (great al fresco spot in summer!) They could also get active themselves and explore the city’s waterways on a canoeing tour. Families on the UEFA EURO 2024™ trail should pencil in Leipzig Zoo, one of Europe’s best, featuring a large tropical rainforest and 20 life-size dinosaur models. Tip: Just in time for the big football bonanza, Leipzig has released a new digital visitor tour on the SmartGuide Platform which focuses on attractions near Leipzig Stadium!
Image: Leipzig - Augustusplatz square with opera © PK Fotografie
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| Not just for trainspotters: Dresden’s delightful Steam Engine Festival
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If you want to know why Dresden’s annual Steam Engine Festival has become a favourite on the city’s event calendar, just look at a video that captures this very special experience for young and old visitors: There’s vintage trains from all over Germany coming to Dresden and steam trains taking passengers on board at Dresden station for scenic regional rides. There’s music and food and market stalls selling all kinds of railway memorabilia as well as mighty locomotives (great photo ops!) and historical railway models on display. This year’s 16th edition will take place from 13 to 14 April. And if you can’t get on board this one, check out Saxony ‘s altogether five (!) steam-powered narrow-gauge railways still cross-crossing the region for fabulous visitor experiences.
Image: Zittau narrow-gauge railway in Oybin © Philipp Herfort Photography
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| Royal Palace Dresden: Renaissance frescoes reborn
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Here’s a great story of resurrection: After more than seven years of painstaking work, one of the largest Renaissance frescoes north of the Alps has been reimagined on the Altan – a four-storey loggia on the rear wall of Dresden’s Royal Palace. The murals were created in the 16th century by artists from Italy and largely destroyed in a fire in 1701. The splendidly colourful frescoes show biblical motifs and add another visitor attraction to Dresden’s Royal Palace, which houses a variety of museums including the famous “Green Vault” treasure chest.
Image: Altan frescoes in full splendour © TMGS Wolfgang Gärtner
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| Saxon Switzerland’s spectacular new viewing platform
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Nothing beats a good view – and the one to be had from Saxon Switzerland’s famous Bastei rock formation got even better. Since last year, visitors can enjoy the sweeping vista of the Elbe valley and Elbe Sandstone Mountains from a new viewing platform. The 20-metre-long footbridge construction provides space for 140 people and seems to float 200 metres above the river. The dramatic rock landscape just outside Dresden has inspired numerous artists, including the great Romantic landscape painter Caspar David Friedrich, whose 250th birthday Saxony celebrates throughout 2024. Visitors wanting to follow in the footsteps of Friedrich should try the Painters’ Way, featuring scenic views galore.
Image: Floating above the Elbe valley in Saxon Switzerland © Philipp Zieger
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| On the way to Chemnitz European Capital of Culture 2025
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Over the coming months, we’re excited to share news on what’s in store for Chemnitz European Capital of Culture 2025. The „C the Unseen“ programme invites travellers to discover the city and its surrounding area and today, we want to flag up some exhibition highlights on the agenda which put Chemnitz’s world class museums centre stage: Focusing on the region’s rich industrial heritage, the State Museum of Archaeology’s will host “Mining – a history of passion and greed” (24 Oct 2024 to 29 June 2025), while the superb Gunzenhauser Museum, which has an excellent collection of Expressionist art, will look at “European realities. Realism Movements in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s”. Edvard Munch fans should pencil in a special show at Chemnitz Art Collection: “Edvard Munch. Angst”
(10 Aug to 2 Nov 2025) is all about the pioneer of Modernism, who came to Chemnitz in 1905 to paint the family of a wealthy local textile manufacturer. Stay tuned for more in our next newsletter!
Image: Chemnitz Brühl © Ernesto Uhlmann
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48 miles southwest of Chemnitz, the town of Plauen has a long history of textile manufacturing, with lace “made in Plauen” starting to conquer the world from the late19th century onwards. Visitors can explore all things textile in the "Factory of Threads", a new interactive museum in a former calico printing works. Plauen also has some fine historic architecture, including a splendid Renaissance town hall, a row of centuries-old weavers’ houses in the town centre and some eye-catching bridges, including one of the oldest stone arch bridges in Central Europe. Or how about boarding a special carriage of the local tram which features six tables and space for 18 passengers to enjoy their beer in unusual surroundings?
Image: Plauen's square © Philipp Herfort Photography
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| Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen mbH
Bautzner Straße 45/47
D-01099 Dresden
Phone: +49 (0) 351 / 49 1700
Fax: +49 (0) 351 / 49 69 306
info@sachsen-tour.de
www.visitsaxony.com
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| Liable according to § 55, paragraph 2 of the German State Broadcasting Treaty (RstV) and paragraph 5
of the German State Broadcasting Media Act (TMG)
Managing Director Veronika Hiebl
Commercial Register: District Court Dresden HRB 17813
VAT Reg No: DE203959452
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