Großschönau and the Damascus Museum

Großschönau is a municipality in the district of Görlitz (German: Görlitz, Polish: Zgorzelec), in the easternmost part of the federal state of Saxony (Germany). The municipality is located on the Mandawa River in Upper Lusatia, right on the border with the Czech Republic, in close proximity to the Czech town of Varnsdorf. It is believed that the municipality was founded in these places in the 12th century by Frankish settlers. The first written mention of Großschönau is from 1352, when the municipality is called Magnum Sonow. The German name of the municipality is explained by the fact that it was built on a large, beautiful meadow.

The tradition of textile production in Großschönau dates back to the second half of the 17th century. In 1666, the brothers Friedrich and Christoph Lange from Großschönau went to Holland, where they learned how to weave damask textiles and, after returning to their homeland, they introduced this production in their village. After several decades, damask cloth from Großschönau – especially tablecloths and placemats – became famous throughout Europe. For example, it is documented that in 1834, the damask factory provided a livelihood for around 3,800 local residents including family members, which at that time represented three quarters of the local population. Even in the 21st century, two textile factories – damask and terry cloth – were still operating in Großschönau.

German Museum of Damask and Terry Cloth