Žitava

Zittau (German: Zittau, Polish: Żytawa, Sorbian: Žitawa) is a town in Germany, in the Saxon part of Upper Lusatia, in the district of Görlitz. Zittau lies northwest of the Czech-German-Polish border. It is also located near the confluence of the Mandava and the Lusatian Neisse. It is the seat of the district of Görlitz. On the Polish bank of the Lusatian Neisse lies the former part of Zittau, Großporitsch (Porajów). In the years 1232–1237, Henry of the Ronov family was castellan of the castle in neighboring Bautzen. He took advantage of this time and, together with his brother Častolov and with the help of the Czech monarch Wenceslas I, acquired the local territory including the castle and the settlement. In documents, they were then written with the epithet de Sitavia. Shortly after the first written mention in 1238, in 1255, Přemysl Otakar II. visited Zittau and granted it city rights. In 1248, the aforementioned Henry of Ronovce is mentioned as the burgrave of Zittau. After 1260, Zittau became a rapidly growing, important royal city. A mint was established here and the city was gradually fortified. In 1310, a descendant of the Ronovce family, Henry of Lipa, returned to Zittau. In 1319, he exchanged Zittau with King John of Luxembourg for estates in Moravia. During the Seven Years’ War, the city was almost completely destroyed. At the beginning of the 16th century, the city traded mostly with beer, and from the 18th century it also began to trade in textiles, which had a tradition throughout Upper Lusatia.

What you should see

Great Zittau Lenten Curtain (1472)

Church of the Holy Cross Schinkel’s monument Square with the town hall (1845)

Butcher’s Bastion with Flower Clock

Stables-Old saltworks from 1511

Small Zittau Lenten Curtain (1573)

Former Franciscan monastery

Rare sandstone fountains

Zittau Cultural Trail from 1914

Gerhard Hauptmann Theater in Zittau

Zoo and amusement park in Weinaupark

West Park with Olbersdorfer See Lake

Website: www.zittau.eu