The Wendish Research Exchange - Introduction

Gallery of Churches

Upper Lusatia

Translated by Ed Bernthal

United earlier with Lower Lusatia, and later divided into two Margravedoms in Upper Saxony, her name originated from the Polish word Luzyce, that is, Moräste. Upper Lusatia, after the time of the great folk migration of the Slavic tribes, was occupied by the Milzeners which Kaiser Otto I conquered and made taxable, and which was converted to Christianity. Separated from Lower Lusatia, she already in the 11th Century appears in individual chronicles, mostly in the Bohemian Allied Powers consisting of Bautzen, Goerlitz, etc. In 1234, she was separated from Brandenburg due to the marriage of the Bohemian Princess Beatrix to Markgrave Otto III. Willingly, she later became a subject of King John, who, therefore, gave her special gifts, through which the so-called “Six Cities” originated, who in 1337 united in a special alliance. She lost some of her excellent freedoms in the Schmalcaldian Wars under Ferdinand of Austria, since she refused to send her troops to help fight the Protestants. Both of the Lusatias finally came the inherited possession of George I of Saxony as a Mannslehn of the Belgian Crown and kept all of their rights and freedoms through the recognized separate peace with the Kaiser at Prague on May 30, 1635. But in 1815, all the rest of Lower Lusatia, and the greater part of Upper Lusatia fell to Prussia. Currently, the rest of Upper Lusatia, with the help of the Stolpen Office, was made into one of the four District Directories of Saxony. Four of the six recognized cities of Lusatia that were left – Bautzen, Zittau, Loebau and Camenz, still serve up to now as the principle cities.

Currently, one no more thinks of the old Slavic antiquities, since in the many Lusatian places, the Wendish language is still spoken by more than 40,000 tongues, which also was the origin of the names of most towns, forests, hills and rivers in Lusatia. In regard to the religion of Upper Lusatia, which limits the references in the church gallery, there are here no superintendents, which sort of represents an under-inspection, such as, up to now, each practiced a certain under-consistory rights. Still, all ministers and teacher in Upper Lusatia are directly under the District Director at Bautzen, the spiritual supervisor of church and school, which now is Dr. Petri. It is his duty to watch over the conditions of the churches and schools, and also to adjust their weak support from time to time.

With a heart filled with love for the Fatherland, we approach the part of Upper Lusatia, which in 1815 did not separate from Saxony, and we greet with warm wishes of blessings a hundred thousand of our brethren, who border the old Meissner District of Saxony up to the southern Bohemian and eastern, as well as northern Prussian borders, to lift up with us as neighbors the wings of the eagle and enjoy the shade of the rue. Touched by the Neisse and running from the Spree, the Elster and the Pulsnitz Rivers, there lies spread out to our view the 75 square miles of the closely allied Saxon lands with plains, valleys and hills, which are connected to the Great Hills and the Sand Stone Chain of the Saxon Swiss, representing themselves as the hospitable sound of her head, and as a witness to the ruins of their knightly, cloistered antiquity. Ten cities, surrounded by about 500 small towns and villages fasten our attention to the Saxon Upper Lusatia.

With courage, we take our pen in hands to explain accurately the past and present of their homeland, and especially of their churches, through the interest of an honorable Upper Lusatian preacher, who opened the beneficial material in a rich archive of the Saxon Church Gallery. And so we begin the course toward our goal with the presentation of the Parishes.

KIRCHEN GALERIE Lieferum (Issue)

Names in Bold Print are to eventually be translated.

Names in Italics have been translated.

Names in Bold Print and Italics are in the process of being translated.

1. Upper Lusatia, Jonsdorf, Spitzcunnersdorf
2. Jonsdorf, Spitzcunnersdorf, Schmorkau, Hainewalde
3. Hainewalde, Gersdorf, Spitzcunnersdorf
4. Gersdorf, Schwepniss, Waltersdorf, Koenigsbrueck
5. Waltersdorf, Koenigsbrueck
6. Koenigsbrueck, Bertsdorf, Kosel
7. Koenigsbrueck, Bertsdorf
8. Bertsdorf, Neukirch bei Koenigsbrueck, Duerrhennersdorf, Waltersdorf
9. Duerrhennersdorf, Gross-Grabe, Tuerchau
10. Tuerchau, Camenz
11. Camenz
12. Camenz
13. Camenz, Brauna
14. Camenz
15. Camenz, Berthelsdorf
16. Berthelsdorf, Pohla, Waldorf
17. Waldorf, Reichenbach
18. Reichenbach, Herrnhut
19. Reichenbach, Herrnhut
20. Klein-Schoenau, Schoenbach
21. Schoenbach
22. Schoenbach, Gross-Postwitz
23. Gross-Postwitz
24. Gross-Postwitz, Gross-Schoenau
25. Gross-Schoenau, Baruth, Koenigswartha
26. Koenigswartha, Ossling
27. Ossling, Eibau
28. Ossling, Eibau
29. Eibau, Burkersdorf, Ebersbach
30. Kirchfelde
31. Kirchfelde, Dittersbach, Herwigsdorf, Nostitz
32. Nostitz, Ostritz, Gross-Hennersdorf
33. Gross-Hennersdorf
34. Gross-Hennersdorf, Guttau, Herwigsdorf
35. Herwigsdorf, Loebau
36. Loebau
37. Loebau
38. Loebau, Klix
39. Klix, Koenigshain
40. Koenigshain, Lawalda, Weissenberg
41. Ratibor, Weissenberg, Alt und Neu-Gersdorf
42. Weissenberg, Reibersdorf
43. Alt und Neu-Gersdorf, Sohland
44. Sohland, Luchendorf, Oybin, Seifhennersdorf
45. Oybin, Seifhennersdorf, Malschwitz, Seitendorf
46. Malschwitz, Leuba
47. Leuba, Seitendorf
48. Seitendorf, Reichenau
49. Reichenau, Ober-Seifersdorf, Rennersdorf
50. Rennersdorf, Wehrsdorf
51. Wehrsdorf, Ober-Kunnersdorf, Kemnitz
52. Kemnitz, Schmoelln, Gaussig
53. Schoenau auf dem Eigen
54. Schoenau auf dem Eigen, Ober-Ullersdorf, Sohland an der Spree
55. Sohland an der Spree, Rosenthal, Crostau
56. Crostau, Ostro, Zittau
57. Zittau
58. Zittau, Weigsdorf
59. Weigsdorf
60. Weigsdorf, Cunewalde
61. Cunewalde
62. Cunewalde, Oppach
63. Oppach
64. Nebelschuetz, Nieder-Cunnersdorf, Pulsnitz
65. Pulsnitz
66. Strahwalde
67. Strahwalde, Rammenau
68. Rammenau
69. Rammenau, Kleinwelka
70. Kleinwelka, Taubenheim
71. Taubenheim, Kottmarsdorf
72. Kotitz
73. Kotitz
74. Neukirch am Hochwalde
75. Neukirch am Hochwalde, Burkau, Milkel
76. Uhyst am Taucher, Schoenbach, Pulsnitz
77. Bischeim
78. Bischeim
79. Bischeim, Ruppersdorf, Prietitz, Grunau
80. Grunau, Oberleutersdorf
81. Kalbitz, Groeditz, Oberleutersdorf, Crostwitz, Oberfriedersdorf, Neschwitz
82. Neschwitz, Wittgendorf
83. Marienthal
84. Marienthal
85. Marienthal, Ober-Oderwitz
86. Ober-Oderwitz, Kittlitz, Berzdorf auf den Eigen, Kirschfelde, Rammenau
87. Bautzen, Reschwitz
88. Elstra
89. Elstra, Niederoderwitz, Hauswalde
90. Frankenthal, Hauswalde, Bernstadt
91. Bernstadt
92. Bernstadt, Kleinbautzen
93. Kleinbautzen
94. Kleinbautzen, Hochkirch, Purschwitz, Kloster Marienstern
95. Kloster Marienstern
96. Kloster Marienstern, Loebau