Bad Schandau
Encyclopedia
Bad Schandau (ˈbaːt ˈʃandaʊ) is a spa town in Germany
, in the south of the Free State of Saxony and the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge
. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe
, at the mouth of the little valley of the Kirnitzsch
.
in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
; the National Park Centre is located in the town. The original town centre nestled on the steep, towering sandstone rocks on the right-hand, northern bank of the River Elbe and squeezed in places into the narrow valley of the Kirnitzsch
. The town centre lies 121.7 m above sea level (HN)
(market square), whilst its highest points lie over 400 metres above sea level. A rural tram line, the Kirnitzsch Valley Tramway, accompanies the little river for several kilometres and offers access to the nearby walking area.
Bad Schandau is about 6 kilometres from the Czech
frontier and 33 km southeast of Dresden
on the railway to Děčín
.
(1816-95), from 1853 to his death. A memorial tablet on the Keller Museum, house number 76 in the main road named after him and in which the inventor once lived, celebrates him and his work. In 2009, Krippen had a population of 568 (1999: 720).
A stream, the Krippenbach
, joins the Elbe near Krippen. The stream is supplied from the Gautzschgraben spring near the border with Czechia, and also from other sources on the other side of the state border, its catchment area reaching almost as far as Maxičky on the Bohemian side of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains below the Okrouhlik (494 m above NN).
Krippen was incorporated into Bad Schandau borough on 1 January 1999.
. The originally Slavic settlement of rafters, fishermen, stonebreakers and boat builders has been recorded since 1446. Ships' anchor smiths worked in the village until 1968. The local sandstone
quarries (at times the most important in the region) worked from the second half of the 16th century until 1907; were then reforested and are accessible today via the Elbe Promenade (Elbpromenade). The surviving timber-framed houses, nos. 55-67, the so-called Seven Brothers' Houses (Siebenbrüderhäuser) are linked to a legend, in which a boatman wanted to build a house for each of his sons. His own building was, however, to be taller than them all. On house nos. 43 and 69, as well as the ferryman's house, there are Elbe highwater marks. In 2009 Postelwitz had a population of 282 (1999: 323).
The Ilmen Spring (Ilmenquelle) rises near the border and, with a discharge of 6 l/s is the most powerful in Saxon Switzerland. The hills of Schrammsteine and Großer Winterberg
may be ascended from Schmilka along various paths and climbs such as the Saints' Way (Heilige Stiege) or the Rübezahl Way (Rübezahlstiege).
The Ilmenbach stream drives the Schmilka Mill (Schmilksche Mühle) only a few metres below the spring. Built in 1665, it is one of the first buildings in Schmilka. The mill was closed in the 19th century. In 2007, however, the mill was restored to a functional state again. Historic pictures, including a copperplate by Adrian Ludwig Richter
were used in the restoration. Richter was one of the artists who walked the so-called Artists' Way (Malerweg) in Saxon Switzerland about 200 years ago. THe Artists' Way runs directly by the mill. The Schmilka Mill traditionally runs during the Mill Festival that takes place every year at Whitsun. Within the mill is a holiday home, the Mühlchen ("Little Mill"), which can be used as holiday accommodation.
that was built at the initiative of the hotelier, Rudolf Sendig, who also financed it. Old timber-framed farmsteads, guesthouses (Pensionen), holiday homes, a modern spa facility, inns, villas and family homes make up the buildings of the village. With just under 100 inhabitants, the village had a very isolated existence on an exposed upland at the end of the 19th century. But even in 1900, there were ambitious plans for this location with its long-distance, all-round views to be turned into an exclusive tourist centre with sports facilities and an airfield. But only the aforementioned lift was built along with wooden, Scandinavian-style villas on the Ostrauer Ring, also at Sendig's initiative. In 2009 Ostrau had a population of 419 (1999: 541).
and Postelwitz from the feudal estate of Hohnstein
and founded a trading post here. Schandau was first mentioned in the records in 1445 and was given, in effect, the status of a town as a result of its important location as a trading site on the Elbe in 1467 by a council constitution. Since about 1800 Bad Schandau has been a spa town and summer resort. In 1877 the place was given a permanent crossing over the river, the Carola Bridge. In 1920 the town was granted the official title of "Bad" ("Spa"). In 1936 it became a Kneipp spa.
The town is the smallest German place with its own self-run tram
service, the so-called Kirnitzsch Valley Tramway. The tramway runs from Schandau to Lichtenhain Waterfall
and has been working since 1898.
Bad Schandau was badly hit by the flooding of the Elbe in the years 1845, 2002
and 2006
. The floodwater on 16/17 August 2002 stood at 9.78 m above average, 4.28 m above the market square and 3.46 m high in the church. The Schöna gauge reached 12.04 (Bad Schandau gauge 11.88), volumetric flow 4,780 m³/s. The highwater mark was 4 cm below that of 1845. - On 3 April 2006 a highwater mark of 6.78 m and 1.28 m above the market square above average was reached at about 11 pm. Schöna gauge 8.88, volumetric flow 2720 m³/s. The square floods when the Schöna gauge reaches 7.60.
of 61.8 % (- 0.4) with the following results:
+/-:Changes against the local elections of 13 June 2004, * Voter associations combined
, Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna
and Rathmannsdorf
.
on Lake Constance
, Gößweinstein
, Fichtenau
, Česká Kamenice
in Czechia and Lądek-Zdrój
in Poland
.
has made it a place of importance, and thousands of tourists make it their headquarters in summer. For their accommodation numerous hotels and villas have been erected. The chief manufactures of the town are artificial flowers and furniture. The prefix "Bad" was added in 1920 in acknowledgement of the spa status of the town (the German "Bad" means "spa
" in English).
The 2009 film, Inglorious Basterds, directed by Quentin Tarantino
, was shot primarily in Bad Schandau, and at Studio Babelsberg in Berlin
.
bordering the Elbe, the two bridges and St. John's Church (Johanniskirche).
From 2002 to 2007, comprehensive renovation work was carried out on the Gründerzeit hotels on the riverfront - the best-known in the 19th century was the Dampfschiff ("Steamship"). The building was gutted from the ground upwards and the façades restored. Several apartment complexes are housed in bathhouse villas (Bäder-Villen). The ensemble was opened again in 2007 under the name Elbresidenz Bad Schandau.
The mighty Evangelical St. John's Church with its octagonal west tower has existed in its present form since 1679. The baroque skylight turret was added in 1711 following a town fire. The interior of the church with its wooden coffer
, single-storey matroneum
and stained glass windows in the chancel is the result of fundamental conversion work in 1876/77. Especially valuable is the two-storied Renaissance
altar in sandstone, which the Dresden sculptor, Hans Walther, originally made for the Church of the Cross in Dresden and which stood in Dresden St. Anne's from 1760 to 1902.
The main sight in the market square (Marktplatz) with its town hall (1863) and several Renaissance buildings (the Gambrinus brewery, house No. 1 with its timber-framed upper storey) since 1896 has been the Sendig Fountain next to the church, which for reasons unknown lost its art nouveau
upper section with its sculptures. Since 1994 a reconstruction of this section has been under way.
The spa facilities and the 3,500 m² Botanical Garden (Pflanzengarten Bad Schandau
) with over 1,500 species of plants is located at the entrance to the Kirnitzsch valley. By the tram stop of the Kirnitzsch Valley Tramway stands the so-called Ice Age Rock (Eiszeitstein) illustrating that in the ion, dass im Pleistocene
epoch, the inland ice sheet extended as far as here from Scandinavia.
Near the Park Hotel and the historic lift to Ostrau stands the Roman Catholic church next to the hillside on the right of the Elbe. This building was built as accommodation for a Russian diplomat in the classic Saint Petersburg
villa stykle of the 19th century and has been used since 1924 by the Catholic Church as a consecrated building.
The historic lift to Ostrau
is a 50 metre high, free-standing iron construction, that links the village of Ostrau higher up the hill. The hotelier, Rudolf Sendig, had this electrically driven lift built in 1904 by the firms of Kelle & Hildebrandt (iron framework) and Kühnscherf & Söhne (lift). The lift was officially opened on Easter Sunday 1905 and the rivetted structure, that has been protected since 1954, was refurbished in 1989-1990. Due to its view over Saxon Switzerland
around Bad Schandau, especially the rocks of the Schrammsteine
, but also because of the understated art noveau lornamentation a journey on the technical monument has become something of a tourist attraction.
The so-called Ostrauer Scheibe is a plateau that can be reached on foot along a hiking trail from the Botanical Garden in the Kirnitsch Valley, over the old cart track (Ostrauer Berg), as well as by car along a road that weaves in hairpin bends up from Postelwitz.
The new Schrammstein Open-Air Pool (Schrammstein-Bad) that was badly damaged before it could open by the flooding of the Elbe in 2002 went bust but, after a two-year delay, was able to open under its new owners, toskanaworld, as the so-called Toskana Thermal Baths (Toskana-Therme); this firm has similar facilities in Bad Sulza
and Bad Orb
.
or Meissen dialects.
On the left bank of the Elbe runs the track of the Dresden–Děčín railway
. Bad Schandau is a stop for EuroCity
links between Berlin
and Budapest
as well as the S-Bahn
between Meißen and Schöna that passes through Dresden. Several cross-border regional trains also work the line to Děčín
. Another regional railway link to Sebnitz and Neustadt in Saxony runs on the Bautzen–Bad Schandau railway
.
The town centre may be reached from the station over a ferry link as well as the Elbe Road Bridge at Bad Schandau. Other ferries run between the town of Schandau and Krippen and between Schmilka and the station of Schmilka-Hirschmühle in Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna
.
The town may also be accessed on regional bus services run by the OVPS. The Kirnitzsch Valley Tramway, a historic tram service, runs from the town centre to the Lichtenhain Waterfall
. The Elbe Cycleway runs along the banks of the Elbe.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, in the south of the Free State of Saxony and the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge
Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge
Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge is a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is named after the mountain ranges Saxon Switzerland and Erzgebirge.- History :...
. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
, at the mouth of the little valley of the Kirnitzsch
Kirnitzsch
The Kirnitzsch, in Bohemia also called the Kirnischt , is a right tributary of the River Elbe, which passes through the Czech Republic and the German Free State of Saxony.- Geography :...
.
Geography
Bad Schandau lies east of the Elbe right on the edge of the Saxon Switzerland National ParkSaxon Switzerland National Park
The Saxon Switzerland National Park , is a National Park in the German Free State of Saxony near the capital city of Dresden. It covers two areas of 93.5 km² in the heart of the German part of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains which is called the Saxon Switzerland .The National Park is not far away...
in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
Elbe Sandstone Mountains
The Elbe Sandstone Mountains, also called the Elbe sandstone highlands is a mountain range straddling the border between the state of Saxony in southeastern Germany and the North Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, with about three-quarters of the area lying on the German side...
; the National Park Centre is located in the town. The original town centre nestled on the steep, towering sandstone rocks on the right-hand, northern bank of the River Elbe and squeezed in places into the narrow valley of the Kirnitzsch
Kirnitzsch
The Kirnitzsch, in Bohemia also called the Kirnischt , is a right tributary of the River Elbe, which passes through the Czech Republic and the German Free State of Saxony.- Geography :...
. The town centre lies 121.7 m above sea level (HN)
Normalhöhennull
Normalhöhennull or NHN is a standard reference level, the equivalent of sea level, used in Germany to measure height....
(market square), whilst its highest points lie over 400 metres above sea level. A rural tram line, the Kirnitzsch Valley Tramway, accompanies the little river for several kilometres and offers access to the nearby walking area.
Bad Schandau is about 6 kilometres from the Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
frontier and 33 km southeast of Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
on the railway to Děčín
Decín
Děčín is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region in the north of the Czech Republic. It is the largest town and administrative seat of the Děčín District.-Geography:...
.
Sub-divisions
The borough of Bad Schandau consists of the original old town of Schandau and 4 newer quarters: Krippen, Postelwitz, Schmilka and Ostrau. Krippen lies on the opposite bank of the Elbe.Krippen
The original craftsmen's and merchants' settlement left of the Elbe with surviving timber-framed houses that were mentioned as early as 1379 has been a summer resort since the end of the 19th century, when development of tourism began. The village was the sphere of action of the Krippen villager and inventor of mechanical wood pulp for the manufacture of paper, Friedrich Gottlob KellerFriedrich Gottlob Keller
Friedrich Gottlob Keller was a German machinist and inventor, who invented the wood pulp process for the use in papermaking. He is widely known for his wood-cut machine . Unlike Charles Fenerty, F.G...
(1816-95), from 1853 to his death. A memorial tablet on the Keller Museum, house number 76 in the main road named after him and in which the inventor once lived, celebrates him and his work. In 2009, Krippen had a population of 568 (1999: 720).
A stream, the Krippenbach
Krippenbach
Krippenbach is a river of Saxony, Germany....
, joins the Elbe near Krippen. The stream is supplied from the Gautzschgraben spring near the border with Czechia, and also from other sources on the other side of the state border, its catchment area reaching almost as far as Maxičky on the Bohemian side of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains below the Okrouhlik (494 m above NN).
Krippen was incorporated into Bad Schandau borough on 1 January 1999.
Postelwitz
The summer resort of Postelwitz has been part of the borough of Bad Schandau since 1934. The village, which comprises a number of separate groups of houses, hugs the rock face tightly about 2 km upstream below the rocks of the SchrammsteineSchrammsteine
The Schrammsteine are a long, strung-out, very jagged group of rocks in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains located east of Bad Schandau in Saxon Switzerland in East Germany. To the north they are bordered by the Kirnitzsch valley, to the south by the Elbe valley and to the east by the Affensteine rocks....
. The originally Slavic settlement of rafters, fishermen, stonebreakers and boat builders has been recorded since 1446. Ships' anchor smiths worked in the village until 1968. The local sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
quarries (at times the most important in the region) worked from the second half of the 16th century until 1907; were then reforested and are accessible today via the Elbe Promenade (Elbpromenade). The surviving timber-framed houses, nos. 55-67, the so-called Seven Brothers' Houses (Siebenbrüderhäuser) are linked to a legend, in which a boatman wanted to build a house for each of his sons. His own building was, however, to be taller than them all. On house nos. 43 and 69, as well as the ferryman's house, there are Elbe highwater marks. In 2009 Postelwitz had a population of 282 (1999: 323).
Schmilka
Schmilka, the border village to Czechia on the Elbe at a height of 117 m, has been part of the borough of Bad Schandau since 1 January 1973. This village of Elbe boatmen, rafters, stonecutters, charcoal burners, Pechsieder and forest workers was first recorded in 1582. Small timber-framed houses still dominate its facades. In 2009 Schmilka had 137 inhabitants (1999: 169).The Ilmen Spring (Ilmenquelle) rises near the border and, with a discharge of 6 l/s is the most powerful in Saxon Switzerland. The hills of Schrammsteine and Großer Winterberg
Großer Winterberg
Großer Winterberg is a mountain of Saxony, southeastern Germany....
may be ascended from Schmilka along various paths and climbs such as the Saints' Way (Heilige Stiege) or the Rübezahl Way (Rübezahlstiege).
The Ilmenbach stream drives the Schmilka Mill (Schmilksche Mühle) only a few metres below the spring. Built in 1665, it is one of the first buildings in Schmilka. The mill was closed in the 19th century. In 2007, however, the mill was restored to a functional state again. Historic pictures, including a copperplate by Adrian Ludwig Richter
Adrian Ludwig Richter
Adrian Ludwig Richter , a German painter and etcher, was born at Dresden, the son of the engraver Karl August Richter, from whom he received his training; but he was strongly influenced by Erhard and Chodowiecki....
were used in the restoration. Richter was one of the artists who walked the so-called Artists' Way (Malerweg) in Saxon Switzerland about 200 years ago. THe Artists' Way runs directly by the mill. The Schmilka Mill traditionally runs during the Mill Festival that takes place every year at Whitsun. Within the mill is a holiday home, the Mühlchen ("Little Mill"), which can be used as holiday accommodation.
Ostrau
Ostrau on the Ostrauer Scheibe rises 130 m above the Elbe and lies at a height of 245 m ü. NN. The ice age loess-loam on the plateau of the Ostrauer Scheibe enabled the establishment in former times of a German village for seven farmsteads. Ostrau has been directly linked to the town of Bad Schandau since 1904 with an electric passenger liftBad Schandau Elevator
The Bad Schandau elevator is a passenger truss-tower elevator built in 1904 at Bad Schandau, which runs from Bad Schandau on the Ostrau. The height of the elevator is 52.26 m, in art nouveau arranged steel framework tower upward, which has a diameter of 5.20 m at the ground and at the...
that was built at the initiative of the hotelier, Rudolf Sendig, who also financed it. Old timber-framed farmsteads, guesthouses (Pensionen), holiday homes, a modern spa facility, inns, villas and family homes make up the buildings of the village. With just under 100 inhabitants, the village had a very isolated existence on an exposed upland at the end of the 19th century. But even in 1900, there were ambitious plans for this location with its long-distance, all-round views to be turned into an exclusive tourist centre with sports facilities and an airfield. But only the aforementioned lift was built along with wooden, Scandinavian-style villas on the Ostrauer Ring, also at Sendig's initiative. In 2009 Ostrau had a population of 419 (1999: 541).
History
In the first half of the 14th century German settlers acquired the Elbe meadows between RathmannsdorfRathmannsdorf
Rathmannsdorf is a township in the Saxon district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. Rathmannsdorf is 2 km down the Elbe from Bad Schandau.-Geography:...
and Postelwitz from the feudal estate of Hohnstein
Hohnstein Castle (Saxon Switzerland)
Hohnstein Castle is a medieval castle in the village of the same name, Hohnstein in Saxon Switzerland in the Free State of Sachsen in East Germany.- Location :...
and founded a trading post here. Schandau was first mentioned in the records in 1445 and was given, in effect, the status of a town as a result of its important location as a trading site on the Elbe in 1467 by a council constitution. Since about 1800 Bad Schandau has been a spa town and summer resort. In 1877 the place was given a permanent crossing over the river, the Carola Bridge. In 1920 the town was granted the official title of "Bad" ("Spa"). In 1936 it became a Kneipp spa.
The town is the smallest German place with its own self-run tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
service, the so-called Kirnitzsch Valley Tramway. The tramway runs from Schandau to Lichtenhain Waterfall
Lichtenhain Waterfall
The Lichtenhain Waterfall is a waterfall formed by the Lichtenhainer village brook and is situated in the Kirnitzsch Valley in the Saxon Switzerland of Germany.-Overview:...
and has been working since 1898.
Bad Schandau was badly hit by the flooding of the Elbe in the years 1845, 2002
2002 European floods
In August 2002 a 100-year flood caused by over a week of continuous heavy rains ravaged Europe, killing dozens, dispossessing thousands, and causing damage of billions of euros in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Croatia....
and 2006
2006 European floods
From February to April 2006 many rivers across Europe, especially the Elbe and Danube, swelled due to heavy rain and melting snow and rose to record levels...
. The floodwater on 16/17 August 2002 stood at 9.78 m above average, 4.28 m above the market square and 3.46 m high in the church. The Schöna gauge reached 12.04 (Bad Schandau gauge 11.88), volumetric flow 4,780 m³/s. The highwater mark was 4 cm below that of 1845. - On 3 April 2006 a highwater mark of 6.78 m and 1.28 m above the market square above average was reached at about 11 pm. Schöna gauge 8.88, volumetric flow 2720 m³/s. The square floods when the Schöna gauge reaches 7.60.
Coat of arms
In 1480 Schandau was granted the right by Prince Ernest of Saxony to bear a coat of arms and a seal. The coat of arms shows a ship under sail, probably a reference to the importance of Elbe shipping.Town council
The local elections of 7 June 2009 saw a voter turnoutVoter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
of 61.8 % (- 0.4) with the following results:
| Party / List | Percentage | +/- | Seats |
| CDU | 33.0 % | - 22.2 | 5 |
| The Left | 14.7 % | - 5.1 | 2 |
| NPD | 6.2 % | + 6.2 | 1 |
| Tourism Voters Association (Wählervereinigung Tourismus) | 28.8 % | + 15.8* | 4 |
| Independents (Freie Bürgerliste) | 12.0 % | 2 |
+/-:Changes against the local elections of 13 June 2004, * Voter associations combined
Administration
Bad Schandau ist a fulfilling municipality (erfüllende Gemeinde) in the Bad Schandau Administrative Association (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Bad Schandau) together with the municipalities of PorschdorfPorschdorf
Porschdorf is a municipality in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in Saxony, Germany.- References :...
, Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna
Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna
Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna is a municipality in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district in the German federal state of Saxony. It has a population of approximately 1,600 and is located close to the Czech border in Saxon Switzerland, a popular tourist region....
and Rathmannsdorf
Rathmannsdorf
Rathmannsdorf is a township in the Saxon district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. Rathmannsdorf is 2 km down the Elbe from Bad Schandau.-Geography:...
.
Twinned towns
Bad Schandau has town partnerships with ÜberlingenÜberlingen
Überlingen is a city on the northern shore of Lake Constance . After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second largest city in the Bodenseekreis , and a central point for the outlying communities...
on Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
, Gößweinstein
Gößweinstein
Gößweinstein is a municipality in the district of Forchheim in Bavaria in Germany.-Districts:-History:The first record of the Goswinesteyn Castle is from 1076. Prior to 1102 the Hochstift Bamberg became the owner of the castle. The prince-bishop of Bamberg Friedrich Carl von Schönborn elevated...
, Fichtenau
Fichtenau
Fichtenau is a community of several villages, in the district of Schwäbisch Hall, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany....
, Česká Kamenice
Ceská Kamenice
Česká Kamenice is a town in Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has cca 5,500 inhabitants.Following villages are administrative parts of Česká Kamenice: Pekelský Důl, Dolní Kamenice, Filipov, Huníkov, Horní Kamenice, Kamenická Nová Víska, Kerhartice and Líska.Česká Kamenice became the...
in Czechia and Lądek-Zdrój
Ladek-Zdrój
Lądek-Zdrój is a town in Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Lądek-Zdrój, close to the Czech border....
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Culture and places of interest
Overview
Bad Schandau has an Evangelical parish church, a hydropathic establishment and a school of river navigation. The position of Bad Schandau in the heart of the romantic Saxon SwitzerlandSaxon Switzerland
Saxon Switzerland is a hilly climbing area and national park around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany. Together with the Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic it forms the Elbe Sandstone Mountains....
has made it a place of importance, and thousands of tourists make it their headquarters in summer. For their accommodation numerous hotels and villas have been erected. The chief manufactures of the town are artificial flowers and furniture. The prefix "Bad" was added in 1920 in acknowledgement of the spa status of the town (the German "Bad" means "spa
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
" in English).
The 2009 film, Inglorious Basterds, directed by Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
, was shot primarily in Bad Schandau, and at Studio Babelsberg in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Museums
- Town Gallery (Stadtgalerie)
- Local History Museum (Heimatmuseum)
- National Park Museum (Nationalparkmuseum)
- Friedrich Gottlob Keller Museum, Krippen, Friedrich-Gottlob-Keller-Straße 76 (about the discovery and inventor of mechanical wood pulp paper)
Buildings / Places of interest
Bad Schandau's town profile on the right bank of the river is dominated by the hotels of the GründerzeitGründerzeit
' refers to the economic phase in 19th century Germany and Austria before the great stock market crash of 1873. At this time in Central Europe the age of industrialisation was taking place, whose beginnings were found in the 1840s...
bordering the Elbe, the two bridges and St. John's Church (Johanniskirche).
From 2002 to 2007, comprehensive renovation work was carried out on the Gründerzeit hotels on the riverfront - the best-known in the 19th century was the Dampfschiff ("Steamship"). The building was gutted from the ground upwards and the façades restored. Several apartment complexes are housed in bathhouse villas (Bäder-Villen). The ensemble was opened again in 2007 under the name Elbresidenz Bad Schandau.
The mighty Evangelical St. John's Church with its octagonal west tower has existed in its present form since 1679. The baroque skylight turret was added in 1711 following a town fire. The interior of the church with its wooden coffer
Coffer
A coffer in architecture, is a sunken panel in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault...
, single-storey matroneum
Matroneum
A matroneum in architecture is a gallery on the interior of a building, originally intended to accommodate women ....
and stained glass windows in the chancel is the result of fundamental conversion work in 1876/77. Especially valuable is the two-storied Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
altar in sandstone, which the Dresden sculptor, Hans Walther, originally made for the Church of the Cross in Dresden and which stood in Dresden St. Anne's from 1760 to 1902.
The main sight in the market square (Marktplatz) with its town hall (1863) and several Renaissance buildings (the Gambrinus brewery, house No. 1 with its timber-framed upper storey) since 1896 has been the Sendig Fountain next to the church, which for reasons unknown lost its art nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
upper section with its sculptures. Since 1994 a reconstruction of this section has been under way.
The spa facilities and the 3,500 m² Botanical Garden (Pflanzengarten Bad Schandau
Pflanzengarten Bad Schandau
The Pflanzengarten Bad Schandau is a botanical garden located in the Saxon Switzerland National Park on the Kirnitzschtalstraße, Bad Schandau, Saxony, Germany...
) with over 1,500 species of plants is located at the entrance to the Kirnitzsch valley. By the tram stop of the Kirnitzsch Valley Tramway stands the so-called Ice Age Rock (Eiszeitstein) illustrating that in the ion, dass im Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
epoch, the inland ice sheet extended as far as here from Scandinavia.
Near the Park Hotel and the historic lift to Ostrau stands the Roman Catholic church next to the hillside on the right of the Elbe. This building was built as accommodation for a Russian diplomat in the classic Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
villa stykle of the 19th century and has been used since 1924 by the Catholic Church as a consecrated building.
The historic lift to Ostrau
Bad Schandau Elevator
The Bad Schandau elevator is a passenger truss-tower elevator built in 1904 at Bad Schandau, which runs from Bad Schandau on the Ostrau. The height of the elevator is 52.26 m, in art nouveau arranged steel framework tower upward, which has a diameter of 5.20 m at the ground and at the...
is a 50 metre high, free-standing iron construction, that links the village of Ostrau higher up the hill. The hotelier, Rudolf Sendig, had this electrically driven lift built in 1904 by the firms of Kelle & Hildebrandt (iron framework) and Kühnscherf & Söhne (lift). The lift was officially opened on Easter Sunday 1905 and the rivetted structure, that has been protected since 1954, was refurbished in 1989-1990. Due to its view over Saxon Switzerland
Saxon Switzerland
Saxon Switzerland is a hilly climbing area and national park around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany. Together with the Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic it forms the Elbe Sandstone Mountains....
around Bad Schandau, especially the rocks of the Schrammsteine
Schrammsteine
The Schrammsteine are a long, strung-out, very jagged group of rocks in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains located east of Bad Schandau in Saxon Switzerland in East Germany. To the north they are bordered by the Kirnitzsch valley, to the south by the Elbe valley and to the east by the Affensteine rocks....
, but also because of the understated art noveau lornamentation a journey on the technical monument has become something of a tourist attraction.
The so-called Ostrauer Scheibe is a plateau that can be reached on foot along a hiking trail from the Botanical Garden in the Kirnitsch Valley, over the old cart track (Ostrauer Berg), as well as by car along a road that weaves in hairpin bends up from Postelwitz.
The new Schrammstein Open-Air Pool (Schrammstein-Bad) that was badly damaged before it could open by the flooding of the Elbe in 2002 went bust but, after a two-year delay, was able to open under its new owners, toskanaworld, as the so-called Toskana Thermal Baths (Toskana-Therme); this firm has similar facilities in Bad Sulza
Bad Sulza
*anthonys wiilyBad Sulza is a town in the Weimarer Land district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Ilm, 15 km southwest of Naumburg, and 18 km north of Jena....
and Bad Orb
Bad Orb
Bad Orb is a spa town in the Main-Kinzig district, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 32 east km of Hanau. Bad Orb is between forested hills in the Nature Park Spessart, one of the largest forested areas in Germany. The canyon-side donkey path that runs to Großheubach in Miltenberg Kreis passes Bad...
.
Memorials
- VVN monument in the Spa Park (Kurpark) to the victims of FascismFascismFascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
- Memorial rock in front of the mountain hut (Berghütte über dem Zahnsgrund) in the village of Ostrau for the Communist resistance fighter Kurt SchlosserKurt SchlosserKurt Schlosser was German cabinet-maker, climber, and an active Communist.During his training in cabinet making, he lost an arm...
, who was murdered in DresdenDresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
in 1944 - Memorial tablet from 1957 at a Cave in the Schrammsteinen (Höhle in den Schrammsteinen) commemorating the resistance fighters of the United Climbing Division of Dresden (Vereinigten Kletterabteilung Dresden)
Dialect
A special form of the Saxon dialect is spoken in Bad Schandau: the South East Meissen dialect, which is one of five Upper SaxonUpper Saxon German
Upper Saxon is a Central German dialect spoken in much of the modern German states of Saxony and Thuringia. Contrary to its name it is not a descendant of Old Saxon. The degree of accent varies from place to place within the states, with it being anywhere from a relatively mild accent in the...
or Meissen dialects.
Transport
Dresden–Děčín railway
The Dresden–Děčín railway, also called the Elbe Valley Railway is an important, electrified main line in Saxony and the Czech Republic. Formerly called the Saxon-Bohemian State Railway , the line is part of the Dresden to Prague route and is one of Europe's most important trunk routes...
. Bad Schandau is a stop for EuroCity
EuroCity
EuroCity, abbreviated EC, denotes an international train service within the European inter-city rail network. In contrast to trains with the "IC" label, "EC" trains are international trains that meet certain criteria. The EuroCity label replaces the older Trans Europ Express name for...
links between Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
as well as the S-Bahn
Dresden S-Bahn
The Dresden S-Bahn provides commuter train services in Dresden and the surrounding area. It was established in 1973 and comprises three lines...
between Meißen and Schöna that passes through Dresden. Several cross-border regional trains also work the line to Děčín
Decín
Děčín is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region in the north of the Czech Republic. It is the largest town and administrative seat of the Děčín District.-Geography:...
. Another regional railway link to Sebnitz and Neustadt in Saxony runs on the Bautzen–Bad Schandau railway
Bautzen–Bad Schandau railway
The Bautzen–Bad Schandau railway is a German 64-kilometre long railway line, that connects Bautzen to Bad Schandau via Neukirch/Lausitz, Neustadt in Sachsen and Sebnitz. The railway was opened fully in 1898...
.
| Line | Route | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Bad Schandau – Sebnitz Sebnitz Sebnitz is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany.- Geography :The town of Sebnitz lies in the valley of the River Sebnitz and its side valleys between 250 and 460 m above sea level between the mountains of Saxon Switzerland and the Lusatian... – Neustadt in Sachsen Neustadt in Sachsen Neustadt in Sachsen is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Czech Republic, 35 km east of Dresden , and 23 km southwest of Bautzen... |
Two-hourly services | |
| Meißen-Triebischtal – Radebeul Radebeul Radebeul is a town in the Elbe valley in the district of Meißen in Saxony, Germany, a suburb of Dresden. It is well-known for its viticulture, a museum dedicated to writer Karl May and a narrow gauge railway connecting Radebeul with the castle of Moritzburg and the town of Radeburg... – Dresden-Neustadt – Dresden Hbf Dresden Hauptbahnhof is one of two main inter-city transit hubs in the German city of Dresden. Designed by Ernst Giese and Paul Weidner, it was built between 1892 and 1897 at the southern border of the inner city and was important in the growth and development of the city.... – Heidenau – Pirna Pirna railway station Pirna is a railway station in the town of Pirna, Saxony, Germany. The station lies on the Dresden–Děčín railway and Kamenz–Pirna railway.-External links:***... – Bad Schandau – Schöna Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna is a municipality in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district in the German federal state of Saxony. It has a population of approximately 1,600 and is located close to the Czech border in Saxon Switzerland, a popular tourist region.... |
Half-hourly services |
The town centre may be reached from the station over a ferry link as well as the Elbe Road Bridge at Bad Schandau. Other ferries run between the town of Schandau and Krippen and between Schmilka and the station of Schmilka-Hirschmühle in Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna
Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna
Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna is a municipality in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district in the German federal state of Saxony. It has a population of approximately 1,600 and is located close to the Czech border in Saxon Switzerland, a popular tourist region....
.
The town may also be accessed on regional bus services run by the OVPS. The Kirnitzsch Valley Tramway, a historic tram service, runs from the town centre to the Lichtenhain Waterfall
Lichtenhain Waterfall
The Lichtenhain Waterfall is a waterfall formed by the Lichtenhainer village brook and is situated in the Kirnitzsch Valley in the Saxon Switzerland of Germany.-Overview:...
. The Elbe Cycleway runs along the banks of the Elbe.
Local firms
- Rehaklinik Falkensteinklinik (Stadtteil Ostrau): about 125 employees, specialises in the treatment of digestive and metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes
- Rehaklinik Kirnitzschtalklinik: specialises in conservative orthopaedic therapy of acute and degenerative diseases of the muscular and skeletal systems