Crostau
Encyclopedia
Crostau is a village and a former municipality in the upper Lusatia
in the district of Bautzen
in eastern Saxony
in Germany
. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Schirgiswalde-Kirschau
. It has about 1,710 inhabitants (as of January 2006) on a surface of about 9.32 km², giving it a population density of about 183 inhabitants per km².
Crostau is divided into two parts: lower Crostau with the castle Kroste, and upper Crostau with an old mansion and the church.
. In lower Crostau, the first Slavic
settlement dates back to the year 800 AD. With the big German settlement in the 10th up to the 12th century an older place was transformed into the small castel "Kroste". First it was used to save trade routes, later it became a place of robbers. In 1352, the castle had been destroyed by the "Six-cities-alliance" of upper Lusatia, which was the first time Crostau was mentioned in a written work. Crostau has been, for centuries, a seat of several nobel families like the "von Rechenberg" and the "von Watzdorf".
In 1934 the former independent communities of Callenberg (sorabian: Chemmberk), Carlsberg and Wurbis formed the community of Crostau - in 1972 also Halbendorf (sorabian: Wbohow) became part of it.
In 1869, the church with a famous organ built by the Saxon organ builder Gottfried Silbermann
in 1732 was built up on an older site. Crostau traditionally is a Lutheran village. Today the churches of Crostau, Kirschau
, and Schirgiswalde
work closely together.
(conservative party) is the leading political force in the community.
parths and has beautiful surroundings. Most of the inhabitants work in other villages or towns of the region.
Lusatia
Lusatia is a historical region in Central Europe. It stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the east to the Elbe valley in the west, today located within the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg as well as in the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships of western Poland...
in the district of Bautzen
Bautzen (district)
Bautzen is a district in the Free State of Saxony in Germany including the former districts of Bischofswerda and Kamenz. It is bounded by the Czech Republic, the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, the district-free city Dresden and the districts of Meißen and Görlitz...
in eastern Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
in Germany
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...
. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Schirgiswalde-Kirschau
Schirgiswalde-Kirschau
Schirgiswalde-Kirschau is a town in the district of Bautzen, in Saxony, Germany. It was formed on 1 January 2011 by the merger of the former municipalities Schirgiswalde, Kirschau and Crostau....
. It has about 1,710 inhabitants (as of January 2006) on a surface of about 9.32 km², giving it a population density of about 183 inhabitants per km².
Geography
Crostau is situated in are the hills of upper Lusatia. It is surrounded by several important hills of this mountain region, such as the Kälbersteine (487 m), the Potsberg (448 m), the Wolfsberg (347 m), the Horken (307 m), and the Callenberger Berg (360 m).Crostau is divided into two parts: lower Crostau with the castle Kroste, and upper Crostau with an old mansion and the church.
History
Crostau is placed upon an old settlement area, even though the traces of settlement aren't as old as those in the plane of BautzenBautzen
Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
. In lower Crostau, the first Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
settlement dates back to the year 800 AD. With the big German settlement in the 10th up to the 12th century an older place was transformed into the small castel "Kroste". First it was used to save trade routes, later it became a place of robbers. In 1352, the castle had been destroyed by the "Six-cities-alliance" of upper Lusatia, which was the first time Crostau was mentioned in a written work. Crostau has been, for centuries, a seat of several nobel families like the "von Rechenberg" and the "von Watzdorf".
In 1934 the former independent communities of Callenberg (sorabian: Chemmberk), Carlsberg and Wurbis formed the community of Crostau - in 1972 also Halbendorf (sorabian: Wbohow) became part of it.
Religion
Silbermann
Silbermann is a German surname meaning "silver man" and may refer to:* Gottfried Silbermann , German manufacturer of pipe organs** Andreas Silbermann , German manufacturer of pipe organs, older brother of Gottfried...
in 1732 was built up on an older site. Crostau traditionally is a Lutheran village. Today the churches of Crostau, Kirschau
Kirschau
Kirschau is a village and a former municipality in Upper Lusatia in the district of Bautzen in Saxony in Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Schirgiswalde-Kirschau...
, and Schirgiswalde
Schirgiswalde
Schirgiswalde is a town and a former municipality in the district of Bautzen in Saxony in Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Schirgiswalde-Kirschau. It is located on the river Spree, 15 km south of Bautzen. The small town is an official place of relaxation...
work closely together.
Politics
Since German reunification, the CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
(conservative party) is the leading political force in the community.
Economics
Crostau is far from the important highways of the region and has no industry, but it is linked to touristTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
parths and has beautiful surroundings. Most of the inhabitants work in other villages or towns of the region.