Bertsdorf-Hörnitz: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Bertsdorf-Hörnitz combines Baroque architectural history, historic railways and distinctive landscapes. Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Bertsdorf-Hörnitz can then continue their search for accommodation.

Nature and Trails

The 7.6-kilometre Nature and Culture Trail leads from Hörnitz to Bertsdorf and connects 13 natural, historical and cultural sites. These include Althörnitz Castle, the two parish churches, Koitsche, Hof Weikelt, the Upper Mill, the Ressel Forge, traditional Upper Lusatian houses and the landscape of the Breiteberg.

The Breiteberg has a 13-metre-high stone observation tower, the Dr Curt Heinke Tower, which was built from the phonolite of the mountain. Its summit is of volcanic origin and forms a varied phonolite hill landscape. The rock formations include Querxloch and Zscherschelsteen; from the Breiteberg, views extend across the Zittau Mountains.

Culture and History

The Baroque church in Bertsdorf was built from 1672 to 1675 based on a design by Andreas Klengel and served as a model for several Baroque village churches in southern Upper Lusatia. The Bertsdorf vicarage preserves structural elements dating from around 1700.

Hörnitz Church preserves its original operating mechanisms from the period before electrification, including the equipment for the bells, tower clock and organ. It can be visited by prior arrangement; visitors are asked to call in advance for the key. The aforementioned Althörnitz Castle was built between 1651 and 1654 and features a distinctive Renaissance gable. Its park is home to a large elm protected under nature conservation laws.

The narrow-gauge railway reaches Bertsdorf station and branches there towards Oybin or Jonsdorf in the Zittau Mountains. At the historic forest railway station, visitors can watch shunting operations, while the engine shed contains railway rarities. The aforementioned Ressel Forge dates from 1866 and once produced wrought-iron tools for nearby farms and commercial gardens. The Upper Mill remained in operation until 1900; an extension houses the Schubert Collection of cultural-historical agricultural and domestic implements. Hof Weikelt is a residential and stable building dating from 1754 with a projecting roof.

Exploring the Nature Park

The Zittau Mountains Nature Park offers 115 kilometres of cycle paths connected to the Czech cycling network. There is also a 500-kilometre network of marked trails with cross-border signposting.

From Zittau, the Nature and Culture Trail provides convenient access: parking spaces are available at the entrance in Hörnitz, and bus route 1 runs from Zittau Central Station.

Further destinations: Hainewalde, Dürrhennersdorf, Weißkeißel, Mücka, Vierkirchen, Grossschönau, Leutersdorf, Neißeaue

To the overarching travel overview: Görlitz.