Oybin
Encyclopedia
Oybin is a municipality
in the district Görlitz
, in Saxony
, Germany
, located very close to the border of the Czech Republic
. Following the defeat of the Protestant armies by the Habsburgs in the Battle of the White Mountain in 1620, many Protestant Czechs found refuge across the border in the hills of Upper Lusatia
. It is a "Kurort", a resort or spa certified by the state, where people go for rest and recuperation. It is most famous for its mountain of the same name, an exposed natural sandstone dome that towers above the town. The ruins of a medieval monastery lend a wild romantic beauty to it and it was a favorite subject of 19th century Romantic
painters like Caspar David Friedrich
. Many bizarrely shaped geological rock formations can be found in the surroundings. The scenic narrow gauge Zittau–Oybin–Jonsdorf railway runs from Oybin to the neighboring community of Jonsdorf
and the city of Zittau
. The town has 3 districts, Oybin, Hain and Lückendorf.
Municipalities of Germany
Municipalities are the lowest level of territorial division in Germany. This may be the fourth level of territorial division in Germany, apart from those states which include Regierungsbezirke , where municipalities then become the fifth level.-Overview:With more than 3,400,000 inhabitants, the...
in the district Görlitz
Görlitz (district)
Görlitz is a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is named after its capital city Görlitz. It borders the district of Bautzen, the state Brandenburg, Poland and the Czech Republic.- History :...
, in 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....
, 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...
, located very close to the border of the Czech Republic
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....
. Following the defeat of the Protestant armies by the Habsburgs in the Battle of the White Mountain in 1620, many Protestant Czechs found refuge across the border in the hills of Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
. It is a "Kurort", a resort or spa certified by the state, where people go for rest and recuperation. It is most famous for its mountain of the same name, an exposed natural sandstone dome that towers above the town. The ruins of a medieval monastery lend a wild romantic beauty to it and it was a favorite subject of 19th century Romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
painters like Caspar David Friedrich
Caspar David Friedrich
Caspar David Friedrich was a 19th-century German Romantic landscape painter, generally considered the most important German artist of his generation. He is best known for his mid-period allegorical landscapes which typically feature contemplative figures silhouetted against night skies, morning...
. Many bizarrely shaped geological rock formations can be found in the surroundings. The scenic narrow gauge Zittau–Oybin–Jonsdorf railway runs from Oybin to the neighboring community of Jonsdorf
Jonsdorf
The community of Jonsdorf is located in the south of the Kreis Görlitz in the southeast of the German federal state of Saxony. It is embedded into a valley of the Zittau Mountains, part of the Lusatian Mountains.-History:...
and the city of Zittau
Zittau
Zittau is a city in the south east of the Free State of Saxony, Germany, close to the border tripoint of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. , there are 28,638 people in the city. It is part of the Görlitz district....
. The town has 3 districts, Oybin, Hain and Lückendorf.
Culture and Sights
- a baroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
mountain church built in 1734 - Periodic historical monk processions lit by torchlight
- Oybin railway station with small museum about the history of the Zittau Narrow Gauge Railway
- Teufelsmühle ("Devil's Mill")
Surroundings and Landmarks
- Rosensteine (Rose Stones) with Kelchstein (Chalice Rock), a red mushroom rock
- The Große Felsengasse (Large Canyon Alley) with Muschelsaal (Shell Hall) and the via ferrataVia ferrataA via ferrata or klettersteig is a mountain route which is equipped with fixed cables, stemples, ladders, and bridges. The use of these allows otherwise isolated routes to be joined to create longer routes which are accessible to people with a wide range of climbing abilities...
"Alpiner Grat" - Mount Scharfenstein (Sharp Stone)
- Mount Hochwald (Highwood)Hochwald (mountain)Hochwald is a mountain of Saxony, southeastern Germany....
with look-out tower and 2 mountain huts - Mount Töpfer (Potter)Töpfer (mountain)Mount Töpfer is a mountain with an elevation of 582 metres near the municipality of Oybin in the German state of Saxony. It is situated in the Zittau Mountains which are part of the Lusatian Mountains. It is known for it interesting rock formations near the top...
with mountain hut - Ameisenberg (Anthill rock)
- Mount OybinOybin (mountain)Mount Oybin is a mountain in Saxony, southeastern Germany, near by the city of Zittau and it is part of the Zittau Mountains.- External Links:***...