Via Sacra cycling pilgrimage route from Kamenz to Bautzen
Those who approach the VIA Sacra from the west first reach Kamenz. Four notable Gothic churches are worth a visit. In the main church of St. Marien, Lessing was baptized in 1729. This richly furnished house of worship is the only granite-built hall church north of the Alps. Right next to it stands the fortified Catechism Church, where Johann Gottfried Lessing, the father of the famous poet, worked as a catechist. The burial church St. Just also has remarkable works of art. However, indispensable is the visit of the church of the former Franciscan monastery of St. Annen (Sacral Museum) with its five precious carved altars from the beginning of the 16th century.
Directions
The route leads through the fertile Upper Lusatian countryside, which was already settled in the Neolithic. It partly follows the VIA REGIA, which once connected Kiev with Santiago de Compostela. At a ford over the Schwarze Elster rises the Prietitzer Schanze, a Bronze Age fortification. An absolute "must" is the VIA SACRA station Cistercian convent St. Marienstern (in continuous existence since 1248) with its monastery treasury. Under its patronage is the pilgrimage church in Rosenthal a few kilometers to the north, the most important pilgrimage site for the Catholic Sorbs. The legendary lime tree and a water-rich spring point to a place of power of archaic origin. Nearby, one can visit a cemetery in Ralbitz, unique with its more than 300 radiant white grave crosses. The church in the Sorbian Crostwitz stands on the site of a pre-Christian cult site. Typical for the region are numerous wayside crosses with Sorbian texts. In Schmochtitz a visit to the educational center Schmochtitz Saint Benno (an educational institution of the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen) is worthwhile. On the Red Mountain, the millennium monument commemorates the Christianization of the Sorbs.
Recommended equipment
Traffic-safe bicycle, bicycle helmet, day cycling backpack (approx. 20 liters) with rain cover, comfortable sports shoes, if applicable cycling shoes, weather-appropriate and durable clothing in multi-layer principle, if applicable cycling jersey, if applicable cycling gloves, air pump, bicycle tools, sun and rain protection, provisions and drinking water, drinking bottle and suitable holder, first aid kit, pocket knife, mobile phone, if applicable mobile phone holder for the handlebar, if applicable headlamp and reflectors, map material
Safety notice
From Kamenz to Bautzen, the route is identical to the continuously well-signposted Saxon City Route.
Pay attention to traffic on all streets and paths and comply with the traffic regulations.
Contact and arrival
Travelers from Leipzig, Dresden and Görlitz (A4) or Berlin and Prague (A13) can reach Kamenz quickly and conveniently via the passing motorways.