Things to do in Bautzen
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Schloss Ortenburg
Schloss Ortenburg sits on a strategic cliff-top spot that's been occupied by a series of castles since the 7th century. You enter the complex through its most interesting structure, the late-Gothic Matthiasturm (Matthias Tower), named for the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus who ruled over the region in the late 15th century - you can see him depicted on horseback as a monumental relief on the tower.
The main palace houses a regional courthouse and is not open to the public. A smaller one, off the courtyard, contains the Sorbisches Museum, which displays Sorb folk art, musical instruments, costumes and other items in the old salt storehouse.
Across the square is Bautzen's …
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Bautzen Prisons & Gedenkstätte
It seems incongruous that this pretty and historic town has been known as Gefängnisstadt (prison town) for over a century. The first facility, Bautzen I, a yellow brick structure from 1904, gained such notoriety under the Nazis and later the Soviets that it earned the moniker Gelbes Elend (Yellow Misery). Completely modernised, it's still used as a correctional facility today.
South of town is Bautzen II, which became a Stasi prison in GDR times. Many famous regime opponents - including Rudolf Bahro, who later co-founded the Green Party in West Germany - served their sentences here. Today, it's a Gedenkstätte (memorial site) for the victims of political oppression.
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Dom St Petri
North of the Hauptmarkt is the Fleischmarkt, the old meat market, dominated by the Dom St Petri. This is the only Simultankirche in eastern Germany, meaning it serves both Catholics and Protestants. When the Reformation reached Bautzen in 1524, both congregations agreed to share the church, with the Protestants holding services in the nave and the Catholics in the choir. There's a waist-high iron grating separating the two - although it was 4m high until 1952!
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Hauptmarkt
Reichenstrasse leads west from the tower, past some fancy baroque houses to the Hauptmarkt, site of the tourist office and thrice-weekly farmers' markets. The square is dominated by the impressive Rathaus, with an 18th-century baroque exterior that masks a Gothic origin. The intriguing sundial not only measures time, but also the lengths of the days and nights for the respective date.
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Bjesada
With warm colours, contemporary design and backlit figures from Sorb fairy-tales, the Sorb Cultural Centre restaurant is perhaps not what you'd expect from an eatery celebrating traditional culture. However, the bilingual menu is laden with typical dishes involving herring and beef, with a few token vegie choices thrown in for good measure.
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Wjelbik
You can't help but be charmed by your host here, Veronika Mahling, who will greet you, Sorbian style, with a little bread and salt and a hearty Witajće k nam! (Welcome!). Enjoy the most Sorbian of dishes, 'Sorbian Wedding' (braised beef with horseradish sauce) in the dining room that manages modern and traditional in one go.
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Reichenturm
The Reichenturm provides aerial views of the Altstadt. The addition of the baroque cupola in 1718 caused the 53m-high structure to start tilting. Today it deviates 1.4m from the centre, making it one of the steepest leaning towers north of the Alps.
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Stadtmuseum
The Stadtmuseum reopened in 2009 after a five-year hiatus for restoration. The reinvigorated display looks at the history of the town and region as well as local art in shiny new exhibition spaces.
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Mönchshof
With servers dressed like monks and dishes served in rustic earthenware, this place may go a bit overboard with the medieval theme, but the creative food is worth the drama. It also has a pretty terrace.
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Sorbisches Museum
The Sorbisches Museum has collections and displays of Sorb history and culture, including a fascinating walk-through section on the history of the Sorbs in the 20th century.
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Nicolaiturm & Nicolaikirche
Behind the palace, a lane leads down to the Nicolaiturm tower and a cemetery cradled by the romantically ruined Nicolaikirche, which was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War.
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Bautzner Senfladen
The Fleischmarkt is home to the Bautzner Senfladen, where you can buy Bautzen's most famous relish and view a free exhibition on mustard production.
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Serbski Dom
Slavophiles should head for the Serbski Dom with heaps of information on Sorb-related events, a free exhibition and souvenir shop.
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Alte Wasserkunst
South of the Schloss the Alte Wasserkunst is a tower containing an ingenious and fully functional late-medieval pumping station.
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Sam's Bar
For salads, sandwiches and the locally famous 'Samburger', come to this relaxed hang-out that stays open longer than any other place in town.
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Domstift
Just behind the Dom is the Domstift, a U-shaped bishop's palace entered via a richly decorated baroque portal.
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Domschatzkammer
Loads of objects gleam inside the Domschatzkammer, the oldest being a portable 13th-century enamel altar.
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Zur Apotheke
Inside an olde-worlde pharmacy, this progressive eatery takes the medicinal theme to the limit.
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Bautzner Senfstube
Almost all the tasty regional dishes here contain Bautzen's famous mustard.
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