Zwickau Sights

Sights in Zwickau

  1. August Horch Museum

    Zwickau's top attraction is this amazing car museum that will enlighten and entertain even non-petrolheads. Housed within the original early-20th-century Audi factory, gleaming and imaginatively presented exhibits range from old-timer gems like the 1911 Horch Phaeton to the latest Audi R8. And, of course, there are plenty of Trabants (three million were produced here until 1990) and other cars that gave communism a bad name. You can walk inside an early gas station, inspect Audi founder August Horch's original wood-panelled office, stroll down a 1930s streetscape and even learn how Trabants were made. English-language audioguides are available for €2.50. The museum is abo…

    reviewed

  2. Priesterhäuser Zwickau

    Next to the Dom, the Priesterhäuser Zwickau gives you a close-up look at medieval living conditions. This ensemble of pint-sized cottages was built between the 13th and 15th centuries, and ranks among the country's oldest surviving residential buildings. Church employees lived here as late as the 19th century. Imagine the people who've come before you as you climb up the creaky stairs, duck into small chambers or inspect the soot-stained kitchen. A modern annex has changing exhibits about the town history.

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  3. Robert-Schumann-Haus

    Behind Hauptmarkt is the Robert-Schumann-Haus, where this renowned composer of the Romantic Age was born and spent the first seven years of his life. Exhibits trace the various life stations of the man who sadly went seriously bipolar in his 30s, and died young in Bonn. A highlight is the piano once played by Schumann's wife, Clara Wieck, herself a noted pianist. There's a monument to the man in the northeast corner of the Hauptmarkt.

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  4. Dom St Marien

    West of the Schumann-Haus, Dom St Marien is a late-Gothic hall church that will quicken the pulse of art fans. Foremost among its treasures is the 1479 altar painting by Michael Wohlgemuth (a teacher of Albrecht Dürer) plus an emotionally charged pietà (1502) by famous local sculptor Peter Breuer, and some ultra-rare Protestant confessionals. For details, ask to borrow the English pamphlet.

    reviewed

  5. Johannisbad

    A 10-minute walk north of the Altstadt, the spectacular Johannisbad is a beautiful old art- nouveau swimming pool and sauna complex - worth a look even without taking a dip.

    reviewed