Crostau ( Sorbian ''Chróstawa'') is a village and former municipality in

Upper Lusatia Upper Lusatia (german: Oberlausitz ; hsb, Hornja Łužica ; dsb, Górna Łužyca; szl, Gōrnŏ Łużyca; pl, Łużyce Górne or ''Milsko''; cz, Horní Lužice) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to th ...

in the

Bautzen district The district of Bautzen (german: Landkreis Bautzen, hsb, Wokrjes Budyšin) is a district in the state of Saxony in Germany. Its largest towns are Bautzen, Bischofswerda, Kamenz, Hoyerswerda and Radeberg. It is the biggest district in Saxony by a ...

of eastern

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. It became part of the municipality of Schirgiswalde-Kirschau on 1 January 2011.

Geography

Crostau is situated in the hills of upper Lusatia. It is surrounded by several significant hills, such as the Kälbersteine (487 m), the Potsberg (448 m), the Wolfsberg (347 m), the Horken (307 m), and the Callenberger Berg (360 m). Crostau is divided into two parts: lower Crostau with Kroste Castle, and upper Crostau with an old mansion and the church.

History

Crostau is in an old settlement area, although the traces of settlement are not as old as those in the nearby Upper Lusatian Gefilde. In lower Crostau, the first Slavic settlement dates back to the year 800 CE. With the big German settlement in the 10th up to the 12th century an older place was transformed into the small castle, called "Kroste". First it was used to secure trade routes, later it became a place of robbers. In 1352, the castle was destroyed by the "Six-cities-alliance" of upper Lusatia, which was the first time Crostau was mentioned in a written work. Crostau has for centuries been a seat of several noble families, such as the Von Rechenbergs and the Von Watzdorfs. Within the German Empire (1871–1918), Crostau was part of the

Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony (german: Königreich Sachsen), lasting from 1806 to 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in French period, Napoleonic through German Confederation, post-Napoleonic Germany. The kingdom was ...

. In 1934 the formerly independent communities of Callenberg (Sorbian: Chemmberk), Carlsberg, and Wurbis formed the community of Crostau. In 1972 Halbendorf (Sorbian: Wbohow) also became part of Crostau.

Religion

The present church was built in 1869 on the site of an older church that contained a 1732 organ by

Gottfried Silbermann Gottfried Silbermann (January 14, 1683 – August 4, 1753) was a German builder of keyboard instruments. He built harpsichords, clavichords, organs, and fortepianos; his modern reputation rests mainly on the latter two. Life Very little is kn ...

. The Silbermann organ is now in the newer church.http://web464.server10.greatweb.de/silbermannorgel/index.php?c=1&s=silbermann_orgel Die Silbermann-Orgel in der Crostauer Kirche; retrieved 2 July 2022 Crostau is traditionally a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

village. Today the churches of Crostau,

Kirschau Kirschau ( Sorbian ''Korzym'') is a village and a former municipality in Upper Lusatia in the district of Bautzen in Saxony in Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Schirgiswalde-Kirschau. It is situated in a region called Lau ...

, and

Schirgiswalde Schirgiswalde (in Sorbian ''Šěrachów'', in Czech ''Šerachov'') is a town and a former municipality in the district of Bautzen in Saxony in Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Schirgiswalde-Kirschau. It is located on the ...

work closely together.

Politics

Since German reunification, the CDU (conservative party) has been the leading political force in the community.

Economy

Crostau is far from the important highways of the region and has no industry, but it is linked to

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...

routes and has beautiful surroundings. Most of the inhabitants work in other towns or villages in the area.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Former municipalities in Saxony Populated places in Bautzen (district)