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 the ...

in the Bautzen district 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, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It became part of the municipality of

Schirgiswalde-Kirschau Schirgiswalde-Kirschau ( Sorbian: ''Šěrachow-Korzym'') is a town in the district of Bautzen, in Saxony, Germany. It was formed on January 1, 2011 by the merger of the former municipalities Schirgiswalde, Kirschau and Crostau.Kälbersteine Kälbersteine is a mountain in the district of Bautzen, Saxony. It is a member of the Lusatian Mountains and is located roughly a km south of Crostau Crostau ( Sorbian ''Chróstawa'') is a village and former municipality in Upper Lusatia in t ...

(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 The Upper Lusatian Gefilde (german: Oberlausitzer Gefilde or sometimes ''Bautzener Gefilde'', Upper Sorbian: ''Hornjołužiska pahórčina'') is a natural region in Saxony near the German tripoint with the Czech Republic and Poland. It is consider ...

. 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 The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

(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 Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. The kingdom was formed from the Electorate of Saxon ...

. 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 reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

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 Lausitze ...

, 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 riv ...

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 mo ...

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)