Ostritz (, hsb, Wostrowc) is a town in the district Görlitz, in
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 is situated on the border with
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, on the left bank of the
Lusatian Neisse
The Lusatian Neisse (german: Lausitzer Neiße; pl, Nysa Łużycka; cs, Lužická Nisa; Upper Sorbian: ''Łužiska Nysa''; Lower Sorbian: ''Łužyska Nysa''), or Western Neisse, is a river in northern Central Europe.Görlitz.
It was the scene of a small battle in the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...
, described in a contemporary journal as follows: ''On 31st December 1756 a picket of Prince Heinrich's Regiment under the command of Major Heinrich
von Blumenthal
The von Blumenthal family are Lutheran and Roman Catholic German nobility, originally from Brandenburg-Prussia. Other (unrelated) families of this name exist in Switzerland and formerly in Russia, and many unrelated families (quite a few of them Je ...
, which had been sent out from
Zittau
Zittau ( hsb, Žitawa, dsb, Žytawa, pl, Żytawa, cs, Žitava, Upper Lusatian Dialect: ''Sitte''; from Slavic "'' rye''" (Upper Sorbian and Czech: ''žito'', Lower Sorbian: ''žyto'', Polish: ''żyto'')) is the southeasternmost city in the Ge ...
to Ostritz, was attacked by 500 Croats who, notwithstanding their numerical superiority were thoroughly beaten off. The Croats got right into the town and set fire to some houses, but the fires were put out. The most serious loss on the Prussian side was the brave Major von Blumenthal, who fell right at the beginning of the action.''
In recent years, the town has become known for its efforts in recycling and ecological renewable energy.
It is also located next to the thirteenth century Cistercian nunnery, St. Marienthal Abbey, which is still functioning.
One curious fact about the town is that due to territorial changes after the Second World War its railway station lies in the Polish village of Krzewina. It is part of the Görlitz-Zittau train line.
Incidents
The "Shield and Sword" festival (or "SS Festival" for short) was launched on 20 April 2018 commemorating
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
's birthday and was opposed by the Ostritz Peace Festival established by local residents. In 2019, a court in Dresden imposed a ban on the sale or possession of alcohol at the Schild and Schwert Festival. Police confiscated thousands of litres of beer and local residents bought up the entire stock from the local supermarket.
File:Buergerhaus ostritz.jpg, Former community centre ''(Bürgerhaus)'' with statue
File:Rathaus Ostritz saniert.JPG, Town Hall in Ostritz