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Organic Village of Schmilka in Saxony Switzerland. c.. Saxony Tourism | |
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Dear Travel Colleagues,
Saxony, one of Germany's 16 states, is located in the east of Germany on the border with Poland and the Czech Republic. Saxony is aptly nicknamed “State of the Arts” not only for its arts and museums but because of its enormous creativity and initiative. In this newsletter, we write about Saxony's initiative in creating beautiful new places from old and disused buildings and we include the village of Schmilka in the town of Bad Schandau that has created a model of sustainability in tourism.
It takes vision, discipline and creativity to come up with an idea and then to be able to put the idea into reality, which entails coming up with a budget, a special use, and a realization of return over the years. Wtih foresight and patience and the common goal of sustainability, Saxony has made great strides in creating sustainable tourism destinations. In this newsletter, we cover a few of the really interesting places that Saxony is showing is sustainable stripes.
Schmilka is a village that calls itself organic - at least its focus is to be organic. It is located directly on Saxony’s painter’s way in the district of Bad Schandau on the edge of Saxon Switzerland National Park in Saxony. Recovering from the harsh open cast mining that exposed and ruined the once fruitful farmlands, Saxony has been innovative in planning a recovery and creating a new tourism destination: the New Lakeland District outside of Leipzig. The Panometers in Dresden and Leipzig are great examples of restoring old
buildings.The Dresden and Leipzig “Panometers”(panorama + gasometer) are now two cultural attractions created from disused and outmoded gas holders or gasometers.
Have a great start to summer travel,
Victoria Larson
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The organic hotel, Helvetia, in Schmilka. c. Saxony Tourism | |
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Organic and Sustainable Tourism in the Village of Schmilka
Schmilka is a village where many of the hotels and products and produce are organic. It is located directly on Saxony’s painter’s way in the district of Bad Schandau on the edge of Saxon Switzerland National Park in Saxony. Small half-timbered houses with quaint guesthouses crowd up the hill to the historic mill of 1665, where flour is once again ground and traditional crafts are cultivated in the neighboring organic bakery and brewery.
The reasons for the organic title come from various initiatives in Schmilka that were the brainchild and financed by Sven-Erik Hitzer, the entrepreneur and tourism expert who brought Schmilka back to life. With the village, he started the procurement of organic seasonal food from the region, cultivation of the village’s own herbs, vegetables; water revitalization; use of biodegradable cleaning products; use of certified green electricity; waste separation; the reduction of CO2 pollution by promoting public transport; active offers in the national park, the aim of which is to show people the sustainable use of nature; sustainable construction and renovation projects. The village was awarded the title of "Lighthouse of the Tourism Industry" for its creative and sustainable concept.
All of the hotels serve fresh and healthy organic vitality cuisine as they believe healthy nutrition is the basis for real well-being. The majority of the ingredients and drinks are sourced from the region which saves long transport routes and protects the environment, and it reinforces regional organic farming. The houses too include furniture and furnishings made from natural materials, some of them antique. The goal is to share a path to a healthy lifestyle. This includes health services such as hikes and massages and various methods of natural healing and prevention to strengthen immune systems. Schmilka is only one hour south of Dresden by car or train and it lies on the edge of the beautiful Saxon Switzerland State Park where the Sandstone Mountains offer extraordinary hiking and rock climbing.
Village of Schmilka
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Miniing Technology Park in the new lake district outside of Leipzig. c.Saxony Tourism | |
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Leipzig's New Lake District Reclaims Brown Coal Mining Fields
Recovering from the harsh open cast mining that exposed and ruined the erstwhile farmlands, Saxony has been innovative in planning a recovery and created a new tourism destination. The New Lake District outside of Leipzig is today one of the most popular places where Saxons go to sail, swim, row and enjoy nature and birds. The landscape around Leipzig, which was formerly characterized by brown coal mining, has been transformed into a modern water sports region since the opencast mines were closed in the 1990s. The newly created lakes in the districts of Leipzig and Northern Saxony, together with the rivers of the city of Leipzig, now form the Leipzig New Lake District.
The still growing water landscape of the Leipzig Neuseenland is a former opencast mining landscape. With the closure of numerous opencast mines in the early 1990s, the foundation stone for the Leipzig Neuseenland was laid. Miners, municipalities, regional planners, tourism experts, conservationists, water managers and many other specialists came together to help shape the future of the brown coal region.
The so-called mining hollows that remained after the closure of opencast mines in the Central German lignite mining area were flooded and recultivated for people and nature. Mining lakes have been created and are still being created, some of which are already or will be connected to canals and will be linked to the rivers and canals of the city of Leipzig. This creates a water network between lakes, natural rivers and artificial canals with a length of around 600 miles. Sailing, swimming, rowing, bathing, water skiing are popular spots in the New Lakeland District. Lake Cospuden is reachable from Leipzig city center by a short bicycle ride or bus and the erstwhile open lignite mine is now a sought-after escape for Leipzigers and visitors alike.
Leipzig's New Lake District
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The theater street in front of Kraftwerk Mitte c. Kraftwerk Mitte | |
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Dresden's Central Thermal Power Plant Turns Performance Center
The central Dresden power plant, an impressive industrial monument from the 19th century, has been transformed. In the middle of the beautiful baroque city of Dresden on the Elbe has a new use for an old building. This unique industrial building has been revitalized with a high-quality, aesthetic design intended to complement the existing buildings and underline the character of the creative district. The appearance of the former thermal power plant has been preserved complete with switchgear, heating center, reactor house.
Dresden is thrilled with its unique art, culture and creative location. Its excellent location, impressive architecture, innovative ideas has created a new magnet in the middle of Dresden. In addition to the State Operetta and the tjg. theater young generation, there is the Stromwerk cultural arena, the music college, the world class puppet theater (the will be open after September 2024), the energy museum among other artistic groups- the new cultural location is rounded off by gastronomy, inspiration and modern working environments!
Kraftwerk Mitte
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The Panometer in Leipzig. c. Saxony Tourism | |
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Former Gas Storage Tanks Become Enormous and Immersive Spaces for Murals
The Dresden and Leipzig “Panometers”(panorama + gasometer) are two tourism attractions that were made out of disused and outmoded gas holders or gasometers. The artist Yadegar Asisi, took over a gasometer in Dresden and Leipzig and created enormous murals and exhibitions that make history come alive in a 24 hour period – day to night. Even as a small child, Yadegar Asisi was fascinated by the techniques of spatial illusion
The Panometer in Leipzig was first constructed in 2003. The current panoramic exhibition in Leipzig takes you back in time to the small French town of Rouen at the end of the 19th century. Immerse yourself in a world of colour, light and shadow and look forward to an extraordinary exhibition experience for young and old.
The Panometer Dresden is located in a former gas storage tank of local power supplier SachsenEnergie from the 19th century. It became the second permanent exhibition venue of Yadegar Asisi’s panoramas in 2006.Currently there is an exhibition called AMAZONIA where Asisi created a hyper-realistic art space that depicts the various geological formations found in the tropical rainforest, reflecting all their complexity. The cylindrical panorama shows mountain rainforests and river plains, glades and reservoirs, giant trees and a vast valley. After a long period of observation, you will see exotic inhabitants of this natural environment emerge from the thicket of the plant cosmos: including: brightly colored carnivorous plants, colonies of giant ants and indigenous hunters.
Panometer in Leipzig
Panometer in Dresden
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the ACTINON health resort in Bad Schlema in the Ore Mountains known for radon therapy. c. Saxony Tourism | |
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From Mining Town to Health Resort: Bad Schlema
Deep in the Ore Mountains in Saxony, lies the charming town of Bad Schlema, a modern day spa town. It is hard to imagine that this place lived for centuries as a mining town, not just once but twice. Traces of the original mining can be found in the townscape, and the history has not been forgotten. In the early 1920s, the spa town was one of the most sought after health destinations. In 1946 however, this changed, when the Soviets decided for to mine for uranium in the Ore Mountains in order to build nuclear weapons. In total disregard for the environment, many buildings in the center of the old city, were demolished for open-pit mining, including the spa center. What was left behind, was a landscape reminiscient of the moon. In 1991, after the mining had stopped and due to the singular vision of mayor Konrad Barth, Bad Schlema started its road to recovery.
In October 2004, the town received its official recognition as a radon health spa. Radon is a radioactive gas that has been used for medicinal purposes for over 100 years to treat inflammatory, chronic degenerative, and musculoskeletal conditions.Today, Bad Schlema, one of nine German radon spas, uses healing water containing radon. Health vacationers in particular are drawn to Bad Schlema for the natural presence of the natural radioactive gas present in the concentration necessary for medical purposes. Today, the health resort has developed into a real gem - with a spa center, spa park, golf course, attractive hotels and guesthouses. Bad Schlema is also the perfect starting point for hiking tours in the varied and enchanting landscape of the Ore Mountains.
Bad Schlema
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For further information, please contact Victoria Larson at victoria@vklarsoncommunications.com
https://visitsaxony.com/
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