Our neighbors – their country and people (EEL-0246-DE)

Based on the previous year's experience, numerous posters were put up in Sebnitz and Dolni Poustevna, advertisements were placed in the Sebnitz Border Gazette and Poustevnik and the flyer with the full program was distributed. These and other events in the program were advertised on the website and in social media. In addition, the excursion was announced on the Euroregion website (whereupon 3 people registered, but none of them came. Despite making contact) - a good preparation, by the way, always mentioning the financial support of Interreg and Euroregion.

Initially, 20 German and 20 Czech participants had registered. Then, shortly beforehand, 17 and 25 Ukrainian friends wanted to join us. The brakes had to be applied and further advertising stopped, as the bus ordered only had 54 seats. But then things turned out differently. With 6 Ukrainian guests, there were only 39 participants on the train. So some of them had been turned away. Too many of those who had registered had simply not turned up.

As is often the case, the favorable opportunity to travel by train (U 28) from 10.12 a.m. or 12.18 p.m. was used. However, it was not possible to travel to Dolni Zleb as planned, as the car ferry for the planned Elbe crossing was not yet in operation. We therefore used the ferry in Schöna. However, we would now have had to walk 4 km on the busy main road towards Decin. We didn't want to do that, so we ordered a bus to take us this route (and pick us up later). As some people (including 2 husbands) were keen to join us but didn't feel up to the climb, we organized with the owners of the "Belvedere" inn to pick them up in a car for a fee, which worked out perfectly.

While it was still a little cold in the morning, everyone got quite warm during the strenuous but very beautiful ascent. The view from the Elbe viewpoint and later, as well as the wonderful menu with friendly service (in the restaurant, which is actually no longer in operation, only hotels garni) were a good reward for the effort of the ascent. A small drop of bitterness was the fact that not all participants could be seated in the restaurant at the same time due to a workshop in the 2nd dining room. This is why 9 participants are missing from the group photo.

After a stop in the "Belvedere" area, which many participants did not know, we took a leisurely walk to Labska Stran, where the bus we had ordered picked us up and took us to Decin. There was still time for a little stroll through the town and a visit to a coffee shop

We then took the U28 back from Decin on time at 4.41 p.m., arriving in Sebnitz at 5.39 p.m. and shortly afterwards in Dolni Poustevna.

With the commonality of driving, walking, eating and entertainment, numerous explanations of individual stations and historical events, in addition to beautiful weather, the goal of the excursion was reached with satisfied participants.

Rainer Böhme
Sebnitz 8.4.25

(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)

In addition to the standard advertising - flyers, posters, publication in the "Grenzblatt" and "Poustevnik" - this time we also placed greater emphasis on addressing our "regular guests" as well as other people. In addition, we wanted to avoid cancellations due to people who had already registered and then people who had registered not showing up. We had planned for 50 - 55 participants. However, as we did not have to take bus capacity into account, but only the capacity of the restaurant, we finally agreed to a few more participants and also allowed some people who had already canceled (registrations via Euroregion Dresden) to participate. At Sebnitz train station, we were in for an absolute surprise: more people arrived who said they had registered, so that in the end 70 adults and 4 children made the journey. Fortunately, this included many people who were taking part in events organized by our association for the first time and, in particular, an excursion as part of the "Our Neighbours - Land and People" project. We made an immediate phone call to the "Schlossschänke Weesenstein" to ensure that there would be enough food for all participants.

Once again, we took advantage of the convenient opportunity to travel by train (U 28) from 10.12 am or 12.18 pm. After changing trains in Bad Schandau and Heidenau, we arrived punctually at the station in Weesenstein, where we took the first group photos.

On the way to the castle and the restaurant, the participants, most of whom were visiting Weesenstein for the first time, took their first photos of the castle. On the way, we stopped at the small exhibition on the 2002 floods and explained how badly this event had affected the small town.

In the castle tavern, we found the agreed buffet already waiting for us and we were able to enjoy an uncomplicated, plentiful and good meal. Of course, with 70 people, a queue formed in front of the buffet, but everyone took it with humor and composure.

As there were more people than expected, there were a few discussions at reception about the guided tour of the castle, but these were eventually resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

In two groups with two guides, we made our way through the maze of staircases and rooms (around 200, not all of which we were able to see, of course). Even those who had visited the castle before were once again impressed by the variety of exhibits, the historical and modern presentation and the wealth of impressions.

After the tour, most of us visited the castle park or other rooms of the castle. As there was still time left, some hiked up the hill opposite the castle and others treated themselves to a coffee or ice cream at one of the three places to stop for refreshments.

We left the town with a wealth of impressions. Unfortunately, the train was 5 minutes late and we missed the S-Bahn to Bad Schandau in Heidenau. As we would have had a longer stay there anyway, we decided to get moving, walked slowly across the recently closed bridge and walked to Rathmannsdorf station. Here it was pointed out that this part of the village used to be called Wendisch-Fähre (it was still standing at Rathmannsdorf station until it was renovated), which pointed to the earlier settlement of Slavic inhabitants (Sorbs - Wends).

Once again, it can be assumed that the aim of the project, to promote encounters, discussions and similarities between people from neighboring towns separated by borders, was fully achieved. Even the first-time participants made contacts immediately.

Rainer Böhme
Sebnitz 6.5.25

(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)

We have kept up the successful forms of advertising and have had a further influx of people, particularly thanks to a "regular guest" who, thanks to his work as a hiking guide in Neustadt, has made our project known there and was able to attract more participants.

As hiking requires a minimum level of physical fitness, some people stayed away who were confident enough to take part in city tours with shorter routes but not longer hikes.

Nevertheless, we were able to welcome 26 participants from Sebnitz, 4 of whom only joined us at the starting point. One person even arrived at the finish. This was Käthe Häntzschel, who is always picked up by us or our Czech partner club. At the age of 104, she actually completed the 5 km route.

The Czech participants in our project joined us at the starting point in Dolni Poustevna, but like the participants from Sebnitz, they got lost on the various sections of the route and due to their different walking speeds. As a result, it was no longer possible to get a group photo of them together at the finish.

Traditionally, the organizers had announced and marked different route lengths for the walkers and cyclists. The participants in our project ran at least the 5 km, the majority chose 9 km and some particularly active participants chose the 15 km.

While the 5 km route used the newly created cycle path in Dolni Poustevna along the Vilemovky potok, the 9 km route ran on the other side of this stream through the Sebnitz forest. The Wolf's Stone was a geologically interesting point. Then the Dolni Poustevna - Rumburk railroad line just before Mikulasovice station and the church in Vilemov.

As is the intention of our project, there were many conversations between the participants from different backgrounds. In addition to day-to-day problems, they often discussed the history of the country and its people, especially this region, and in particular the period after the end of the Second World War with the turmoil of the expulsion of the so-called Sudeten Germans.

At the finish, the evaluators were waiting to receive the route documents and hand out certificates as well as pendants.

Of course, plenty of refreshments were also provided and our participants were able to redeem their food vouchers.

Meetings and conversations took place on this hike with far more people, i.e. beyond the circle of our project participants. This is, of course, a positive development and raises the profile of the organizing associations on the one hand and our projects on the other

We have already received registrations for the next excursions.

Rainer Böhme
Sebnitz, 19.05.25

(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)

As we had already noticed a great deal of interest in this excursion in advance, the decision was made without further ado to travel by train rather than by bus, in contrast to our initial plans. However, as the journey took just under 2 hours despite good connections (2 changes each time, but with an immediate connection), we decided to take the early train at 8.12 a.m. from D. Poustevna and 8.18 a.m. from Sebnitz. To save time when filling in the list of participants, we already filled in some of the names of those registered so that they only had to sign. However, this did not work out as some people were unable to take part due to the heat or for other reasons.

Nevertheless, the excursion was well attended with 54 participants.

Despite changing trains twice, the train journey was very smooth and, above all, very punctual. The journey through the romantic Elbe Valley with its Bohemian Uplands bordered by deciduous forests was very pleasant. After arriving in Litomerice, all participants were very impressed by the colorful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings on the way to and around the historic market square. The city guide provided excellent information about the history and architecture of the city. What was new for everyone was that the city had switched from Catholicism to the Reformed faith after the occupation by the Hussites and back to Catholicism after the victory of the Catholic imperial army in the Thirty Years' War. In both cases, this prevented the destruction of the town.

After the basic explanations of the city guide, the participants split into two groups and visited the cathedral hill and other interesting streets and squares of the city separately.

For dinner, we found ourselves in the "Dobra Basta" restaurant as we had ordered. Unfortunately, the meal and payment took so long that we lost time that we actually wanted to use for further sightseeing of the city.

All participants described the excursion as very worthwhile. And once again it was stated that it was nice and pleasant to be able to talk to strangers and exchange ideas.

The excursion to the ruins of Bezdez Castle and Lake Macha is already eagerly awaited. We have already seen the poet's birthplace and home in Litomerice.

Rainer Böhme
Sebnitz, 16.06.25

(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)

Experience has shown that special interest had to be aroused for this excursion. After all, we were not going to a well-known place or a well-known excursion destination, but to a special cultural event, to meet Asian people and their culture.

The still enormous heat of the previous days and the unfavorable timing (in Sebnitz, the Summer Culture Days with their highlight took place on exactly the same day) led us to expect a smaller number of participants, especially as some of the Czech "regulars" who were not so enthusiastic about culture had canceled. However, with 36 fellow travelers, our expectations were even exceeded.

After the short train journey, only a convoy of vintage cars prevented the equally short approach. A short time later, it was right around lunchtime, but no one could stop the participants from taking a look at the various stalls, especially the culinary offerings of Asian food and drinks, and trying them out straight away. Although the heat caused great problems for everyone, all participants were impressed by the performances of the artists from the Philippines, Iran, Syria and Kazakhstan, among others. For those attending the festival for the first time, it was not only the ambience and the Tibetan yaks, but the whole atmosphere with the Asian artists (most of whom live in Germany or the Czech Republic) and the friendly relationship between everyone that was amazing and was described as exemplary for the coexistence of different cultures.

Rainer Böhme
Sebnitz, 05.07.25

(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)

This excursion must have met with a very general interest, as the number of requests was so high that we had to turn down numerous interested parties.
interested parties had to cancel. But then again, people who registered at the last minute had problems (or pretended to), so that in the end there were still 5 free places on the bus and we had exactly 50 participants. However, as we only found out about the cancellations at the start of the trip, it was no longer possible to inform those who had made last-minute decisions. What is new, however, is that participants are already registering for the next to the last excursion.

Fortunately, the fear that the weather might spoil the excursion was not confirmed. As always, we picked up other guests from their homes on the Czech side (Mikulašovice, Rumburk). This and various roadworks delayed our arrival in Bezděz. However, we were able to take the bus quite far up within the village, which at least shortened the ascent somewhat. Some of our disabled fellow travelers stayed in the village, where there are now large parking lots at the entrance to the village as well as numerous restaurants where our waiting guests could also be accommodated. The large number of visitors flocking to the castle is obviously also due to the fact that this tourist highlight is receiving more attention and care from local politicians and the tourism sector. For example, there are some free toilets along the hiking trail, which I have never noticed anywhere else. The ascent, although only about 1 km long, is quite strenuous and the descent slightly dangerous. This is due to the stones on the footpath, which are quite slippery even in dry conditions. If it had rained lightly or even heavily, as it did the day after, we would have had to use the route even more slowly and carefully.
However, we were lucky with both the weather and the "day's offer". A group of young "knights" were preparing for show fights and a "knight's wife" explained the history of the castle during a tour. Unfortunately, this was only in Czech and we didn't have time to follow the tour with our interpreters.
Most of our German fellow travelers and many of the Czech ones were visiting Bezděz Castle for the first time and were impressed by the castle, the individual rooms, courtyards and towers. Although, in contrast to other castles and fortresses, there was hardly any furniture or other inventory to see. Above all, it was the view of the surroundings that made Bezděz so special.

The food in the "Grand Hotel" Doksy was well prepared by us and the hotel as a buffet and tasty. As we had previously exchanged euros for crowns, there were no problems with payment.
However, as the visit to Bezděz Castle had also taken longer than planned, we didn't make it to the landing stage for the boat trip in Doksy. We therefore decided to drive to Staré Splavy (the lake is easier to reach there than in Doksy) and wanted to have a coffee near the dam wall for about an hour while admiring Lake Mácha. When the first passengers had already ordered their coffee, the boat that makes the lake tour suddenly appeared at the landing stage in Staré Splavy. So half of our fellow travelers joined the lake cruise after all. A little to the regret of those who remained on land. As the tour took just under an hour in beautiful sunshine with the Bezděz in the background, at least this time limit was adhered to. In the end, the "sailors" and coffee drinkers alike raved about the natural beauty of the Lake Mácha area.

On the way back, we took the route through seemingly endless pine forests towards Mimoň, I explained a few things about the formerly closed military area in Ralsko and we drove back to Dolní Poustevna via Zákupy, Svojkov with its beautiful view of the Bohemian Central Mountains and Sloup v. C. - here we were told about the rock castle and the new observation tower - via Nový Bor and Rumburk.

Since not only the weather was excellent, but also all program points were completed, all participants were very satisfied. This in turn led to the promise and the above-mentioned wish to take part in future excursions and also to take an interest in other activities and events organized by the association.

Rainer Böhme
Sebnitz, 28.07.2025

(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)

There was also a great deal of interest in the excursion to Meissen. Although there were actually no capacity limits due to the train journey, we had to stop our aggressive advertising at the end. We had initially registered 50 people for the lunch in Meissen's "Ratskeller", but we were able to increase this to 60 people without any problems and ended up with 63 participants.

As always, the train ride is the first part of the experience. The participants from Dolní Poustevna meet those from Sebnitz again, and there are greetings and conversations during the journey. There are always interesting things to see in Saxon Switzerland, Dresden and the vineyards near Radebeul. The connection also worked very well.

In Meissen, everything was well prepared by the staff of the "Ratskeller" due to the multiple arrangements and we left the restaurant very satisfied.

The city tour with the two guides was also very informative and interesting. We had to split into two groups, whereby the group of 26 Czech and 6 Ukrainian participants had both a Czech and a Russian translator among them and were therefore very well informed. The Ukrainians also had high praise for their Russian translator, which can be seen as a contribution to understanding. As the tour ended directly at Albrechtsburg Castle with the cathedral, we decided to return home 2 hours later than planned. This left almost 2 hours for an individual stroll and coffee.

There was a problem when we arrived at the station for the return journey - one of the participants didn't show up. It was a man from Sebnitz, who most of us knew already had problems with his memory. As he didn't turn up until the S-Bahn arrived, we decided that two people would stay in Meissen and look for him. They involved the local police and so our missing man was found on the Elbe and all three reached their home town of Sebnitz on the last train at around 10.00 pm.

In this context, it must be explained once again that the participants on our excursions were not only made up of people from different national origins, but also from different social backgrounds. This became clear when 4 participants asked me if I could defer the participation fee or if I could lend them €10 or €20 until a certain day. This is not an isolated case, but happens from time to time. Of course, we are interested in ensuring that people on lower incomes in particular can take part in our events.

As everything from the weather to the trip, the lunch, the city tour and the attractiveness of the destination was a great success, the feedback from the participants was correspondingly positive.

Rainer Böhme
Sebnitz, 13.08.25

(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)

Mit jeder weiteren Exkursion wächst das Interesse unter den „Stammgästen“. Da bei Größe einer so gewachsenen Gruppe aber immer mal jemand verhindert ist, gelingt es auch neuen Interessenten, sich noch einen Platz für die Exkursion zu sichern. Als Verein sind wir ja sehr an neuen Teilnehmern interessiert, da wir uns immer erhoffen, dass die eine oder andere Person über die Exkursionen hinaus Interesse an der Arbeit in unserem Verein findet. 
Wieder einmal bestätigte sich, dass es besser ist, ein, zwei Personen mehr auf der Anmeldeliste zu haben, weil bei so einer großen Gruppe immer wieder jemand ausfallen kann. So war es eben auch bei dieser Reise. Statt der angemeldeten 57 Personen waren es schließlich 52 Teilnehmer.

Bei der Planung hatten wir überlegt, ob wir von unserem Startbereich (Sebnitz/Dolni Poustevna) direkt mit einem Sonderbus nach Tysa fahren, oder wie zumeist mit dem Zug, in dem Falle bis Decin und dann mit einem extra gemieteten Bus bis nach Tysa. Letztlich entschieden wir uns aus ökologischen wie preislichen Gründen für die Zug-Bus-Variante. 

Was wir nicht wussten – die Bahn setzte wegen Bauarbeiten ab Rathmannsdorf Schienenersatzverkehr bis nach Decin ein. Was ja gut zu verkraften gewesen wäre, wenn die DB zwei Busse eingesetzt hätte. Vielleicht stand kein weiterer Bus zur Verfügung oder kein Fahrer – es kam, wie es bei der Situation – Wochenende mit perfektem Reisewetter – zu erwarten war – von den aus Richtung Dresden mit der S-Bahn gekommenen Reisenden standen nach Abfahrt unseres Busses noch zahlreiche traurige Touristen an der Elbbrücke. Unsere Gruppe saß zwar geschlossen im Bus, aber fremdes Leid macht nicht glücklich.

Glücklich waren wir dann, als nach wenigen Minuten des Wartens am Deciner Hauptbahnhof unser Sonderbus kam und uns planmäßig nach Tysa zum Gasthof „Laura“ brachte. 
Die sicher wegen unserer Anmeldung aufgestockte, sehr freundliche Belegschaft des einfachen Dorfgasthofs erwartete uns schon. Essen und Trinken machte alle zufrieden und satt und ging zügig vonstatten. Da hatten wir z. B. im Vorjahr in Bautzen ganz andere Erfahrungen mit Wartezeiten gemacht. 
Eine kleine Diskussion gab es allerdings doch: 2, 3 Teilnehmer fanden, es hätte doch zum Schnitzel oder zum Gulasch auch etwas Kraut geben können. Also entspann sich eine kurze Diskussion über unterschiedliche Essgewohnheiten und Traditionen, was ja auch etwas für sich hat.

Dann ging es endlich in die Felsen. Sowohl beim Gang über den Gipfelweg mit seinem herrlichen Ausblick auf das Osterzgebirge und das Böhmische Mittelgebirge wie beim Durchwandern der bizarren und einmaligen Felsensäulen und Felsformationen musste, ausgehend von den Äußerungen der Teilnehmer, allen offensichtlich die Glückshormone die Körper durchströmt haben. Das galt sowohl für die, die erstmalig diese Wunder der Natur sahen, ebenso aber auch für die, die erneut und zum wiederholten Male ins Staunen und Schwärmen gerieten. 

Bei der Rückfahrt wiederholte sich zwar das Gedränge beim Schienenersatzverkehr, aber das störte schon niemanden mehr.
Als Fazit kann nur wiederholt werden, was schon die letzte Exkursion betraf: Vom Wetter angefangen (als die Teilnehmer zu Hause angekommen waren, gab es doch tatsächlich einen so starken Gewitterguss, den niemand unterwegs hätte erleben wollen), also, vom Wetter über die Fahrt, das Mittagessen, bis zur Attraktivität des Ziels – alles bestens gelungen! Und dabei wieder Neues kennengelernt, eben Land und Natur wie Leute betreffend.

Rainer Böhme
Sebnitz, den 22.09.25

Wie schon nach der vorherigen Exkursion erklärt, wächst mit jeder weiteren das Interesse, informieren die regelmäßigen Teilnehmer immer neue Interessenten. Ohne größere und zusätzliche Werbung war die Nachfrage außerordentlich groß. So war geplant, neben dem Bus noch einen großen PKW mit zum Einsatz zu bringen, um die Personen mitzunehmen, die sich noch gemeldet hatten, als der Bus eigentlich schon ausgebucht war. 
Aber es kam wie bisher leider immer – es fielen mehrere Personen kurzfristig aus, so dass der Bus mit seinen 58 Plätzen absolut besetzt war, aber kein zusätzlicher PKW benötigt wurde. 

Der Einsatz des tschechischen Reisebusses ab 9.30 Uhr führte dazu, dass wir in Jonsdorf angekommen genügend Zeit hatten, mit dem größten Teil der Mitreisenden den Nonnenfelsen zu besteigen. Von den anderen mitgerissen, stiegen auch ältere Personen mit auf den Berg, die sonst eher nicht an Wanderungen in die Felsenwelt interessiert sind.

Im sehr gut hergerichteten Romantik Hotel „Zum Lindengarten“ hatten wir eine gemütliche Einkehr gefunden. Neben dem vorher wie immer bestellten und abgesprochenen Essen, alle waren damit zufrieden, kam es ebenfalls wie immer zu anregenden Gesprächen.

Da wir die Abfahrt der geplanten Kleinbahn nicht geschafft hatten und uns die nächste zu spät gewesen wäre, planten wir um und machten noch eine vorher nicht geplante Rundfahrt mit einem Halt im Luftkurort Lückendorf. So schön wie vom sogenannten Aussichtspunkt „Sudetenblick“ die weite böhmische Landschaft betrachtet werden konnte, so traurig machte der Anblick des geschlossenen Hotels „Hochwaldblick“, dessen einst stolze Anlage mehr und mehr von wildwachsenden Bäumen und Sträuchern erobert wird.

Den nächsten Halt machten wir bei den Kelchfelsen, die mit ihrem roten Sandstein ebenfalls einmalig sein dürften.
Und dann waren wir auch schon in Oybin. Immer noch machte sich weit über die Hälfte der Exkursionsteilnehmer auf den Weg zum Gipfel des gleichnamigen Burgberges. Einige wenige spazierten durch den Ort, sahen sich Bahnhof und Kleinbahn an und fanden immerhin neben doch recht zahlreichen kleineren Geschäften im Cafe Balzer Platz, um bei Kaffee und Kuchen das Gesehene zu bereden. Das immerhin als „Wiener Cafe Meier“ vorgefundene große Objekt hatte trotz Herbstferien „vorrübergehend geschlossen“.
Ein großer Teil der deutschen wie der tschechischen Gäste gab an, dass sie erstmalig im Zittauer Gebirge waren und viel Neues kennengelernt hatten.

Die Rückfahrt mit zufriedenen aber doch recht ermüdeten Gästen verlief problemlos. Letzter Wunsch nach der letzten Exkursion: es möge doch im Jahr 2026 mit so interessanten Exkursionen und diesen national gemischten Teilnehmern weitergehen.

Rainer Böhme
Sebnitz, den 13.10.25