Landhotel Lindenau

Rose Bushes Blooming In The Vineyards

by Kathrin_E

When walking along the vineyards of Radebeul you'll notice rose bushes at the end of every second or third row of vines. A pretty sight when the roses are in bloom. However, being pretty is not the only purpose of these plants.

The roses serve as indicators for a plant disease: mildew, which is caused by fungi. Certain types of roses, and these are used, are more sensitive to mildew than vines. The roses are affected first. The winemakers watch the roses carefully. If a rose is affected they know it's time to protect the vines by applying fungicides.

Radebeul - la dolce vita outside Dresden

by german_eagle

Radebeul is a town with a population of about 45,000. It is located at the foot and on top of the Lössnitz hills by the Elbe river, in the southeast bordering to Dresden.

What we now call "Radebeul" has once been 10 separated villages. 1935 the villages decided to unite.

You still can recognise the old centres of the villages - especially Kötzschenbroda, Naundorf, Zitzschewig, Serkowitz and Wahnsdorf preserved their old and charming houses and main squares.

Dresden and its surrounding areas experienced a huge economical boom after 1870. Luckily Radebeul became a favourite residential area for the nouveaux riches, mostly entrepreneurs from Dresden. They built a lot of beautiful houses (villas) in historistic styles (Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque as well as "Swiss" style in particular). Administrative restrictions prevented that the area was spoilt with large blocks.

Nowadays folks use to come here to enjoy their spare time. It's fun to do shopping in the small shops (local craftwork e.g.), have a coffee or glass of wine here or there ... almost like on vacation :-)

The main square of Kötzschenbroda with its many old houses has been beautifully restored and is one of the main attractions (see tips), but it tends to be crowded on mild summer evenings.

Undoubtedly essential for "la dolce vita" is the viticulture in the area, which has a long tradition. Walking through the vineyards is simply great - don't forget the wine tastings!

Unfortunately I lost almost all off my photos when my computer crashed in Nov 2004, so please be patient ... I'll come up with more tips and pictures later in 2005 (waiting for summer!)