Pirna Off The Beaten Path

The Stadtbibiothek / the town's library of Pirna is situated inside a historic building partly dating back to the 13th century.
The beautiful sandstone-gate dates back to 1755 and shows a lion in the centre.
Walk in the gate and see some more lovely details of architecture inside !

This building is in Dohnaische Strasse 76 and #16 on the map of my link below !

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The parish church Langenhennersdorf is a real gem. Located about 6 km southeast of Pirna (toward the National Park, frequent bus connections) it is a small village that belongs to the municipality Rosenthal-Bielatal, not Pirna. But that should not keep you from visiting.

The church looks relatively simple from outside. It was reconstructed several times over the centuries. Most what you see nowadays is from 1495, 1751-53 and 1865. Only a portal and some parts of the walls are from the late-Romanesque church.

The interior (well restored) appears bright and friendly. The ceiling (painting) as well as the patronage box with beautiful coats-of-arms and the pulpit are from the Baroque era. The altar beautiful painting was done by a painter from Pirna in 1595. The somewhat weird looking, quite massive baptismal font is from the early 16th century. The balconies with nice grisaille decoration were built 1865.

Am Berg 1, 01819 Langenhennersdorf
Opening hours vicarage: Tue 14-17 h (or call ahead)
or contact the municipal office (email below)

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In case you plan to visit the Richard-Wagner-Museum in Graupa you might also pay a short visit to the parish church in the village. It was built 1909 in Art Nouveau style. Unfortunately not much is left of the Art Nouveau interior since it was "renovated" 1956-58. The walls were painted white then, the wood lightened up. Fortunately the chandelier is preserved, so are the stained-glass windows, the pulpit and also the relief above the entrance. The church is usually open during the day.

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Liebethal is a tiny village a few km north of Pirna. It is located above the small river Wesenitz that flows into the Elbe river near Pirna. Liebethal is surrounded by rolling hills, woods and farmland - beautiful countryside. Nice walking paths wait to be discovered. One of them leads down to and along the Wesenitz glen, passing the oldest Richard-Wagner-Monument. When I visited in 2010 the path was still closed due to damage by a flood but in the meantime (2011) it was reopened.

Anyway, the main reason for a visit is probably the parish church. It was first mentioned in 1373 but is probably older. First off, it is in poor shape and desparate need of a restoration. Yet, the frescos are preserved and you can get an idea of how it might look once again - after a thorough restoration. The altar painting is from about 1600 (like the baptismal font), created by Andreas Göding, painter at the Royal Court in Dresden.

The church is usually closed but there's a plaque with a list of places where you can get the key (free). Easiest is the youth hostel next to the church.

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There are several old "suburbs" in Pirna that are located just outside the immediate old town, beyond the former city walls. One of them is called "Schifftorvorstadt", meaning the suburb beyond the city gate that led to the river landing place (Schifftor).

As the name indicates, this suburb is right next to the river. It is also northeast of the old town, right below the Sonnenstein hill - as you can see on some pictures the buildings of the former Sonnenstein fortress are looming above the suburb. The area kept suffering from floods over the centuries. After the latest flood in 2002 most of the townhouses were beautifully restored. The main square, Am Plan, is very picturesque with a fountain, sculpture and benches in the shade in the centre.

The houses are not older than from 1639 when the Swedish troops burned the previous ones down in the 30-years-war.

Recently some artists have found homes here and an art gallery opened. They often have exhibits on contemporary art made by local/regional artists - found them to be quite interesting.

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Well preserved old towns hardly ever have beautiful gardens - there was simply no room for them in medieval times. Same in Pirna. However, when the city walls were torn down they created a nice 'green' band along the western and southern side of the old town (impossible on the other sides - north the railway dam, east the Sonnenstein hill).

So nowadays you can relax on benches between flower beds and in the shade of trees while enjoying the view of the old town, some 19th century townhouses and a few monuments. One monument reminds of the victims of WWI (pic #3), then there's a distance column etc.

Another garden is the so called "Friedenspark" (peace garden, pic #1) which is south of the old town, off Breite Straße. This garden was created on the grounds of the medieval St. Nikolai church and cemetery which were torn down in 1875.

Other 'green' areas are the riverside promenade and the park on top of Sonnenstein hill.

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The castle is not the only reason to visit Liebstadt - the church is a gem, especially for an architecture fan like me :-)

Built around the year 1500 it was restored a couple of times during the centuries - but it never lost its late-gothic/early renaissance ambience. The best thing is you can walk around and see ALL rooms in the church, the boxes, the sacristy , climb up the tower etc. All doors are open! On the picture you can see me on the pulpit and the view from a balcony in the choir!

The most beautiful pieces are to see in the choir: highlight is the altar painting, a work of an unknown dutch painter (end 15th century), beside it beautiful epitaphs and tombstones, works of excellent local sculptors (early 17th and 18th century). The richly decorated pulpit is a work from 1577.

The church is located on the opposite hill from the castle and open every day from 8 am to 6 pm.

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The small town Liebstadt is located in a nice valley about 15 km south of Pirna. One of the reasons to go there is the picturesque medieval castle Kuckuckstein.

It was built in the 15th century, the interior redesigned 1796 - 1802 in Neo-Gothic style. The ambience of a knight's castle is perfectly preserved. After passing two tiny courtyards the visitor can see several rooms like a knight's hall, rooms with ovens of the early 19th century, and as the highlight the Masonic lodge. This room is decorated with trompe-l'oeil frescos, especially "views" of the surrounding landscape and a "sky".

The castle is open from Ash Wednesday to end of Oct Wednesday to Sunday 10 -18 h. Guided tours are possible upon request (also in winter).