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city in the south east of Saxony, Germany
Europe > Central Europe > Germany > Saxony > Upper Lusatia > Zittau

Zittau is in Upper Lusatia, close to the Czech and Polish borders.

Understand

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In the Middle Ages Zittau was a flourishing trading town thanks to its location on the crossroads of several long-distance trading routes.

A new chapter in its history opened on May 1, 2004, when the accession of Poland and the Czech Republic into the EU meant that Zittau went from being a remote backwater in Germany to a strategically located crossroads at the heart of Europe.

Get in

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By plane

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The nearest airport is in Dresden (DRS IATA). Take S-Bahn line 2 to Dresden-Klotzsche and continue by train.

By train

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Deutsche Bahn RegionalExpress 2 from Dresden to Zittau via Bischofswerda takes approximately 1½ hours. The RegionalBahn 61 takes about 2. The Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn from Cottbus and Görlitz takes 2 hours to Zittau. The Vogtlandbahn from Liberec gets to Zittau station in half an hour. Zittau's station is a 10-minute walk from the centre of town.

The Verkehrsverbund covering the area is ZVON.

By bus

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There are connections from Ebersbach (Regionalbus line 51), Löbau (line 27) and Görlitz (line 21), all operated by the Kraftverkehrsgesellschaft Dreiländereck (KVG). These buses stop at the train station and at Martin-Wehnert-Platz, just South of the Green Ring.

By car

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To get to Zittau from elsewherein Germany, take Bundesautobahn A4 to Bautzen-West and follow signs to Zittau along the 96 from there. From Poland, take the E40/A4 to Görlitz and then the 99 towards Zittau. From the Czech Republic, take the I/35 north from Liberec.

Get around

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By bus

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Zittau has three local bus routes, all operated by the KVG and calling at stops around the centre of town.

On foot

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The centre of Zittau is compact enough to be able to reach most destinations on foot.

In the old town centre the Marktplatz (market square) with its Rathaus (city hall) while in the Neustadt (new town) with Marstall (royal stables) there are three fountains on the square. The Marstall was built in 1511 as a salt-house.

  • 1 Johanniskirche, Johannispl. 1. Apr-Oct: M-Sa 10:00-18:00, Su 12:00-18:00; Nov-Mar closes at 16:00. Church in the town centre designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel in 1837, with 60-m tower. Johanniskirche (Q14912465) on Wikidata (updated Jul 2017)
  • 2 Weberkirche (Weaver's Church), Innere Weberstraße 46. Built between 1488 and 1500, with several later alterations. (updated Jul 2017)
  • St. Petri-und-Pauli-Kirche. Abbey church of the former Franciscan abbey. (updated Jul 2017)
  • Former Franciscan abbey (at the Klosterplatz). The abbey church "St. Petri und Pauli" is part of the site. The buildings house the Stadt- und Kreismuseum a municipal museum, with exhibitions on local history and Dr. Curt-Heinke-Museum a mineral and geological collections. 
  • Holy Cross Church Museum (Museum Kirche zum Heiligen Kreuz). This church is famous for its interesting interior decoration: pulpit, wall paintings and ledger stones. It houses the Präsentation des Zittauer Fastentuchs - The velum quadragesimale was made on 1472, is 8 m tall by 7 m wide, is decorated with 90 biblical scenes (representing the Biblical tale of creation) and used to hang in front of the altar during Lent. There's also a supposedly haunted graveyard next to the church. (updated Jul 2017)
  • 1 Tierpark Zittau. The zoo covers 7 hectares and houses 400 animals from 70 species. Tierpark Zittau (Q765055) on Wikidata 
  • 2 Weinaupark. A landscape park in English style; Tierpark Zittau is in the park. (Q2555751) on Wikidata 

Budget

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Mid-range

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Splurge

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Drink

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Sleep

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Budget

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Mid-range

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Splurge

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Connect

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Go next

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This city travel guide to Zittau is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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