Calau Saga Tour 1 – past field stone churches and manor houses

Passing the late-Gothic, three-nave Stadtkirche with the highest church tower in Lower Lusatia (70 metres) and the remains of the town wall and a historic Bockwindmühle the tour heads toward Säritz.

• Next stop: Buckow

The granite stone cross from the Thirty Years’ War – popularly referred to as the Mordstein (“Murder Stone”) – is located directly in front of the former restaurant in the village. The field stone church from the 14th century has one particularly striking feature: a “devil’s claw” on the left-hand tower door frame. In the 19th century it was rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style.

• Via Erpitz to Groß Jehser

The church was built in the 13th century. In 1720, the nave was reconstructed in the Saxon Baroque style and four patron’s booths were added. The altar and pulpit from 1724 are preserved, as is an excellent marble epitaph. The manor house in Groß Jehser is a half-timbered building dating back to 1794: it consists of a half-timbered attic chamber, a Baroque open-hearth kitchen and vaulted cellar rooms. The hilltop enclosure was raised between the 9th and 11th centuries and is a purely Slavic fortified refuge, popularly known as “Wendenschanze” (“Wendish entrenchment”).

• On to Mallenchen

The estate building dates from 1787; a Swiss-style country house was added in 1858. It is a Baroque building with a mansard hipped roof.

• Groß Mehßow and Klein Mehßow

The church was built in the neo-Gothic style in 1864 but has a sandstone baptismal font dating back to the 15th century. The stone face and the four figures at the entrance probably date from Slavic times. Around 1000 BC (Iron Age), the so-called Groschkenberg was raised on the site of the current cemetery (castle complex). The historic castle in Groß Mehßow is currently being painstakingly restored and will in future be used as a venue for events and accommodation.

• To Craupe

The former manor house is now privately owned.

• Kemmen

The fieldstone church with foundations dating from the 15th century was rebuilt in 1649. The pulpit, altar and baptismal font are worth seeing.

• Via Cabel to Werchow

The Legends Trail with twelve glacial erratics featuring scary and romantic sagas leads to the source known as the Goldborn. This is the largest and most water-rich natural spring in Lower Lusatia, situated directly on the edge of the Calauer Schweiz.

• Via Silberberg back to Calau

The route leads back to Calau, past the Napoleon oak tree – a common oak thought to be more than 350 years old.