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Lebendiges Handwerk - Plauener Spitze
Photo: CC BY-SA, Archiv Schaustickerei PLauen

Show workshops and places of experience

Tradition & Handicraft

The Vogtland is characterized by a variety of traditions. Go to explore with us and get to know more about the traditional craft of our region.

Plauen Lace® & Textile Tradition

The region has been shaped by its textile history, and you can discover sites dedicated to this heritage throughout the Vogtland area:
  • The *Schaustickerei* (Show Embroidery Workshop) and the new "Fabrik der Fäden" (Factory of Threads) in Plauen bring the tradition of Plauen Lace to life, making it a tangible experience.
  • A textile demonstration workshop is located at Greiz’s Lower Castle (*Unteres Schloss*). Housed in the former princely court kitchen, the exhibition traces the history of textile craftsmanship in Greiz—from its beginnings in 1450 to the era of industrial manufacturing—and illustrates this process through hands-on demonstrations using historic machinery. Visitors can thus experience the journey from raw fiber to finished fabric.
  • The Carpet Museum at Voigtsberg Castle in Oelsnitz showcases a carpet-making tradition that has been preserved for over 130 years.
View of two lace dresses at the "Fabrik der Fäden"
View of two lace dresses at the "Fabrik der Fäden"
Photo: CC BY-SA, Archiv TI Plauen
The history of the textile industry in Plauen now has a new museum. The "Fabrik der Fäden" (Factory of Threads) opened in Plauen on November 12, 2023. It is a modern, interactive museum designed to showcase the beauty of Plauen lace while also conveying the region's fascinating history of embroidery and industrial development. As the successor to the Lace Museum in the Old Town Hall, the "Fabrik der Fäden" is housed in the Weisbach House—a significant manufacturing building from Saxony's industrial era and a key part of the industrial heritage of Plauen and the entire Vogtland region. With 1,200 square meters of exhibition space, the facility ranks among the most important specialized museums in Germany and Europe.

Destinations for Craftsmanship & Traditions in the Vogtland Region

Nurturing tradition, living tradition

Preserving cultural heritage and taking pride in artisanal traditions are hallmarks of the Vogtland region. Numerous family-run businesses have kept alive the machinery, patterns, and stories of their forebears, offering curious visitors today a glimpse into life and traditions in the Vogtland. It is primarily the region's many local history and open-air museums that convey these traditions. Discover traditional Vogtland craftsmanship in museums, demonstration workshops, and small shops, and meet the many masters of their trade.

Demonstration Rafting in Muldenberg

Once a year, Muldenberg truly lives up to its title as the "First German Timber-Floating Village." During the grand "demonstration float" held within the preserved structures of the historic canal system (built between 1579 and 1632), rafters impressively demonstrate how, over 400 years ago, logs were cast into the water and steered around bends. Inside and around the "Flößerstube" inn, visitors can view antique tools and documents related to the timber-floating trade, which operated on behalf of Saxon princes for more than 230 years.

Experience musical instrument making in the Vogtland region

Where can you see and experience how a musical instrument is made? In the Upper Vogtland region—Germany’s "Music Corner" (*Musikwinkel*). Musical instruments have been crafted here in the south of the Free State of Saxony, not far from the borders with Bavaria and the Czech Republic, for over 350 years. Instrument making in the Vogtland Music Corner is characterized by a concentration and diversity that are unique worldwide. In 2014, this cultural tradition was added to the nationwide Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln-ilgEIlH0

Discover mining and natural specimens in the Vogtland region.

An underground journey tracing the centuries-old mining tradition of the Vogtland region is a unique experience, as iron ore was extracted at various locations across the area as early as the 14th to 19th centuries. Later, the extraction of tin, copper, uranium, and alum was added to the mix. The "Grube Tannenberg" in Schneckenstein—Saxony’s highest and coldest visitor mine—offers a vivid look at the lives miners led deep underground. The "Ewiges Leben" alum mine in Plauen, the Mühlwand alum works, and the uranium mine in Ronneburg also serve as ideal family excursion destinations that illustrate this history.

The Art of Brewing in Vogtland

Beer has been brewed in the Vogtland region for over 500 years. This brew enjoys popularity well beyond the local area—it is even known worldwide. Around 1900, there were more than 80 breweries in the region, and the art of brewing is still celebrated today in various Vogtland towns, such as Erlbach, Grünbach, Plauen, Treuen, Wernesgrün, Greiz, Schleiz, and Bad Köstritz.
Brewery · Vogtland
Wernesgrüner Brauerei
Vogtland
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Ein Erlebnis im Grünen: Seien Sie bei einer Brauereibesichtigung mit allen Sinnen dabei, wenn unsere ...

Vogtland - Sinfonie der Natur

Of Mills and Miller's Apprentices

Mills in the Vogtland

The Mill District in the Saxon Vogtland

In the area surrounding the towns of Leubnitz, Syrau, Pausa, Mühltroff, and Mehltheuer, one can still admire the legacy of the once-thriving milling trade. The "Müllerburschenweg" (Millers' Apprentices' Trail)—spanning approximately 50 kilometers—offers the chance to explore these lovingly preserved mills set amidst a beautiful landscape. Eight of them are located in the municipality of Rosenbach/Vogtland alone, bearing witness to a milling tradition that dates back to the early Middle Ages.

The Syrau Windmill—the only surviving windmill in the Vogtland region—is a popular destination for excursions today.

In addition, there are numerous water mills; some are preserved as historical monuments, while others remain in operation, offering sales and opportunities for tours.

Folk Costumes of the Vogtland

Striped, dark-colored long skirts, aprons, blouses, shawls, and short padded jackets—also known as *Spenzer*—along with the richly decorated *Buckelhaube* (a distinctive bonnet with a prominent back section), characterize a typical women's folk costume that became established as festive village attire around 1800. Today, heritage associations such as the *1. Trachtenverein Vogtland*, as well as choirs and folklore groups, help preserve this element of regional folk culture.
  • Vogtland Tracht
    Photo: CC BY-SA, Archiv TVV/M.Daßler
  • Vogtland Tracht
    Photo: CC BY-SA, Archiv TVV/M.Daßler
  • Vogtland Tracht
    Photo: CC BY-SA, Archiv TVV/M. Daßler

Collections and exhibition venues for traditional costumes in the Vogtland region

Vogtland dialect

If you travel through the Vogtland region and pay attention to the local speech, you will notice that there is no single, uniform dialect. The Vogtland dialect is divided into four sub-dialects that differ from one another to varying degrees—a fact illustrated by the word for "pine cone":
  • Core or Central Vogtland dialect (within the Mühltroff-Treuen-Oelsnitz triangle): "Zeschen"
  • Northern or Lower Vogtland dialect (along the line of towns comprising Reichenbach, Mylau, Netzschkau, Elsterberg, and Pausa): "Tannezapfm"
  • Eastern Vogtland dialect (the Göltzsch Valley area from Falkenstein to Lengenfeld): "Kusteln"
  • Upper Vogtland dialect (a transitional form between Northern Bavarian and Core Vogtland dialects, found south of the Werda-Oelsnitz-Bobenneukirchen-Schöneck line): "Bätz"

These variations stem from the different groups that settled the region. Sorbs settled the area during the 7th and 8th centuries, followed—during the High Medieval eastward expansion of the 11th and 12th centuries—by Slavs and Germans from Franconia, Thuringia, and Saxony. Numerous books written in the Vogtland dialect bring a smile to readers' faces, while traditional costume and dialect groups work to preserve the "Vogtland language."

The Vogtland Easter Trail – the experience route for the Easter tradition

An Easter fountain decorated with many painted eggs in front of the red town hall in Berga.
An Easter fountain decorated with many painted eggs in front of the red town hall in Berga.
Photo: CC BY-SA, Osterpfad Vogtland
Lovingly decorated Easter fountains, exhibitions, and market stalls draw thousands of visitors to the Vogtland region every year during the Easter season. The "Easter Trail" (Osterpfad) is the premier route for experiencing cherished Easter traditions in the Vogtland; it now links eleven locations, with Berga/Elster—where the concept originated in the year 2000—serving as the central hub.

Germany’s largest Easter crown can be admired here every year. An impressive 15,000 hand-painted eggs come together to create a major attraction for locals and visitors alike. In total, over 40,000 hand-painted Easter eggs and ornaments are displayed across six sites in the center of Berga/Elster. The Easter Trail Vogtland extends beyond this main hub to include Wolfersdorf, Waltersdorf, Greiz, Weida, Wünschendorf, Niederalbertsdorf, Fraureuth, Bad Elster, Neumarkt, and Cheb/Eger.

Osterpfad Vogtland Bad Elster
Photo: CC BY-SA, Archiv Osterpfad Vogtland
Tube Fountain Greiz
Photo: CC BY-SA, Archiv Osterpfad Vogtland
Easter in Wünschendorf
Photo: CC BY-SA, Archiv Osterpfad Vogtland / Freya Stöckl
Osterpfad Vogtland Waltersdorf
Photo: CC BY-SA, Archiv TVV/S. Theilig

Bookable travel offers

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CAR-FREE – EXPERIENCE THE VOGTLAND WITHOUT A CAR

Mobile view of the VVV mobil app, with a scheduled bus in the background.
Mobile view of the VVV mobil app, with a scheduled bus in the background.
Photo: CC BY-SA, Verkehrsverbund Vogtland GmbH
Leave the car at home and discover the Vogtland holiday region and many excursion destinations in a relaxed manner by bus and train - in Vogtland this works particularly well with the offers from the Vogtland transport association in the comfortable Vogtland network.

 

  • Tourism and traffic center service telephone 03744/ 19449

For planning your excursions using public transport VVV mobile app is a good companion. VVV mobil offers departure and arrival times in real time, connections from the starting point to the destination, current reports as well as the right and discounted ticket for journeys as a mobile phone ticket.

Holiday planning made easy

Brochures from the Vogtland Tourism Association are lying on a table.
Brochures from the Vogtland Tourism Association are lying on a table.
Photo: CC BY-SA, Archiv TVV
In our brochure shop, you will find informative booklets, brochures, and maps for your holiday in the Vogtland region. To ensure you are well-prepared, you can easily order your personal copies right here in the shop or via email!

AN INTERACTIVE VACATION IN THE VOGTLAND WITH THE NEW VOGTLAND APP

A couple uses the Vogtland app on their smartphone.
A couple uses the Vogtland app on their smartphone.
Photo: CC BY-SA, Archiv TVV, M.Dassler
The free app offers a lot useful information about vacationing in the Vogtland. Tour descriptions, tour routes on the map, elevation profiles, photos, as well as interesting points along the way are part of the app. The Vogtland App determines the users’ exact location, allowing users to detect variations to the tours described and to go on small extra tours. Customized tours are also possible.

Timetable information and the link to the events database of the Vogtland region are also incorporated into the app, as are numerous smaller features.

Vogtland App Functions:

  • Tour descriptions
  • Tour planner
  • Description of  POI’s
  • Top tips
  • Events database
  • Timetable information
  • Link to social media
  • Compass
  • Positioning
  • Saves offline
  • Memos
  • Description of the ski area
A family looks at an old tractor at the open-air museum.
Photo: CC BY-SA, Archiv TVV, M. Dassler
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