Tuesday 11th October – Sebnitz, Germany

We had decided to stay for two days in Sebnitz to give us an opportunity to see the town but after hearing the rain all night, we were beginning to doubt whether it would be possible. Fortunately, the rain started to ease and by 10:30 it had stopped although the skies were as grey and low as ever.
The stellplatz is on the side of the town that we approached from, so we hadn't seen anything of the town centre. It was a five minute walk down and there we found a pleasant centre with many more shops that we had seen in similar sized towns. It was clear that this was a market town for the area and it was also a tourist centre. The tourist information centre was based at a silk flower factory – Sebnitz is famous for its silk flowers and there are many factories producing some high quality, very realistic flowers. The tourist office was positively busy, which was a surprise and it was obvious that Saxon Switzerland was a very popular tourist destination for the Germans.
We wandered around the town and nearly walked past the church as it looked like yet another German church. However a sign said that it was open and we were tempted in. Much of Germany is Roman Catholic but Saxony is largely Protestant and this church, Peter-Pauls-Kirche, was Lutheran. Very plain pews contrasted with the beautifully painted wooden galleries – two storeys of them! The wooden ceiling was also covered in paintings, each square naming a family that lived in Sebnitz or the surrounding area. All of this carpentry and painting dated to 1619 and appears not to have been restored. The pulpit was even earlier, dating to 1564 although this had been renovated in 2001. A wooden statue of the Madonna (mid 16th century) and crucifix (late 16th or early 17th century) were also very impressive. This church is a real treasure and well worth a visit.
We arrived back at Henrietta after our circular walk without getting wet. Needless to say it started raining again in the evening.
Photos: A display of Sebnitz silk flowers; Three views of the Peter Paul Church – the nave, the ceiling and one of the painted panels.