Wehrsdorf

Wehrsdorf is a small village in a valley of the "Lausitzer Bergland" in the region of "Oberlausitz" (upper lusatia) in Saxony/Germany. It got about 1,776 inhabitants and belongs to an administration community of tree different villages. The others are Sohland an der Spree (Sohland at the river Spree) an Taubenheim. This community is offícially called Sohland, because it`s the biggest of these villages. Alltogether the comunity got about 7,700 inhabitants. This way it is bigger than some towns in the neighborhood. Near the village there ist the border to the Czech Republic.

monuments

The most important building of the village still ist the lutheranian church which has been built in 1725 in barock style. The tower is more than 40 meters high an sends its greetings over the valleys of the landscape. But the most important arcitectural heritage of the southern part of lusatia are the so called "Umgebindehäuser". Those are special half timbered houses which unite the differnces of the slavic and the franconian style of wooden houses. Most of these houses that exist today were build in the era between 1850 and 1890.

religion

Most people are still atheistics, like it used to be in the time of the offical socialism. But there ist also a lutheranian tradition and most people are linked to this religion, but there is also a strong catholic minority. The upper lusatia is typically an mixed region in religion.

economic structure

In the time befoe the reunification the village was an "industrial village" with about four big and several small enterprises which all belonged to the state. They produced furnitures, clothings, metal instruments and so on. After the "Wende" most of these firms were not able to survive, just the firm that produced furnitures still exists. The high rate of unemployment today is also the most important reason why so many people left the region. But in comparisson with other villages of the upper lausitz Wehrsdorf is still well off.