Key Projects
Since its founding in 2001, the association “Auf den Spuren des Krabat – Verein zur regionalen Entwicklung der zweisprachigen Lausitz e.V.” (KRABAT e.V. for short) has seen it as its mission to promote regional development in our bilingual region in the areas of culture, customs, and economy. The promotion of the Sorbian language and culture plays a special role in this, because it is precisely this uniqueness, which is truly lived here, that makes the KRABAT region so lovable and livable.
The subtitle of our association already makes it clear that the historical roots of the bilingual region should be preserved and further developed. In the interests of regional development, we aim to make our own citizens more aware of their pride in our cultural landscape, our well-kept villages, our historic towns, our bilingualism, our living traditions and customs, and our sense of community, and to create incentives to attract visitors to Lusatia.
In addition to preserving rural customs and traditions as well as historical crafts in bilingual Lusatia, the aim is also to strengthen regional producers and their local value creation. This is achieved by networking various actors in the cultural, tourist, scientific, and, in some cases, economic sectors at the regional and supraregional level.
Based on the legends and stories about KRABAT and the characters in the novels by Jurij Brezan and Otfried Preußler, as well as the historically documented figure of Colonel Johann von Schadowitz, various key projects were launched from the outset, always with a focus on promoting regional development and customs, with a particular emphasis on the Sorbian homeland.
One notable tourist project is the KRABAT Cycle Route, which winds its way through the KRABAT region for around 90 km. It is well signposted and provides information about the countryside and its people, as well as historical features and culinary delights. This makes our homeland a place that can be “experienced.”
The KRABAT mill complex in Schwarzkollm, built on a greenfield site, where according to legend Krabat is said to have learned not only the miller’s trade but also magic as a boy, acts as a beacon. Thousands of visitors are inspired by the magic and stories of the Black Mill all year round.
The KRABAT Festival, which has been held annually since 2002, is celebrated in various locations in the KRABAT region in Saxony and, since 2015, every two years in the Croatian and Slovenian region of Zumberak, where descendants of the Croatian colonel Johann von Schadowitz (Janko Sajatovic), who is the historically documented figure of KRABAT, live.
The International Sculpture Days at the KRABAT Stone in Nebelschütz have a supra-regional impact in the artistic field, and KRABAT’s New Farmstead in Groß Särchen has an impact beyond the community.
At the artistically designed KRABAT playground in Kamenz, young children can learn about the legendary figure in a playful way, while the KRABAT children’s traveling exhibition provides lots of interesting information about the legendary character and the historical person.