Tom`s travels: Elsterwerda & Bad Liebenwerda (10/11/2024)

On a rather cold and cloudy day, I decided to visit a couple of towns in Brandenburg that I hadn't managed to visit previously. I took the train and reached then the first town, Elsterwerda. Once there, a short walk from the train station led me through the old town. As is usual in these places, it was rather empty with barely anyone around and most things closed. I headed along the main street and then reached the church of St. Katharina, the main one in town. Originally a building from the 15th century, it was heavily refurbished during the 18th century in its current baroque appearance, and a bell tower was added. The church was closed, so I continued on, walking through the nice elongated square set in front of it. At its center stood a Saxon milepost, like many others in the area, used to signal the distance to nearby towns. After crossing the Black Elster river, I then reached, amidst the fog, the Schloss Elsterwerda. This 18th-century palace was built over a previous castle, most probably dating to the 13th century. Made up of a central manor flanked by two service buildings, it is typical baroque in style. I couldn't enter it as it is now used as a school, but I could see it from the outside and walk around its surrounding park. From the castle, I then moved back to the city center, walking past some older buildings and then through the main square with a curious fountain at its center featuring a bird, a pair of lilies. At that point, I started heading out of the old town, and after some time, reached the train station of Elsterwerda-Biehla serving the west-east line. From there, a short time led me to the town of Bad Liebenwerda. From the train station, I started heading towards the old town and passed by the imposing Lubwartturm, a 13th-century tower once part of a larger moated castle. Nowadays, the complex is split between a restaurant, a museum, and the district court, and a road runs through the complex encircling the tower. A further walk led me through the old town and past a Saxon milepost and then to the town's main square. Here was the church of St Nikolai, a late Gothic brick building with a bell tower rebuilt in the 19th century in neo-Gothic style following a fire. The church was closed, so I walked around the square admiring the rest of the building, including the nice memorial fountain right in front of the church and the town hall across the square. I then walked through the rest of the town, passing by some examples of timber-framed houses and baroque and neoclassical tenement houses. Eventually, I made my way back to the tower and then to the train station, from where I got a ride back home.