Great response to "Open day of the Umgebindehaus"

The time-honored half-timbered houses in Upper Lusatia remain a magnet for visitors. According to the organizers, around 8,000 people had visited the almost 100 properties that opened their doors on Sunday by the afternoon of the "Open House Day". "There are people who are simply interested in how people live in a half-timbered house. But people who own such a house themselves and want tips on how to renovate it also came," said project manager Sven Rüdiger on request.

Amgebinde houses are a type of half-timbered house that can be found in eastern Saxony and the neighboring Silesian and northern Bohemian regions. They got their name from a beam on the outer wall of the half-timbered building that supports the upper floor or the roof. There are still more than 6,000 of these houses in the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz, most of which were built after 1650. They bear witness to the quality and diversity of craftsmanship. No two houses are alike. With their natural building materials of wood, clay, straw and stone, they are also very much in line with the ecological trend.

"Oberlausitzer Umgebindehausstraße" is 112 kilometers long

The "Oberlausitzer Umgebindehausstraße" is part of the "Deutsche Fachwerkstraße". The 112-kilometre section is designed as a circular tour and leads through the towns and municipalities of Ebersbach-Neugersdorf, Kottmar, Herrenhut, Oderwitz, Mittelherwigsdorf, Großschönau and Seifhennersdorf.

The "Day of the Open Umgebindehaus" always takes place on the last Sunday in May and is organized by the Umgebindehaus Foundation. Its work primarily involves providing individual specialist advice for builders and owners. The foundation arranges funding and specialist companies for the conversion and extension of the houses, but also provides its own funding. It is committed to the preservation of traditional craft techniques and the use of historic building materials.