pegau

The historic town of Pegau, in the south-west of the Leipzig region, is located in the middle of a newly created lake landscape. The medieval old town, which almost fell victim to brown coal mining in the 1980s, is very tranquil and has been lovingly renovated. The shady squares and picturesque alleys that invite you to linger in the old town around the church and town hall are idyllic. The Renaissance town hall with the town museum and the tower room, the Napoleon House, now the town library, the People's House and the 'Old Guard' on the Elstermühlgraben are worth seeing. In the town church of St. Laurentius, in addition to the precious gravestone of the Margrave Wiprecht II (1050 - 22.05.1124) in the tower vault and in the choir there is a baroque high altar and a pulpit with a canopy. The 55 sculptures in public spaces, squares, parks and streets, which come from the annual Pegau sculpture plein airs in the monastery garden and the Julius Erbs brickworks, are unique. This means that Pegau has the highest density of modern sculptures per capita in Germany. Located a little further out are the technical monument of the Erbs brickworks and the unique cultural monument of the Elstertrebniz iron mill, which are also worth a visit. Wiederau Castle is one of the most important examples of baroque architecture in Saxony. Inside, illusionistic ceiling and wall paintings, from the Italian school, testify to the opulence of the baroque era. No less a figure than Johann Sebastian Bach immortalized this picturesque place in 1737 with his cantata "Angenehmes Wiederau, gerne dich in deinen Auen".

Pegau is the gateway to the New Lake District: water hikers and paddlers can row from the boat dock at Schützenplatz, near the König-Albert-Hain, along the White Elster through the New Lake District to the city harbors in Leipzig on water course 1A. Lake Zwenkau, the largest in the New Lake District, is 10 km away, and Lake Cospuden, Lake Markleeberg and Lake Störmthal with the island of Vineta are also close to each other. In addition to relaxing on the beach, the lakes offer other opportunities for water sports and passenger boat trips.