The Obstland includes the large district town of Grimma with the Obstland headquarters in Dürrweitzschen, the municipality of Mügeln with the locations of Ablaß, Baderitz, Sornzig and Leisnig, the fruit blossom town on the mountain.
On around 1.500 hectares of cultivation area, five fruit-growing companies belonging to Obstland Dürrweitzschen AG produce an average of around 40.000 tonnes of fruit annually. With around 900 hectares of area, apples are the main crop in the local growing area. Sour cherries, pears, strawberries and currants follow in terms of area. Plums, sweet cherries and gooseberries complete the range. In addition, there are 43,5 hectares of hazelnuts, which were grown in 2006. The majority of the fruit produced is sorted and packaged in the Sachsenobst marketing company, which is part of the Obstland Group. Around 22.000 tonnes of apples and pears can be stored all year round in the cold stores provided for this purpose. Some of the fruit produced is further processed in the Sachsenobst winery. Sales are carried out by the Dresden-based veos fruit sales company.
Fruit growing as a tradition
The mild climate, balanced rainfall and fertile soils have always favoured fruit growing in the region between the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. The origins of fruit growing in Saxony date back to the Middle Ages. Fruit, vegetables, spices and medicinal plants have been cultivated in monastery gardens since the 12th/13th century. From here they found their way into the gardens of farmers and later even city dwellers.
There were numerous monasteries of the Cistercian Order in the Leipzig region, some of which were particularly influential and concentrated in the area of today's Obstland. These include the well-known monasteries of Buch near Leisnig and Nimbschen near Grimma, but also the Marienthal monastery in Sornzig, which was a religious home for Cistercian nuns for 300 years. After the monastery was secularized during the Lutheran Reformation in the mid-16th century, the Sornzig grounds continued to be used as an agricultural monastery estate. Since then, the Saxon electors - first Elector August and Electress Anna - have promoted Saxon fruit growing sustainably by state decree. In 1892, Dr. Ludolf Colditz acquired the Sornzig monastery estate and established the tradition of modern plantation fruit growing here. In 1895, he had the monastery gardening registered as a GmbH. In the same year, a fruit growing association was founded in Sornzig. In 1900, there were 8.340 fruit trees in Sornzig alone, including Lichteneichen, including 5.382 apple trees, 754 pear trees, 1.414 plum trees and 790 cherry trees. An extensive tree nursery was established, which also attracted attention with new varieties. Fruit trees and fruit from Sornzig became known and sought after throughout Germany.
After the Second World War, fruit growing in Sornzig and the surrounding area continued on a cooperative basis. In 1966, the cooperatives in Ablaß, Dürrweitzschen, Leisnig and Sornzig merged to form the Sachsenobst cooperative community. At the beginning of the 1970s, agriculture in the region was almost completely converted to intensive fruit growing. This established the Obstland as one of the five main fruit growing areas between the Baltic Sea and the Ore Mountains. Since 1991, Obstland Dürrweitzschen AG, which emerged from the LPG Obstproduktion Dürrweitzschen in connection with the reprivatization of cooperative property, has continued the region's 800-year-old fruit growing tradition on around 1.500 hectares of fruit growing area. It presents its fresh and liquid fruit products under the product brand "Sachsenobst" and successfully advertises with the slogan "This is what nature tastes like".
Good things from the region – from apples to “Hirschblut”
In the favorable climate of the Leipzig lowland, in the Saxon hills and on the slopes of the Elbe, apples grow mainly on loess soils. Modern storage facilities for 55 percent of the freshly harvested pome fruit mean that the juicy apples and pears can be enjoyed well into the summer. The main varieties of apples grown in the fruit region are Elstar, Rubinstar, Gala, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Idared, Pinova and Jonagold.
When it comes to pears, growers rely on tried and tested varieties such as the Conference Pear, Williams Christ and Alexander Lucas, but newer varieties such as Thimo are also gaining ground. New varieties come onto the market every year. These new varieties are tested in Pillnitz in intensive range screenings and recommendations are made to fruit growers.
In addition to pome fruit, soft fruit is grown in the Saxon “fruit country” in the region around Ablaß, Dürrweitzschen, Leisnig and Sornzig on an area of around 100 hectares, which corresponds to around 7 percent of the cultivated area. The largest share of the area is taken up by strawberries, the main varieties of which are “Rumba”, “Sonata”, “Jive” and “Darselect”. The soft fruit range is supplemented by currants and gooseberries.
A small but significant portion of the fruit produced in the fruit region, around 5.000 tons, is taken directly after harvest to the production facility of the company's own Sachsenobst winery in Neugreußnig near Döbeln. This is the raw material for the Sachsenobst fruit juices and nectars that are "on everyone's lips" in Saxony and the neighboring states. Fruit and mulled wines are also part of the Sachsenobst winery's repertoire. The traditional "Hirschblut" enjoys a special cult status. The tasty fruit wine, which consists of a mixture of sour cherries, apples and currants, has enjoyed great popularity since its invention in the GDR era. The drink was given its catchy name by the then owner of the winery, Heinrich Hirschberger.
Events in the Fruitland Saxony
With its historic castles, palaces, churches and idyllic small towns, the fruit-growing region attracts thousands of visitors every year. In addition to the scenic beauty, many varied events are a reason why visitors travel to the region.
The beginning of the growing season is celebrated on the first Sunday in April with a large farmers' market in Sornzig, to which Klosterobst GmbH and Backhaus Wentzlaff invite you. In addition to regional specialties and handcrafted products from direct marketers, there is also an attractive festival program and guided tours of the monastery.
Traditionally in May, when the apple and cherry trees show their blossoms, the blossom festivals are celebrated year after year in the fruit-growing regions of Saxony. The blossom festivals attract guests to Leisnig, Sornzig and Dürrweitzschen over three weekends each year. Since 2005, the festivities in the respective towns have been celebrated together as blossom festival weeks with a colorful supporting program. In addition to the election of the "Saxon Blossom Queen", the blossom festivals offer their visitors numerous culinary delights. There are also entertaining and varied cultural and sporting highlights, such as the blossom festival run and the blossom festival tournament in show jumping and dressage.
In the local farm shops, guests can find all kinds of regional products in addition to juicy apples and tasty fruit juices.
But it is not only in spring that the Saxon "fruit country" has all kinds of interesting events to offer. Open days are held regularly in September at the Sachsenobst winery in Neugreußnig near Döbeln, providing insights into the production of juices and fruit wines. A tour of the modern 22kt cold storage complex in Dürrweitzschen, with the latest sorting and packaging technology, is offered every five years.
Furthermore, Leisniger Obstgarten GmbH regularly celebrates the so-called Apple Day on the first Saturday in October. Throughout the day, vitamin-hungry, nutrition-conscious and curious visitors to the fruit land are invited to try the many different types of apples, take part in the plantation tours and attend the varied family program.
Adventure offers in the "fruit country" of Saxony
Since the "Obstland" eV support association was founded in 2003, educational trips to "Obstland" have provided a wide range of insights behind the scenes of fruit growing. The association is responsible for organizing and conducting on-site company tours. During a plantation tour, experienced fruit growers provide comprehensive information on the environmentally friendly and natural cultivation methods, variety selection and care measures in the modern and extensive fruit plantations. During the cold storage facility tour in Dürrweitzschen, visitors can follow the path of the fruit from the plantation to storage, sorting and packaging. Of course, as with the plantation tour, there is the opportunity to taste fruit in solid or liquid form.
A significant portion of the fruit harvested in the fruit country and the fruit delivered by small producers goes straight after the harvest to the Sachsenobst winery's production facility in Neugreußnig - near the town of Döbeln. During the winery tour, you can experience how delicious juices and nectars are made from the berries and fruit.
Those who like to travel by bike can also explore the Saxon “fruit country” on individual routes by bike. In the middle of Saxony’s largest fruit growing area lies the Obstland Route, which winds its way through the culturally and historically rich landscape. Over its 67 kilometers, it connects numerous places where the long tradition of fruit growing can be experienced in different ways. While the Mügeln area focuses on the history of the fruit country, Leisnig examines the life and work of the monks at that time, and Dürrweitzschen provides insights into current production processes. There are facilities along the routes where you can have your visit confirmed on a stamp card. If you collect at least three stamps, a free Sachsenobst fruit juice awaits cyclists and hikers in the next farm shop.