Bautzen

Bautzen stands on a granite outcrop above the Spree with an old town of narrow streets and seventeen towers, including a leaning water tower and the Reichenturm, which leans about one and a half metres out of true. It is the cultural centre of the Sorbs, a Slavic people who have lived in Lusatia for over a thousand years and still speak Upper and Lower Sorbian; street signs are bilingual, there is a Sorbian institute, theatre and museum, and the Easter egg decorating and Easter riding traditions are Sorbian. St Peter's is a Simultankirche, used by Catholic and Protestant congregations since 1524 with the space divided between them.

What you actually see

• The seventeen towers - a skyline of towers including a leaning one.
• The Sorbian culture - bilingual signs, a museum and Slavic traditions.
• The shared cathedral - Catholic and Protestant use since 1524.
• The Spree gorge - the river below the granite outcrop the town sits on.

When to go

April to October; Sorbian Easter traditions, including decorated eggs and Easter riding, fall in spring. Museums close Mondays. The town is quiet year-round.

Honest expectations

The town is small and seen in a day. Tower climbs are steep and seasonal. Sorbian cultural events are concentrated around Easter.

Nearby

Görlitz lies east; Dresden is west.