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Bautzen – Sorbs, Mustard and Secret Police

October 13, 2014

Bautzen is over a thousand years old. Each year around 60,000 people visit the picturesque old town with its 17 towers. It’s also the cultural center of the Sorbs, a Slavic minority with their own language and customs.

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Bautzen
BautzenImage: DW

“Witajće k nam – Herzlich Willkommen”: Welcome to Bautzen where most street signs are in two languages: German and Sorbian. There are many Sorb organizations there, too. The town is also famous for its “Bautz’ner” mustard, which even has a museum dedicated to it. Bautzen was once home to a particularly notorious prison known as “Bautzen II”, now a memorial site. The Nazis imprisoned political prisoners there and the East German secret police, the Stasi, locked away dissidents.

Bautzen - Sorbs, Spices and Secret Police