„Witajće k nam – Welcome!”,
this is how we greet our guests in the middle of the picturesque old town of Budyšin – Bautzen. The area of the Ortenburg high above the Spree was once the tribal castle of the slavic tribe Milzener. Today the capital of Upper Lusatia is the cultural center of the Sorbs.
Take the opportunity and get to know the history and culture of the slavic minority who have lived here for more than a thousand years. From traditional costumes and customs to modern art and music, the exhibitions and events offer something for everyone.
We recommend our audio guide for adults and the entertaining video guide for children.




The Sorbian museum is sponsored by the foundation for the Sorbian people (Stiftung für das sorbische Volk), which annually grant benefits because of tax money based on the financial household decided by deputies of the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany, the state parliament of Brandenburg (Landtag Brandenburg) and the state parliament of Saxony (Landtag Sachsen). The museum is also supported by the administrative district Bautzen (Landkreis Bautzen) and the cultural area Upper Lusatia-Lower Silesia (Kulturraum Oberlausitz-Niederschlesien). The Sorbian museum is an institution of the administrative district Bautzen.
Programme overview
At this spot you can see the recent quaternal event-flyer as pdf file -> IV-2020
20 September 2020 – 09 May 2021
Colours oft the distance.
The painter Ante Trstenjak and the Lusatian Sorbs
Lusatia plays an important role in the work of the Slovenian artist Ante Trstenjak (1894–1970). Fascinated by the diverse costumes of Sorbian women and girls, he traveled to Upper and Lower Lusatia for studies that shaped his artistic work until the 1960s.
During his first stay in Lusatia in 1928, 30 paintings as well as numerous sketches and drafts were made in addition to depictions of traditional costumes, landscapes, city and village views.
Prague was the home of the painter for a long time: he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts (1920–1923) and worked here until he moved to Maribor in Slovenia in 1950. During his studies he wanted to capture Lusatia and its Sorbian costumes. Decisive for this was the Lusatian work cycle by the Czech painter Ludvík Kuba exhibited in Prague in 1922.
The exhibition and the accompanying catalog of the Sorbian Museum in Bautzen were created in close cooperation with the Umetnostna galerija Maribor and the Národní muzeum Prague as well as other partners at home and abroad. The exhibition catalog is only the second more extensive monograph on the artist.
The catalog accompanying the special exhibition (ISBN 978-3-9822276) is available in the museum shop for 19,90 €.
News
Museum tour via QR code
Now the audio tour for adults and also the animated children’s tour can be used freely using QR codes and a private mobile device. A link to the museum page opens by scanning or photographing the codes and the respective stations are explained. The audio guide is available in the following seven languages: German, English, […]
Tour at the museum
Figures of girls from the four Sorbian costume areas pose in front of the house model of the Sorbian Museum. Gotthard Steglich from Steina designed these wooden figures based on the model of the flower girls from the Ore Mountains. In the near future the friends want to take a look at different things in […]