Tettau offers two distinct ways to explore cultural history: the European Museum of Glass Flacons and the border monument in Kleintettau. The museum focuses on glass, tools, and information about occupations in glassworks. The monument commemorates a unique border situation with a clearly dated history. This gives a stay in Tettau a tangible cultural focus encompassing both craftsmanship and the historical experience of the border region.
Glass History and Occupations in the Glassworks
The European Museum of Glass Flacons displays hundreds of glass exhibits and several tools. Printed and multimedia information provides insight into glass and occupations in glassworks, both past and present. The exhibition thus connects tangible objects with changes in working life: its timeline spans occupations of the past through to the present day. Visitors interested in glass will encounter not only the exhibits here, but also the field of work associated with glassworks. This combination of objects, tools, and explanatory information is what defines the museum’s focus.
The Border History of Kleintettau
The border monument in Kleintettau commemorates the town’s unique border situation. Until May 1, 1976, Kleintettau directly bordered Klein Lichtenhain in the former GDR. Residents who lived in the eastern territory applied for identity cards in the West and were eligible to vote there. This unique situation was called the “Miracle of Kleintettau.” The date and circumstances described make clear what the monument commemorates: a unique historical situation and the lives of the people who lived through it.
The Markt Tettau erected the border monument in 2019 so that the history of this unique border situation would not be forgotten. Its construction thus forms part of the history of remembrance itself: it gives a specific date to the effort to preserve this past. The two cultural sites in Tettau offer contrasting thematic focuses. The museum explores glass and glassworks occupations; the border monument commemorates the history of the border and the “Miracle of Kleintettau.”
Another Perspective on the Wider Travel Destination of Kronach
The wider travel destination of Kronach encompasses a variety of landscapes. The larger northeastern part of the district stretches across the Franconian Forest, a densely forested, low-domed upland range with many valleys at elevations of around 500 to just over 700 meters. The rest of the district lies in the northern part of the Upper Main Hills. This area slopes down from the Franconian Forest to the southwest, reaching elevations of around 300 to 500 meters, and features varied terrain with escarpments and terraces. These two descriptions give an overview of the contrasts in the district’s landscape, separate from Tettau’s specific glass and border themes.
The cultural highlights of the wider travel destination of Kronach also differ from those in Tettau. Rosenberg Fortress brings together medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque military architecture. The oldest surviving document to mention the name “Rosenberg” dates from 1249. The Franconian Gallery presents 220 outstanding masterpieces of painting and sculpture from the Late Gothic and Renaissance periods in Franconia, across 1,000 square meters of exhibition space. Kronach thus offers another perspective on art and architectural history within the wider travel destination.
Travelers comparing hiking routes in the wider travel destination of Kronach will find routes of varying lengths and difficulty levels: the FrankenwaldSteigla “Entlang der Marter” is a 14.7-kilometer, moderately difficult hiking trail in Kronach. The FrankenwaldSteigla “Ködeltour” covers 17.1 kilometers and is rated very difficult; it is located in Steinwiesen. This information helps you compare two routes with different levels of challenge. As trail conditions can change, check them again before setting out.
Discover more destinations: Stockheim in Upper Franconia, WeiĂźenbrunn, Kronach, Nordhalben, Mitwitz, Steinbach am Wald, Wilhelmsthal, Pressig.
Return to the wider travel overview: Kronach.
