Ostritz Peace Festival

Peace Festival in Upper Lusatia

The Ostritz Peace Festival originated in 2018 as a civil society response to far-right marches that had previously taken place in the small town of Ostritz in the Görlitz district (Saxony). Citizens and church organizations joined forces to form the 'Ostritz Peace Festival' initiative, creating an annual festival for openness, democracy, and tolerance. The event is supported by the International Encounter Centre St. Marienthal (IBZ) — located directly on the outskirts of town — and a broad civil society citizens' initiative. The event is now considered a model project for democracy-strengthening town festivals in Eastern Germany.

Culture, Politics, and Engagement

Programmatically, the Peace Festival combines several levels: cultural contributions (concerts, theatre, performances), political workshops (democracy education, exchange of experiences), information and participation stands from regional civil society initiatives (Caritas, Diakonie, youth associations, church communities, local democracy projects), and a sports and creative program for all generations. A tradition is the 'Lights for Peace' human chain on the evening of the first day of the festival — a symbolic gesture of solidarity in the market square.

Location IBZ St. Marienthal

A special feature of the Peace Festival is its anchoring in the International Encounter Centre St. Marienthal — a former Cistercian monastery from the 13th century, which today serves as an educational and conference centre and is known for its cross-border projects with Polish and Czech partners. The monastery complex offers accommodation, rooms for workshops, and a particularly symbolic setting — an old foundation for peace serving new democratic civic engagement. Additionally, the Ostritz market square is used for events.

Saxony, Görlitz District, and Ostritz

Ostritz is a small town with around 2,200 inhabitants in the Görlitz district of Saxony — on Germany's easternmost edge, on the Neisse river directly on the Polish border. The region has been shaped by multilingualism and border experiences for centuries. The Peace Festival is one of the most important civil society events in Upper Lusatia and is recognized by 'Bürger für Bürger' (Citizens for Citizens) as a good example of lived democracy. It attracts visitors from the entire tri-border area of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic.