Spring Garden Market Erlichthof Rietschen

Timber-Frame Houses and Garden Market

The Erlichthof Rietschen is a unique timber-frame house settlement in the north of the Görlitz district (state of Saxony), directly on the border with Brandenburg's Lower Lusatian Heathland. The site features several historic timber-frame houses (log houses with overhanging roofs and wooden shingles) from the Upper Lusatia region, which were moved here over the decades to save them from decay. Today, Erlichthof is an open-air museum with cafés, small workshops, and the central theatre barn where events are held. Markets take place on the grounds several times a year — the Spring Garden Market on the first May weekend is one of the most popular.

Garden and Spring

The Spring Garden Market on May 3, 2026, will bring together around 30 to 40 exhibitors with a focus on gardens and spring: perennial and herb nurseries, organic plants, regional seed suppliers, garden decorations made of wrought iron and ceramics, beekeepers with honey and mead, and horticultural specialists for rare plants. In addition, there will be crafts: hand-woven baskets, wooden toys, Lusatian glass, and jewellery from regional workshops. The rural location and the spring-awakened grounds make the market a harmonious spring festival.

Country Music with Tom's Daddy

The market will be musically accompanied by live country music from the local band «Tom's Daddy». Country music might seem surprising in Upper Lusatia at first glance, but it has had a small but stable scene here for years — and fits the rural, wide landscape of the Lusatian Heath. The performances take place outdoors in front of the theatre barn; in bad weather, the market will partially move into the timber-frame houses and the theatre barn.

Family Programme

There is a children's programme for families: children can enjoy a small pony ride, participate in a craft activity, or visit the Lerchenfeld petting meadow (a sheep farm with lambs right at Erlichthof). The historic timber-frame houses can be visited during the market, and a café with homemade cakes invites visitors to take a break. Admission to the market is €5 for adults, children are free.

Lower Lusatian Heath

Rietschen is located in the Lower Lusatian Heathland Nature Park — a protected heathland and forest landscape with vast sandy areas, moors, and rare flora and fauna (e.g., wolves, which have been native to the region again since 2000). Those who want to combine the market with a hiking day can explore one of the signposted heathland routes. The Wolf Museum in Rietschen is also worth a visit — it provides information about the wolf packs of Lusatia.