Heimatmuseum Dissen
Sorbian/Wendish local history museum in the former village school, with costumes and everyday culture, plus the Stary lud open-air area, a reconstructed early Slavic settlement.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Heimatmuseum Dissen / Domowniski muzej Dešno shows the life of the Sorbian/Wendish rural population of Lower Lusatia between Cottbus and Burg from the 19th century to the 1960s. It is located in the building and on the grounds of the former Dissen school; the listed complex was fully renovated in 1999/2000. It is run by the municipality of Dissen-Striesow, supported by the Förderverein Heimatmuseum Dissen e. V. (friends' association).
The exhibition focuses on work in the fields and on the farm, housing, children's lives, Sorbian legends and fairy tales, and festivals, customs and traditions, some of which are still practiced today. About half of the collection consists of Lower Sorbian costumes, with more than 20 variants from everyday dress to elaborately embroidered bridesmaids' and festive costumes. A further focus is the documentation of the work of Bogumił Šwjela. In the cellar, a spinning room has been re-created with dolls in costume.
In 2012 the municipality decided to create the Stary lud open-air area (“the old people”) behind the museum. Along a timeline, it shows a reconstructed section of an early Slavic settlement with replica huts, for example of a weaver, a potter and a warrior. The museum complex also includes the half-timbered Dissen church, which can be visited on guided tours.
Highlights
- More than 20 variants of Lower Sorbian costume
- Spinning room in the cellar
- Stary lud open-air area with a reconstructed early Slavic settlement
- Guided tours of the half-timbered Dissen church
- Documentation on Bogumił Šwjela
- Museum shop with Sorbian Easter eggs
Permanent exhibitions
- Sorbisch/wendisches Leben und Tracht – Everyday life, work, festivals and customs of the Sorbian/Wendish farmers of Lower Lusatia, with a large collection of Lower Sorbian costumes.
- Freilichtmuseum Stary lud – Reconstructed settlement of the early Slavs with replica huts and hands-on activities about life roughly 1,000 years ago.
- Operated by
- Gemeinde Dissen-Striesow
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2.50Children aged 4 to 14, trainees, students, people with physical disabilities, and socially disadvantaged people (with proof) |
| Children & teens | €2.50Children aged 4 to 14 pay the reduced price |
| Visitors with disabilities | €2.50People with physical disabilities |
| Students & apprentices | €2.50Trainees and students |
| Guided tour (surcharge per person) | €3in addition to admission |
| Dissen Card (museum, Stary lud, church, Spreeauenhof) | €10Thursdays only, during the “Storchensaison” (stork season, May to the end of July); with Gäste-Card Spreewald €9.50, reduced €6 |
Admission covers the museum complex, comprising the museum, the Stary lud open-air area and the church. Main season (from April 1, 2026): adults €7, reduced €4. Off-season: adults €4.50, reduced €2.50. Projects in addition to admission: half-day projects (up to 180 minutes) €5.50, short projects (up to 90 minutes, e.g. butter-making, crafts, baked apples) €2.50 each.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
A disabled parking space is located directly next to the museum.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
Children and adults can take part in guided tours of Stary lud; short projects such as butter-making, crafts and baked apples (about 90 minutes each), as well as hands-on workshops on pottery, fire-making and weaving, are aimed at groups and school classes.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Dissen Gasthaus
By train to Cottbus, then bus line 44 (line 47 on Saturdays and Sundays) from Cottbus station to Dissen Gasthaus; alternatively city line 15 to Cottbus-Sielow (final stop), from there about 2.5 km on foot.
By car
Parking available · 6-min walk to the entrance
Parking spaces are signposted by the parking guidance system; a disabled parking space is directly next to the museum.
- Accessible parking
Navigation address: Heimatmuseum Dissen, Hauptstr. 32, 03096 Dissen-Striesow OT Dissen. Dissen lies in the Spreewald near Cottbus and Burg.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
Museum shop with information material in several languages, Sorbian Easter eggs, blue-print fabrics (Blaudruck), literature on the Sorbs/Wends, ceramics, jewelry replicas and souvenirs.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours of the Stary lud open-air area: May to October on Wednesdays at 11:00 and 14:00, about 60 minutes, up to 24 people. Guided tours of the half-timbered church and project days for groups of 10 or more (modules such as an archaeology workshop, pottery, fire-making, leatherworking, weaving, bread baking) are offered. |
