Schona - Tourism

Tourism

There are many activities to pursue here, including hiking, mountain biking and horse riding through the beautiful countryside. Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna is thus popular with German and international tourists and it is often difficult to find accommodation in peak season. Camping is an alternative.

Although tourism is a very important component of the local economy, there is still a great reliance on agriculture, with an emphasis on cereal grains as well as diversification into other crops such as Oilseed rape.

In a beeline to the northwest, it is 28 km to the outskirts of the city of Dresden. Unfortunately, getting there is picturesque but a tad slow, whether traveling down the Elbe or over the minor back roads.

English-speaking visitors will find it a challenge without some knowledge of German, but helpful for those wanting to practice their German. The concept of a two-week holiday to improve one's German, as is not uncommon in Poland, for example, is being considered by the Goethe Institute and their EU cultural partners. This may also include further development of the German courses made available by Deutsche Welle, so as to feature content that reflects aspects of life in Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna in detail and the region in general.

10 km in northwestern direction, on the far side of the River Elbe, the well-known Rathen Rock Theatre is located. Here, dramatic reenactments of scenes from the famous western novels of Karl May are performed for tourists. Actors are dressed in period costumes, and a considerable amount of gun play and pyrotechnics use greatly adds to the drama.

Berlin is approximately 175 km to the north. This is little more than a two-hour drive, traffic permitting, but there is also the option of taking straight InterCity and EuroCity trains from Bad Schandau or Dresden Central Station to Berlin Central Station. Travel times by train are usually between 2 to 3 hours, depending on the number of stops on the schedule, and the time of day or night.

14 km south of Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna, across the German-Czech border, lies the city of Děčín.

Whilst Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna is well placed compared to large urban areas in terms of employment, trade and tourism, for example, without having to worry unduly about overdevelopment that would spoil the local environment. That said, like any small town/village, there is a danger in it becoming simply a dormitory village, with little to encourage the younger generation to remain and earn a living.