Schirgiswalde

Schirgiswalde (; , ; ; ) is a town and a former municipality in the district of Bautzen in Saxony in eastern Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Schirgiswalde-Kirschau. It is located on the river Spree, 15 km south of Bautzen, near the border with the Czech Republic. The small town is an official place of relaxation (staatlich anerkannter Erholungsort). Schirgiswalde is an Ortschaft of the town Schirgiswalde-Kirschau. It consists of the Ortsteile Schirgiswalde and Neuschirgiswalde.

== History == thumb|left|Postcard from 1907 The village of Schirgiswalde was first mentioned in a document from 1346, when it was part of the Bohemian Crown. During the Thirty Years' War, most of the settlement was destroyed with the majority of the populace perishing in the conflict. To aid the rebuilding and economic reconstruction of the community, the lord of the manor of Schirgiswalde made it a town in 1665. Later, the small town became part of the land owned by the Domstift in Bautzen, effectively turning it into a property of the church. Until the midst of the 19th century, it stayed under the regime and the right of the Domstift.