Plessa among orchards and industrial heritage

Fruit garden and orchards in Döllingen

The Pomological Display and Educational Garden in Döllingen covers three hectares. It is home to more than 400 old and newer fruit trees: apples, pears, cherries and plums, as well as nuts and wild fruit. The variety reveals itself in different ways throughout the year. In spring, the garden offers a special succession of blossoms; later, visitors can sample the fruits as they ripen one after another.

Outdoor learning is also part of the garden: schools and daycare centres can use it as a learning environment, and seasonal theory and practical seminars are held on orchards. A circular walking trail, designed as a nature trail, leads through the orchards. The garden hosts the Blossom Festival and Lower Lusatian Apple Day every year. Nature observation, fruit growing and recurring events come together here, so the experience is not limited to harvest time.

The power station and the history of the mill

Plessa Power Station shapes the townscape with two clinker-red chimneys that tower 100 metres above Plessa. Visitors can see authentic power station technology from the 1920s. The guided “Path of Coal” tour leads from the outdoor bunker through the boiler house and turbine table to the control room and transformer area. Check with the operator that the tour is currently available before your visit.

The power station is also a distinctive landmark for cyclists: it lies on the “Coal, Wind and Water Tour” and the “Fürst-Pückler Cycle Route”. Those more interested in the history of milling can visit the historic mill museum at the Elster Mill in Plessa, where cutting tools and grain mills are displayed across three floors. Advance booking is required for a museum visit. When the milling equipment is operating for demonstrations, the mighty outer mill wheel also begins to turn.

Church and industrial heritage in the districts

Döllingen is home to a Baroque church built in 1739, which is now a listed historic building. In Kahla, the 35-metre-high Bertzit Tower rises above the “Waldeslust” mining settlement. A landmark visible from far away, it commemorates a Bertzit plant to which it belonged and which was completed in 1918. Alongside the garden, mill and power station, the church and tower add further historical highlights in Plessa.

A wider look at Elbe-Elster

In the wider travel destination of Elbe-Elster, the 65-kilometre Apple Route includes a guided tour of the Pomological Garden in Döllingen; check the current dates. Other industrial heritage sites also form part of this regional setting: the F60 Visitor Mine is in Elbe-Elster district, south of Lichterfeld. The Louise Briquette Factory in Domsdorf is Europe’s oldest surviving briquette factory. These examples offer a broader view of the region without making the different places seem like a single destination.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Plessa, the mix of experiences you want may be the deciding factor: Döllingen’s garden and nature trail offer fruit-growing heritage and landscapes, while the power station and Elster Mill showcase technical history. If you plan to follow a walking route, check the current condition of the multi-location “From Old Orchards to 1,000 Oaks” route, which passes through Plessa.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Schlieben, Doberlug-Kirchhain, Schönewalde, Sallgast, Mühlberg, Lebusa, Bad Liebenwerda, Falkenberg/Elster.

Back to the regional travel overview: Elbe-Elster.