To attend please RSVP by April 17, 2024 (museum@zittau.de).

The city of Zittau can look back on a long and multifaceted relationship with Italy. As early as the 17th century, Zittauans studied in Padua, lived in Venice or visited the cities of Naples, Rome or Siena during their cavalier tour. Since the 18th century, citizens of the town of Zittau have acquired a variety of Italian art products, which testify to the increased need for education at the time. These masterpieces entered the Zittau Council Collection and to this day form an important part of the collection of the municipal museums. Among the works acquired at that time are numerous etchings by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778), depicting famous views of the city of Rome.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Zittau and Upper Lusatian artists such as Adolf Thomas (1834-1887), Michael Wentzel (1792-1866) and Albert Zimmermann (1808-1888) went south and created light-flooded landscapes, cities and villages, romantic ones Ruins and sceneries captured in magical images.

To this day, there are many points of contact between Zittau and Italy: For the Zittau geologist Curt Heinke (1890-1934), Italy was also a worthwhile travel destination. He brought back rock from the volcanoes Vesuvius and Etna, which became part of the museum named after him. During the Second World War, soldiers from Upper Lusatia fought in Italy and discovered their love for the country during their subsequent captivity. Since 1971, Zittau and Pistoia have had an intensive town twinning relationship, which is remarkable for historical reasons and is still characterized by lively exchange today.

The centuries-old connections between Zittau and Italy are documented and illustrated in the exhibition by unique objects. A wide window to the south will be opened in the Heffter building of the municipal museums in spring and summer 2024.