Schwarzkollm, a district of Hoyerswerda, is one of the oldest villages in the region. Its inhabitants celebrated its 600th anniversary in 1994. The German-Sorbian lifestyle is a distinctive characteristic of the village with its currently 800 inhabitants. Numerous traditions are lovingly cultivated. For example, the village women’s Easter singing was revived in 2010.
The Krabat-Mühle (Krabat Mill) is the most important attraction in Schwarzkollm and was constructed by diligent craftsmen and journeymen. The tradition of welcoming and hiring travelling journeymen was revived in the course of the building activity. The complex seeks to emulate the legendary Black Mill, where the Black Miller, who ultimately outwitted the Sorbian sorcerer Krabat, was said to once have dwelt. The Krabat-Mühle complex is open all year round. Attentive visitors will notice black ravens everywhere in Schwarzkollm; they symbolise Krabat after his transformation at the hands of the wicked Black Miller.
Nearby Schwarzkollm is the town of Hoyerswerda with about 34,000 inhabitants. It is divided into the historical Old Town and the New Town that was created as late as from the mid-1950s onwards to provide housing for the hosts of operatives of the gas combine Schwarze Pumpe. This is why Hoyerswerda has two centres: the historical one around the market square and Kirchstraße (Church Street) and the new one around Lausitzer Platz.
The town boasts several tourist attractions, including the zoo, the state-of-the-art Computer Museum ZCOM in the New Town, the palace with its museum and the Lausitzhalle cultural centre with its many high-class events. Other sights await visitors in the rural districts, such as the post mill in Dörgenhausen, the Zeißighof farm in Zeißig and the Energiefabrik in Knappenrode. Moreover, it is only a stone’s throw from Hoyerswerda to the beaches of the Lusatian Lake District.