The village of Lauta was first mentioned in a document in 1374. The Sorbian name of ‘Łuty’ roughly translates into ‘village on linden bast place’.

As of 1917, Lauta gained more than regional prominence, when the newly founded Vereinigte Aluminiumwerke AG company (VAW) began to build its aluminium works including an alumina refinery and power plant south-east of the village. The generation of the first electricity and smelting of the first aluminium in October 1918 after a construction period of only 18 months marked the birth of the Lauta works. The works’ up to 13,000 labourers were housed in hut barracks south of the works. As of 1918, the first company dwellings for the core workforce and villas for the directors and executives were built north of the works.

This laid the foundations for today’s garden town Lauta-Nord. A works colony incorporating elements of the garden city movement was constructed following plans by architects Stefan and Clemens Simon. These included the essential infrastructure buildings such as shopping centres, post office, churches, schools, a hospital as well as inns and a cinema. The charming combination of architecture, gardens, front gardens and green spaces is characteristic of the garden town of Lauta.

The roughly 86 acre (35 hectare) large complex has been hardly altered over the course of time and now enjoys conservation status. Typical are the one- and two-storey terraced houses, blocks of flats and pairs of semi-detached houses with stable annexes to the rear and generous gardens. The roofs are particularly striking, rhythmically alternating between front- and side-gabled and frequently featuring dormers. A network of access roads connects the gardens and creates link roads, in part by using gateway passages.

The energy-intensive aluminium production was discontinued after the political turnaround, the power plant was taken out of service and the production buildings of both plants were demolished. Today, only the distinctive water tower and the building now housing the Lusatian Technology Park on the B 96 are evocative of the former industrial site. After its redevelopment, the garden town of Lauta enjoys great popularity especially amongst young families. The town park additionally contributes to this popularity. This 37-acre (15 hectare) large area was established in the 1920s and lies immediately north of the garden town. After a period of neglect, beautification efforts began in the 1980s, which now are continued in a targeted manner, supported by the commitment of citizens, clubs and the town.