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It is little known to many that the renowned Dresden mill owner and art patron Traugott Bienert was born in Eschdorf. After the early death of his father, he took over the management of the Eschdorf Upper Mill, now the Bienert Mill, at around the age of 14, working his way up from a small village miller to a famous estate mill owner. He commissioned a monument to his parents, who are buried in the Eschdorf cemetery, which still stands today directly behind the church tower, commemorating them. Traugott Bienert remained connected to his birthplace of Eschdorf throughout his life. In 1885/86, he contributed a large portion of the costs for the renovation of St. Barbara's Church in Eschdorf by architect Arnold. A bell tower with four bells was erected on top of the old mortuary chapel, which was attached to the chancel of the church. The nave was also widened (still clearly visible today when walking from the cultural barn to the church and looking at the gable of the nave). Furthermore, Traugott Bienert established a school scholarship for the poorest but most diligent children of the village, which was only discontinued around 1960. The electrification of the lighting, with its beautiful candelabras made of Lusatian glass, also dates from this period. In the mid-1980s, the church was repointed, replastered, and restored both inside and out. After German reunification, the church spire was replaced and the roof was re-covered. In 1996, for the 650th anniversary of the church's first recorded mention, the "Museum under the Attic," our local history museum, was inaugurated in the renovated attic. In recent years, the Eschdorf church has received a new oak bell frame, new tower sound louvers, a restored clock mechanism, a new, modern ringing system, and a new clock face. The St. Barbara Church in Eschdorf and its beautifully sounding bells cordially invite you to visit and to silent prayer.

The church in Eschdorf was first mentioned in the Meissen parish registers in 1346. This makes it at least 675 years old. Evidence of this period can still be seen in the chancel, particularly in the Gothic cross vault. In 1348, Luhold von Turgow donated a St. Barbara altar to the church in Eschdorf, meaning that from this point on, the church in Eschdorf became a pilgrimage church. St. Barbara was and is the patron saint of miners and of protection against lightning strikes in Catholic communities. There were never any mines in Eschdorf or the surrounding area, but because the church stands on a hill and is often struck by lightning, it became a place of pilgrimage for protection against lightning damage. And for some people, it remains so to this day, even though the church in Eschdorf has been an Evangelical Lutheran church since the Reformation in 1539. It never lost its name or its function. In later times, the local patron saints, who resided at the Eschdorf manor, became very important financial backers for our St. Barbara's Church. The von Nostitz and von Quandt families deserve special mention (both family coats of arms still adorn our baptismal font today). The latter family had a large circle of friends among Dresden's artists. Gottfried Semper, along with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, was a well-respected guest of the Eschdorf manor. Out of gratitude and as a token of friendship, Semper designed the organ case for the Eschdorf organ, which was built in Stolpen between 1836 and 1838 by the Herbriger organ building firm. As the crowning touch to this organ case designed by Semper, two plaster angel figures by the Dresden sculptor Rietzschel, which had previously been exhibited at the Paris World's Fair, were installed in 1838.

Aerial photographs of St. Barbara's Church in Eschdorf. Alexander Claus

Here is a small glimpse of the clockwork and the bells.