“Schmilka was a holiday village 200 years ago,” said Andrea Bigge, a local art historian. It is again, he added, but it still feels like he exists in that era. “You have time here,” added guesthouse owner Ansgar Rieger. “No schedules, no lists. You come to Smilka to ‘do nothing.’ A day trip from Dresden, Schmilka is just over the German border with the Czech Republic. Founded around 1582 by Czech lumberjacks – the town’s name even comes from a Slavic word meaning ‘place where timber is cut’. The pitchmen exploiting the local fir trees and the ferrymen working on the Elbe soon followed, and by 1665, the settlement had become more substantial. People looking for an escape from the countryside appeared in the 1800s, but Schmilka never got beyond a rural enclave. So it was a bit of a shock to me that this tiny town is one of Saxony’s most respected wellness retreats, one of its most sustainable and organic communities, as well as one of the state’s most beautiful villages. The food in Schmilka’s restaurants, the beer from its brewery, the bread in its bakery, and even the furniture in its hotels and guesthouses are made with sustainability at the forefront. The mill still uses water to grind its grains into millstones, the brewery uses 200-year-old techniques and the buildings, all original, are made of stone, wood and plaster. In addition, its wellness offerings are based on old traditions such as saunas and baths, and lean heavily on the surrounding countryside for experiences such as nature walks. I thought I had fallen down the rabbit hole. Schmilka looks, feels, sounds and even tastes like it did centuries ago. While the locals seem to love this lifestyle – and the town owes its survival to it – Schmilka’s current success can be attributed in large part to one man.
