Article by Stasia Brewczynki | Photos courtesy of Wjelbik | Published January 16, 2025

An hour east of Dresden by train, near the Czech and Polish borders, Bautzen is one of Germany’s best-preserved medieval towns. Winding cobblestones and picturesque bridges overlook rolling hills and the river Spree, while the skyline features sights like the ruins of ghostly St. Nicholas Church — destroyed over 400 years ago — and the quirky, crooked 18th-century tower called Reichenturm.
This is one of the last bastions of the Sorbs, one of Germany’s four officially recognized ethnic minorities. Only about 60,000 Sorbs reside in Germany, split into the Upper Sorbs around Bautzen and the Lower Sorbs in Brandenburg. A Slavic people whose history in the area dates back to at least the 6th century, the Sorbs have survived persecution throughout the ages, including a campaign of ethnic cleansing by the Nazis, who banned the Sorbian language and culture. Today, the two distinct Sorbian languages are protected, appearing alongside German on official signs throughout their respective regions. The town has a Sorbian Museum, a Sorbian Institute, and a Sorbian National Ensemble. Near the center of Bautzen, housed in a 600-year-old stone vault uncovered during renovations to a destroyed building after WWII, is another unique link to Sorbian culture: the world’s only Sorbian restaurant.
A Sense of Place in the Sorbian Pantry
Wjelbik, which can mean both “vault” and “pantry,” is owned by the Mahling family and run by Mónika Lukašowa née Mahling and her husband, Thomas Lukašowa, Bautzen-born Sorbs, whose names in German would be written Monika and Thomas Lukasch. Developed from a peasant cuisine in Lusatia with Bohemian and Silesian influences, “Sorbian cuisine is a simple, rural cuisine,” Mónika Lukašowa explains. The focus is seasonal and regional ingredients, typically cooked at home. In fact, outside of a few Sorbian-run inns that offer meals, Wjelbik is the only restaurant serving Sorbian cuisine to the public. This means Wjelbik is often guests’ first experience with Sorbian food and culture.
A natural host with a warm demeanor and easy smile, Lukašowa greets diners — in Sorbian, German, and English — wearing her traditional Catholic work outfit. Her garments feature a full skirt and black headdress akin to the one historically worn by Sorbs of the Kamenz group, including her late mother, Veronika Mahling, the restaurant’s previous host. Few Sorbs still don their traditional wear daily, but Lukašowa says she feels very comfortable in hers. “It’s my second skin.” As the only Sorbian front-of-house staff in the restaurant, she stands out beautifully, even among other staff members’ traditional Germanic tailored outfits. The goal, she says, is not to put on a show, but to embody authenticity for guests and visitors. “We are not doing folklore here,” she says. “We live [our Sorbian culture] and love it.”

Building a Restaurant for a Culture That Doesn’t Dine Out
Prior to meeting and falling in love, the Lukašowas each left home to broaden their training and experience — he’s a master butcher, she studied pastry and hotel management, and they both worked in French and German kitchens. While the restaurant emphasizes good value for guests and Mónika Lukašowa describes Wjelbik’s menu as down-to-earth rather than haute cuisine, dinner at Wjelbik still feels refined — the dining room boasts enchanting stained-glass windows along semi-subterranean stone walls, and service is smooth and skillful. Everything is made from scratch, with broths and roasts slow-cooked for hours. Specialties like Lusatian carp and Sorbian wedding soup arrive artfully presented at white-cloth tables, paired elegantly with regional wine and beer.
With the gratifying sense of occasion and one-of-a-kind experience the restaurant offers, it’s no surprise it’s popular both as a local gathering place for celebrations and as a destination for travelers. Eating out is not historically a part of Sorbian culture, so much like Lukašowa in her traditional dress, Wjelbik stands out — a rare and wonderful cultural ambassador.
Quotes from Mónika Lukašowa have been translated from German to English by Adam H. Callaghan.