The oldest Sorbian association in Upper Lusatia

Maćica Serbska was founded in 1847 in Bautzen as an all-Sorbian association dedicated to the publication of Sorbian books, and in the years that followed it developed into a Sorbian cultural and scholarly centre

Between 1848 and 1937, the association published the journal Časopis Maćicy Serbskeje annually and fostered research in linguistics, history, literary history, folklore and demography. In 1880, the Lower Sorbian section, Maśica Serbska, was established. With donations from Sorbian and international supporters, Maćica Serbska built the first Wendish House in Bautzen, which housed a museum, an archive, a library and a gallery.

In 1937, the National Socialists banned all public activities of Sorbian associations, and in 1941 the assets of Maćica Serbska were confiscated. The Wendish House was destroyed during the fighting for Bautzen in the final days of the war. After the war, Maćica Serbska resumed its work, primarily in the fields of linguistics and history. By order of the Soviet occupying authorities, the association was forced to relinquish its independence in 1949 and was incorporated into Domowina. With the establishment of the Institute for Sorbian Folk Research in 1951, Sorbian studies were placed on a new institutional footing.

In April 1991, Maćica Serbska was re-established with the aim of promoting Sorbian scholarship and disseminating knowledge about the Sorbs both within and beyond Lusatia. One year later, it joined Domowina. In 1993, Maśica Serbska was founded as the Lower Sorbian section of Maćica Serbska.