In the 13th century German colonists, invited by the Přemyslids, came to Chrastava. They were mostly miners who founded a town in the place of the original settlement and started mining of minerals in the surroundings. Chrastava also includes Vítkov, a settlement almost 6km long. At the present time Wothanburg, a fortified feudal court dating back to the turn of the 13th century is being reconstructed. Another village located close to Chrastava is Jitrava where the International Nature Trail of Lužické and Žitavské hory starts and is marked with an information table.