Cottbus

Cottbus
From top: View of Cottbus at sunset,
The Art-Nouveau façade of the State Theater (1905), The 14th cent. Spremberger Tower,
View on the Karl-Liebknecht Str, The library of the Brandenburg University of Technology

Coat of arms
Cottbus
Coordinates: 51°45′38″N 14°20′03″E / 51.76056°N 14.33417°E / 51.76056; 14.33417Coordinates: 51°45′38″N 14°20′03″E / 51.76056°N 14.33417°E / 51.76056; 14.33417
Country Germany
State Brandenburg
District Urban district
Government
 • Lord Mayor Holger Kelch (CDU)
Area
 • Total 164.28 km2 (63.43 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)[1]
 • Total 99,595
 • Density 610/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 03042-03055
Dialling codes 0355
Vehicle registration CB
Website www.cottbus.de

Cottbus (German pronunciation: [ˈkɔtbʊs]; Lower Sorbian: Chóśebuz; Polish: Chociebuż; Czech: Chotěbuz) is a university city in Brandenburg, Germany. Situated around 125 km (78 mi) southeast of Berlin, on the River Spree, Cottbus is also a major railway junction with extensive sidings/depots.

Spelling

Until the beginning of the twentieth century the spelling of the city's name was contentious. In Berlin the spelling "Kottbus" was preferred, and it is still used in respect of the capital's Kottbusser Tor ("Cottbus Gate"), but locally the traditional spelling "Cottbus" (which defies standard German-language rules) was preferred, and this is now used in most circumstances. Because the official spelling used locally before the spelling reforms of 1996 had contravened even the standardized spelling rules already in place, the Standing Committee for Geographical Names stress their urgent recommendation that geographical names should respect the national spelling standards. In this context it is to be noted that to identify a citizen of the city either "Cottbuser" or "Cottbusser" may be used.

Names in different languages:

History

Historical affiliations

March of Lusatia 965-1002
Duchy of Poland 1002-1025
Kingdom of Poland 1025-1032
March of Lusatia 1032-1367
Lands of the Bohemian Crown 1367-1445
Margraviate of Brandenburg 1445-1618
Brandenburg-Prussia 1618-1701
 Kingdom of Prussia 1701-1807
Kingdom of Saxony 1807-1815
 Kingdom of Prussia 1815-1871
 German Empire 1871-1918
 Weimar Republic 1918-1933
 Nazi Germany 1933-1945
 Allied-occupied Germany 1945-1949
 German Democratic Republic 1949-1990
 Federal Republic of Germany 1990-present

The settlement was established in the 10th century, when Sorbs erected a castle on a sandy island in the River Spree. The first recorded mention of the town's name was in 1156. In the 13th century German settlers came to the town and thereafter lived side-by-side with the Sorbs. In medieval times Cottbus was known for wool, and the town's drapery was exported all over the Brandenburg, Bohemia and Saxony. In 1445 Cottbus was acquired by the Margraviate of Brandenburg from Bohemia. In 1514 Jan Rak founded the Universitas Serborum, a Sorbian gymnasium, in the city. In 1701 the city became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was also ruled by Saxony between 1807 and 1813. In 1815 the surrounding districts of Upper and Lower Lusatia were ceded by the Kingdom of Saxony to Prussia. During World War II, Cottbus was taken by the Red Army on 22 April 1945.

From 1949 until German reunification in 1990, Cottbus was part of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).

Demographics

Culture and education

The Lower Sorbian Gymnasium
The Brandenburg University of Technology Library

Cottbus is the cultural centre of the Lower Sorbian minority. Many signs in the town are bilingual, and there is a Lower Sorbian-medium Gymnasium, and Sorbian Quarter, but Sorbian is rarely spoken on the streets.

Next to Cottbus is the famous Branitz Park, created by Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau after 1845. Schloss Branitz (Branitz Castle) was rebuilt by Gottfried Semper in a late Baroque style between 1846 and 1852, and the gardens laid by Prince Hermann feature two pyramids. One of these, the Seepyramide, is in the middle of an artificial lake and serves as his mauseoleum.[2]

Cottbus is also home of the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) and the maths/science-oriented Max-Steenbeck-Gymnasium, which is named after the physicist Max Steenbeck.

Every year Cottbus is host to the East European Film Festival.

Cottbus has a football team called FC Energie Cottbus, which currently play in the 3. Liga. Their home matches are played at the city's Stadion der Freundschaft.

Power generation

There are several lignite-fired power stations in the area around Cottbus (Lausitz). The biggest stations are "Schwarze Pumpe" (1600 MW), "Boxberg" (1900 MW) and "Jänschwalde" (3000 MW).

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Cottbus is twinned with:[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Bevölkerung im Land Brandenburg nach amtsfreien Gemeinden, Ämtern und Gemeinden 31. Dezember 2013 (Fortgeschriebene amtliche Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011)". Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg (in German). 2014.
  2. ↑ Udo Lauer, Fürst Pücklers Traumpark, Ullstein Verlag, 1996, Berlin
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Our twin cities - Cottbus". http://www.cottbus.de/. Retrieved 24 June 2013. External link in |publisher= (help)
  4. ↑ "Zielona Góra Miasta partnerskie". Urząd Miasta Zielona Góra. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  5. ↑ "International Contacts". Targovishte Municipality. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  6. ↑ "Twin cities of the City of Kosice". Magistrát mesta Košice, Tr. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "Town Twinnings". Landeshauptstadt Saarbrücken. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  8. ↑ "List of Twin Towns in the Ruhr District" (PDF). 2009 Twins2010.com. Retrieved 28 October 2009. External link in |publisher= (help)

External links

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