Bautzen

Bautzen, known to the Sorbs as Budyšin and formerly called Budissin in German, stands above the Spree in Upper Lusatia. First recorded in 1002, it became a centre of the region under successive Polish, Meissen and Bohemian rulers. In 1346 the town joined Görlitz, Kamenz, Lauban, Löbau and Zittau in the Lusatian League, an alliance of towns defending their common interests.

The Hussites besieged Bautzen unsuccessfully in 1429 and 1431. In 1547 King Ferdinand I of Bohemia punished the towns for disobedience during the Schmalkaldic War, stripping them of privileges. Swedish troops devastated Bautzen in 1634, and the following year Upper Lusatia passed to Saxony. When the electors of Saxony also became kings of Poland, the road between Dresden and Warsaw passed through the town. Napoleon fought a major battle nearby in 1813.