Cottbus

Cottbus grew on the western bank of the Spree around an earlier Sorbian fortified settlement on a sandy island. First mentioned in 1156, it became a town and lordship in Lower Lusatia, where German and Sorbian communities lived alongside one another. Its castle guarded the river and the surrounding land. In 1445 Brandenburg's Elector Frederick II purchased a share of the lordship, beginning a long period of Brandenburg rule. The town's position on the Spree tied its fortunes to the waterways and settlements of the Lusatian lowlands.