Cottbus

Cottbus () or (; ) is a university city and the second-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg, after the state capital, Potsdam. With around 100,000 inhabitants, Cottbus, the most populous city in Lusatia, lies in the Sorbian settlement area () of Lower Lusatia and is the second-largest city on the River Spree after Berlin, which is situated around downstream. The city is located on the shores of Germany's largest artificial lake, the Cottbuser Ostsee ().

Cottbus is considered the political and cultural center of the Lower Sorbian-speaking Sorbs (in Lower Lusatia also called the Wends), while the overall center of all Sorbs (Lower and Upper) is Bautzen (''Budyšin''). Cottbus is the largest bilingual city in Germany. Signage is mostly in German and Lower Sorbian. The city is the seat of several Lower Sorbian institutions like the Lower Sorbian version of the Sorbischer Rundfunk (/), the Lower Sorbian Gymnasium, and the Wendish Museum (). The use of the Lower Sorbian language, however, is more widespread in the surrounding villages than in the city itself. Cottbus Hauptbahnhof (''Chóśebuz głowne dwórnišćo'') is a major railway junction with extensive sidings/depots.

In the 10th century, the Wends constructed the largest Slavic castle of Lower Lusatia, a gord, on a Spree island. This former gord is considered the nucleus of the city. On it rises the massive 13th century Castle Tower () with its blue clock.

Cottbus is the seat of the Brandenburg University of Technology (, ). Due to this, the city has the official names / ('University City Cottbus'). Branitz Castle, built in 1770–71, in the southeast of the city, was a residence of the Prince of Pückler-Muskau. The prince, who also created Muskau Park, designed the extensive Branitz Park on the shores of the Spree, with its two grass pyramids. Cottbus State Theater () is the only state theater in Brandenburg. The Wendish Quarter is a part of the city supposed to resemble the traditional Sorbian architectural style, constructed of prefabricated concrete slabs in East Germany between 1984 and 1989. Provided by Wikipedia