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Cottbus
	Cottbus
	Cottbus Altmarkt (old market square)
	; Cottbus
Coordinates	51°45′38″N 14°20′03″E / 51.76056°N 14.33417°E
	Administration
Country	Germany
State	Brandenburg
District	Urban district
Lord Mayor	Frank Szymanski (SPD)
	Basic statistics
Area	164.28 km2 (63.43 sq mi)
Elevation	70 m (230 ft)
Population	102,265 (31 March 2007)
- Density	623 /km2 (1,612 /sq mi)
	Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	CB
Postal codes	03042-03055
Area code	0355
Website	www.cottbus.de

Cottbus (Lower Sorbian: Chóśebuz) is a city in Brandenburg, Germany, situated around 125 km southeast of Berlin on the River Spree. In 31 December, 2005, its population was 106,415.^[1]

[edit] History

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 1462 Cottbus was acquired by the Margraviate of Brandenburg; in 1701 the city became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1815 the surrounding districts of Upper and Lower Lusatia were ceded by the Kingdom of Saxony to Prussia.

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

[edit] Culture and education

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, but Sorbian is rarely spoken on the streets.

Next to Cottbus is the famous Park of Branitz, created by Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau after 1845.

Cottbus is also home to the Brandenburg Technical University (BTU) and the maths/science-oriented Max-Steenbeck-Gymnasium, one of Germany's best schools in international competitions, named after the physicist Max Steenbeck.

Every year Cottbus hosts the East European Film Festival.

Cottbus has a football (soccer) team called Energie Cottbus currently playing in the 2^nd Division.

[edit] Power generation

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