Cottbus

The name of the city comes from "Chotibuz" from the Sorbian (Wendish) language, which is itself a derivation of Choitische Budky, meaning approximately "pretty little houses".

Modern Cottbus is a small city, in what used to be East Germany (GDR), and due to high unemployment the city has suffered from the "brain drain" to more prosperous German cities. Its proximity to Berlin allows a lot of people to commute between the two cities. Today, it is most associated with coal mining, Communist-era prefabricated buildings, and the nearby Spreewald forest, but the city has much more to offer visitors than drab East German nostalgia.

The city first reached a population of more than 100,000 (the lower limit for the German term Großstadt) in the 1970s and peaked at over 130,000 during the East German period. Cottbus had about 100,000 inhabitants in 2019. While it seemed that after Reunification that it would lose the designation Großstadt once and for all, the population is rising again, fitting a Germany-wide trend of people moving into cities.

The city's history is inexorably linked to its expansion during the industrial revolution. Today, it offers a beautiful and well-preserved medieval core and its surrounding 19th century districts that arose during the city's textile boom. There are many parks in and around the old city centre which give the city a "green" reputation. The Soviet-era suburbs do not have much to interest tourists, but significant efforts to refurbish these districts and make them more attractive are being undertaken.

Historically, Cottbus is renowned for three specialties: cloth, grain and beer, and "Baumkuchen" (lit. tree-cakes), a traditional circular layer cake that resembles tree rings.

Starting in around 1860, the arrival of the industrial revolution granted Cottbus huge economic benefits. The first clothmaking factory and the first military barracks were founded here during that time. Then, in 1865, the railway connecting Berlin to Görlitz was built through Cottbus, which resulted in an industrial and economic boom. Other railway companies eventually connected their lines through the city as well, interconnecting the city with the nearby clothing mill towns of Guben and Forst, as well as Wroclaw.

Dr. Carl-Thiem, the father of trauma surgery in Germany, founded a private clinic in the city in 1885, where it still resides. In 1886, the first telephone system was installed, and after a merger of the three largest German carpet manufacturers, a public textile college was also founded.

The Cottbusverkehr GmbH (Cottbus Transit Authority) operates a network of four streetcar lines and eight primary bus routes in the city, in addition to three nighttime bus lines. Late night service runs from 21:00 to 04:30 daily. It's operated by three bus lines (2N, 3N, 4N). They busses always meet at the train station.

Due to the compact size of the city, most destinations are easily reachable by bicycle or on foot.

• 🌍 Fahrradservice Schenker, Beuchstraße 25 (Tram line 1 to the "Beuchstraße" stop), ☏ +49 355-33095. M-F 09:00-18:00, Sa 09:00-16:00. 

• 🌍 Cottbuser Postkutscher Tour (Cottbus Coachman), Berliner Platz (in front of City Hall). Tu Sa 10:00. Guided tours of the city by the Cottbus Coachman are available. Tours run about 2 hours. A climb up the Spremberger Tower is included. €6, €5 reduced. 
• 🌍 Triebwagen 24 (Streetcar 24), Vetschauer Straße 70, ☏ +49 355 8662-230. During daylight hours, reservation required. A traditional streetcar that began operation over 100 years ago. Visitors can take a tour of the city centre. The tour is approximately 1½ hours. Group rate only. €114 for up to 20 persons, €149 for 20-40 persons). 
• 🌍 Theater, Theater. A special travel offer for the culturally inclined couple, with the following services: overnight stay in the Hotel am Theater with a romantic dinner and champagne breakfast. Attendance of a show at the State Theatre, a guided tour of the old city or Branitzer Park. €99. 
• 🌍 Cottbuser Tierpark (Cottbus Zoo), Kiekebuscher Straße 5 (Adjacent to Branitzer Park), ☏ +49 355-3555360. 09:00 to 18:00. The largest zoo in the state of Brandenburg featuring a large number of bird species, large predators and other animals. Adults €5.00, children €2.50. 
• 🌍 Parkeisenbahn (Park Railroad). Apr 16-Jun 1, Sep 1-Oct 31: 10:00 to 17:40; July–August: 10:00-18:30; Christmas trips December 1–6. A light-gauge railway, built in the 1950s, that runs primarily in the summer months between the stations of Sandower Dreieck (with ample parking) and Friedenseiche. The nearly 4-km-long line runs from the Sandow neighbourhood, passing by the Football Stadium, stopping at the Cottbus Zoo, and then on into Branitzer Park to the "Peace Oak". From here, it is a 15-minute walk to the Kiekebuscher Dam on the Spree river. €3, reduced fare €2, surcharge with steam locomotive €1. 

• 🌍 Cottbuser Ostsee (Cottbus Eastern Lake). The name, which is (apart from its grammatical gender) identical to the German term for the Baltic Sea is (as of 2020) being developed from the former open pit lignite mine "Cottbus Nord". Flooding started in 2019 but low water levels in the Spree River and the general dry climate in the area have forced several interruptions. There are grand plans for the lake once it is fully flooded, but until then you can see the "lunar landscape" of lignite mining slowly transforming into a lake of 19 km² (7.3 sq mi) surface area. (updated Nov 2020)

• 🌍 FC Energie Cottbus, Ludwig Leichhardt Allee 1. Despite the city's moderate size, Cottbus' football (soccer) club has enjoyed some success in both the 1st and 2nd divisions of the Bundesliga (professional soccer association) and has a strong regional fan following. 
• 🌍 Lagune, Sielower Straße 19, ☏ +49 355 49498410. This sports and recreation complex features a 50-m indoor pool, spa, sauna, and outdoor pool. €5. 
• Sauna village of Almsick, Weinbergstraße 1, 03116 Drebkau, OT Leuthen, ☏ +49 35602-22422. M-F 14:00-23:00, Sa Su 11:00-23:00. In Leuthen, south of the city, there is the sauna village. In a beautiful garden there is a classic Finnish sauna, an earth sauna with a real fire in the oven, and a herbal sauna. There is also a pool and several relaxation areas in the garden. Of course, physical well-being is also taken care of. (updated Nov 2020)

There is a Saturday market in Oberkirchplatz from 07:00 until about midday. You can buy delicacies from the nearby Spreewald, sold in person by the producer. A slimmed-down version of the market takes place on Wednesdays in front of the city hall and on Thursdays in the Sprem (shopping area near the Old Market). Elsewhere, the Blechen-Carre is a large shopping centre containing the usual retail chains to be found across Germany.

Meanwhile, dedicated shopaholics should explore the old town, where there are many small shops and specialist boutiques.

• In the hamlet of Hornow at Spremberg (about 20 km south-east of Cottbus) chocaholics are guaranteed to find something in the fine Felicitas confectionery store, which sells real homemade chocolates.

Personal safety is generally not a concern, though you may encounter drunk youth on weekend nights and after games of the local football club FC Energie Cottbus. Don't provoke, use common sense and you should be fine.

Being a flat and compact city, many people commute by bike. Watch out for cyclists racing along sidewalks and around blind corners, often in dark clothes and unlit. Don't expect priority to be given to pedestrians even when required by law. Bike theft (or parts thereof) can also be a concern.

The city of Cottbus is surrounded by a dense network of cycle paths that can quickly take you deep into attractive countryside. For the adventurous, a selection of bicycle tour routes of varying distances can be found in a dedicated German Wikivoyage article.

Only a few kilometres north of the city is the Spreeaue, a 160-ha (400-acre) area along the course of the Spree river has been reclaimed as a nature reserve. Meadows and traditional villages invite you to explore on foot or by bike.

Burg (Spreewald), the southern gateway to the Spreewald, lies about 15 km northwest of Cottbus. The route there runs through the low-lying, rural Spreewald foothills. The Spreewald is very well developed for tourism and offers an ideal starting point for boat, paddle and bike rides. Lübben and Lübbenau are two other major points of departure to visit the Spreewald area.

• 🌍 Klinger Lake (about 15 km (9.3 mi) east of Cottbus, on the edge of a former open-cast lignite mine). The lake is still being filled and will be a major feature in the future Lower Lusatia Lake District. Many former lignite mines have fallen victim to changing economic circumstances, and are now gradually being repurposed. The lake's bizarre landscape is reminiscent of the lunar surface and has a certain gruff charm. 
• Klinger Raubritter gate. Another minor attraction .

About 40 km to the north-east in the former hat-making town of Guben you can find the Plastinarium, the demonstration workshop of the internationally renowned/notorious "Body Worlds" exhibitor, Gunther von Hagen. Daily 10:00-18:00 (last entrance 16:00), admission starting from €12 per person, concessions €8. Uferstraße, 03172 Guben, ☏ +49 3561 54 74 860.

About 20 km west of Cottbus in Slawenburg Raddusch you can find a mock castle built as part of an international building exhibition. The model houses a museum and reflects castles of 1000 years ago built by the then Lusizi (ancestors of today's Sorbian/Wendish minority). Opening times from April to October 10:00 to 18:00, November to March 10:00 to 16:00. A15 exit Vetschau.

Further afield lie the fascinating cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Berlin.