Summary
Germany’s easternmost city is situated in the state of Brandenburg. Cottbus functions as the unofficial capital of Lower Lusatia, where a minority known as the Sorbs maintain their distinct Western Slavic language and cultural heritage.
A notable figure associated with Cottbus is the nobleman Prince Pückler, an eminent 19th-century landscape architect who created his own enchanting gardens. Branitzer Park represents one of a series of parks extending from the southeast of the city.
The city’s historical center originated in the 12th century at a critical junction of Medieval trade routes and subsequently emerged as a significant textiles production hub. Extensive reconstruction following fires in the 17th century endowed Cottbus with much Baroque architecture, particularly observable at the cultured Altmarkt square.
Now, let us explore the top attractions in Cottbus:
1. Branitzer Park
The premier park of the city was designed by Prince Hermann Ludwig Heinrich von Pückler-Muskau.
Regarded as his magnum opus, Branitzer Park embodies the vision of one of the leading landscape architects of his era.
Surrounding Schloss Branitz, the “pleasure ground” was conceived by Prince Pückler as an extension of the palace, adorned with numerous flowerbeds.
Significant labor transformed the flat landscape into a rolling terrain, intricately designed with waterways.
The most remarkable feature is the Pyramidensee, where Prince Pückler and his wife Lucie lay interred within an earthwork pyramid at the center of an artificial lake.
2. Schloss Branitz
The palace located at the eastern edge of the gardens was constructed in the Baroque style during the early 1770s and underwent restoration approximately 80 years later by the esteemed architect Gottfried Semper.
The interiors have been meticulously restored to reflect the conditions during Prince Pückler’s residence in the 1800s, with the salons, music hall, breakfast room, oriental rooms, and library offering insight into his and Lucie’s lifestyle.
Additionally, the palace features exhibitions of works by the Cottbus-born Romantic landscape artist Carl Blechen.
3. Spremberger Turm
One of the city’s prominent landmarks, the Spremberger Turm forms part of Cottbus’s southern Medieval gate.
This structure dates back to the 13th century and was modified in the 15th century, undergoing further changes in the 1820s when it acquired its crenellated appearance.
Today, this 31-metre tower welcomes visitors seven days a week.
Ascending the 131 steps to the observation deck provides the option to gaze across distances of up to 50 kilometers, spotting landmarks such as the cooling towers of Schwarze Pumpe power station.
Within the vicinity, one can survey the streets of Cottbus’s old town for orientation.
4. Altmarkt
The historic marketplace, established during the 1200s, occupies a location of significance as it intersects three ancient trade routes.
Abundant with local and independent shops, the square is framed by a charming collection of historic buildings.
The oldest structures date back to the late 17th century; prior to this, Cottbus suffered extensive destruction from fires in 1600 and 1671. While the upper stories may date back roughly 300 years, the basements are rooted in Medieval times.
Notable sites to find include the two charming gabled houses at no. 14, dating to 1693, along with the grand Baroque merchant houses at 22, 25, and 27.
5. Kunstmuseum Dieselkraftwerk
Located to the east of the old town in Goethepark is a modern art museum housed within a Bauhaus-style power station dating back to 1927. The facility was decommissioned in 1958 and remained unused until the 2000s when it became the new site for the city’s contemporary art collection.
Initially established in 1977 at a different location, the museum initially showcased works from artists who stayed in East Germany or relocated to the GDR. Following 1990, the collection was expanded to incorporate 30,000 pieces, spanning from Dresden Expressionism to contemporary 21st-century works.
Additionally, the museum is famed for its temporary exhibitions, which have recently featured renowned artists such as Otto Dix, Picasso, Emil Nolde, Edvard Munch, and Emil Schumacher.
6. Spreeauenpark
Adjacent to the zoo and Branitzer Park in the southeastern portion of the city, this idyllic 55-hectare park was redesigned for the Bundesgartschau (Federal Garden Show) in 1995. The park features exotic trees and is bordered by venerable oak avenues.
Within its expanse are spacious meadows, a medicinal herb garden, a farmer’s garden, a rose garden, a sound garden, and a rhododendron grove, all surrounding a 1.2-hectare pond.
In favorable weather, families gather to enjoy the sun on the terrace next to the water.
7. Brandenburgisches Apothekenmuseum
Located at Altmarkt 24, this museum resides in a historic pharmacy, founded in 1568. The state of Brandenburg’s only pharmacy museum offers an overview of healthcare advancements spanning the last 400 years.
You will find intact pharmacy ensembles from the 1830s and early 20th century, alongside equipment utilized during the GDR. Fascinating displays include separate chambers for herbs and poisons, in addition to a laboratory dedicated to “Galenic” medicine.
In the courtyard lies a preserved well from the 1600s.
8. Cottbuser Parkreisenbahn
For over six decades, the network of parks in southeastern Cottbus has been connected by a narrow gauge railway.
This Pioniereisenbahn was initially established to be run by youth organizations, facilitating the training of future train operators and railway personnel.
The train departs from Sandower Dreieck station near the Stadion der Freundschaft and undertakes a 3.2-kilometer journey to Branitzer Park, passing by the zoo and Spreeauenpark.
Since the Federal Garden Show in 1995, the trains have been operated by bright green electric locomotives.
9. Staatstheater Cottbus
Even if you are not inclined towards attending an opera or ballet performance, the Staatstheater presents an architectural gem worth appreciating from the outside.
The theatre exemplifies the prosperity and aspirations of Cottbus at the onset of the 20th century when a thriving textile industry fostered a cultured bourgeoisie.
Inaugurated in 1908, the theatre features the organic curves characteristic of the Art Nouveau style and is celebrated as the pinnacle of its architect, Bernhard Sehring’s career.
For those seeking high-quality entertainment, the theatre’s yearly program includes opera, ballet, musical theater, soloists, and philharmonic concerts.
Additionally, guided architectural tours are available every Sunday, lasting two hours.
10. Oberkirche St. Nikolai
The largest church in Lower Lusatia, the Oberkirche is a three-aisled Late Gothic edifice constructed of bricks in the 15th century.
Tall lancet windows adorned with intricate tracery pierce the nave and choir walls, providing light even after the church was devastated by fire in 1945; it retains remarkable art and artifacts within.
Notably, the 11-meter early Baroque altarpiece from 1664 stands out, embellished with figurative reliefs and a nativity scene depicted on its pedestal.
The choir area accommodates several 16th and 17th-century ledger stones, while a lavishly gilded organ case dating from 1759 is located in the gallery.
11. Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus
The airfield located on the city’s western outskirts was utilized by the military from the 1930s until Reunification.
As the site served the GDR’s Air Forces of the National People’s Army for 40 years, visitors will encounter a wealth of Soviet technology on display in this museum.
The museum’s extensive aircraft collection includes a Yakovlev Yak-11, a Mil Mi-24 helicopter, and a recently added Tupolev Tu-134 airliner, distinguished by its capacity to take off and land on grass runways.
Many exhibits are interactive, allowing guests to sit inside the cockpit.
Other displays feature ground vehicles and various equipment, along with weapons such as the S-75 Dvina surface-to-air missile.
12. Klosterkirche
The oldest extant church in Cottbus was remodeled to its present Late Gothic style in the 15th century, though it was established around the year 1300. During the Middle Ages, it was associated with a Franciscan monastery, which was dissolved during the Reformation in the 1500s.
Happily unscathed by the war, the church boasts numerous historic fittings for enthusiasts to explore.
Within and outside, several ledger stones from the 14th to the 17th centuries can be found.
The most visually stunning piece commemorates a 14th-century couple, Fredehelm of Cottbus and Adelheid of Colditz, featuring a high relief of Fredehelm in armor embracing his wife, whose hands are elevated in prayer.
Other notable items include a baptismal font from 1500, a crucifix dating to 1720, and a pulpit from the early 17th century.
13. Stadtmuseum Cottbus
The municipal archives and city museum of Cottbus occupy the same facility, a former printworks located at Bahnhofstraße 52. Since 2015, an additional building has been added in an old bank directly across the street.
This museum chronicles the city’s history from both social and natural perspectives.
It extensively details the city’s Medieval Sorbian culture (Western Slavic), its emergence as a trading hub, and its flourishing textile and carpet industries in the 1800s.
The museum’s galleries house black-and-white photographs, locally made garments, steam turbine models, and pieces of Sorbian folk art.
Additionally, the natural history section features fossils, minerals, and taxidermy of regional avian species.
14. Tierpark Cottbus
Nestled between the Spree and Branitzer Park, Cottbus’s zoo is home to 1,200 animals residing in tranquil parkland.
Children will particularly enjoy encountering various exotic species such as elephants, zebras, multiple monkey varieties, tapirs, and ostriches.
Historically, big cats have been the main draw at the zoo, and a new predator enclosure for leopards and Malayan tigers was completed in 2014.
Feeding times are particularly popular, affording visitors the opportunity to observe lemurs, elephants, penguins, dwarf otters, leopards, and tigers closely.
15. Burg (Spreewald)
Just a short distance from Cottbus lies the spa town of Burg, situated within the UNESCO Spreewald Biosphere Reserve.
Burg has origins dating back to the 13th century and was established atop a salt spring that emerges from over 1,300 meters beneath the surface.
This mineral-rich water continues to attract visitors for therapeutic treatments at the thermal baths.
Moreover, Burg presents a strikingly picturesque landscape, particularly in the northwest of the town.
Exploring by canoe or traditional wooden boat allows one to discover Burg-Kauper, a low-lying rural settlement interspersed among the narrow channels of the River Spree.
Historically, this intricate network of waterways, bordered by willow trees and meadows, served as the primary mode of transport.
