Cottbus

Cottbus (German pronunciation: [ˈkɔtbʊs]; Lower Sorbian: Chóśebuz; Polish: Chociebuż; Czech: Chotěbuz) is a university city in Brandenburg, Germany. Situated around 125 km (78 mi) southeast of Berlin, on the River Spree, Cottbus is also a major railway junction with extensive sidings/depots.

Spelling

Until the beginning of the twentieth century the spelling of the city's name was contentious. In Berlin the spelling "Kottbus" was preferred, and it is still used in respect of the capital's Kottbusser Tor ("Cottbus Gate"), but locally the traditional spelling "Cottbus" (which defies standard German-language rules) was preferred, and this is now used in most circumstances. Because the official spelling used locally before the spelling reforms of 1996 had contravened even the standardized spelling rules already in place, the Standing Committee for Geographical Names stress their urgent recommendation that geographical names should respect the national spelling standards. In this context it is to be noted that to identify a citizen of the city either "Cottbuser" or "Cottbusser" may be used.

Bezirk Cottbus

The Bezirk Cottbus was a district (Bezirk) of East Germany. The administrative seat and the main town was Cottbus.

History

The district was established, with the other 13, on July 25, 1952, substituting the old German states. After October 3, 1990, it was disestablished due to the German reunification, becoming again part of the state of Brandenburg. However, districts of Hoyerswerda and Weißwasser went to Saxony and ones of Bad Liebenwerda, Jessen and Herzberg went to Saxony-Anhalt.

Geography

Position

The Bezirk Cottbus, mainly located in Brandenburg and partly in Saxony (Hoyerswerda), bordered with the Bezirke of Frankfurt (Oder), Potsdam, Halle, Leipzig and Dresden. It bodered also with Poland.

Subdivision

The Bezirk was divided into 15 Kreise: 1 urban district (Stadtkreis) and 14 rural districts (Landkreise):