Cottbus is surrounded by nature

Numerous lovingly landscaped and maintained parks provide a sphere for relaxation and revitalisation in Cottbus and are the reason behind the city's alternative name of "Green City on the Spree River".

The Branitzer Park is the most famous park, a cultural heritage established by the prince Fürst Hermann von Pückler-Muskau. This is also the site of the green water pyramid, a tomb design unique in Europe.

The nearby Spreewald forest is a popular destination for family excursions and can be easily accessed also via the well-developed network of cycle paths. Every year, the Spreewald river and wetland landscape (UNESCO protected biosphere reserve) with its abundance of biodiversity draws numerous visitors to the region.

In addition, land reclamation efforts in the former lignite opencast mines create other valuable nature and recreational areas providing water sports and many other recreational activities. The Lusatian Lakeland is growing to become Europe's largest artificial water landscape and one of the largest lake districts. Soon, the largest artificial inland lake of Germany will be created immediately on the outskirts of Cottbus.

Cottbus is full of energy

Cottbus is a forerunner as regards development in many sectors, for example, in the fields of information and communication technologies as well as environmental and medical technologies. This applies in particular to the traditionally strong energy sector. This industry provides a prime example of what makes this city great: The combination of research and business with a future-oriented mind-set.

You will be welcomed by a cosmopolitan city that is home to people from many countries: Students, engineers and researchers, doctors, medical professionals and artists. They all add to the city's wealth of attraction with their language, their culture and their cuisine. In a city like this, the university library is bound to be special. Its avant-garde design earned the Herzog and de Meuron team of architects, who also provided the design for the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, many prestigious architecture awards.

For instance in ICT and in environmental and medical technology. This applies especially to the energy sector, traditionally a strong suite in the region. This sector is a prime example of what makes this city great: research and business coming together to pave the way into the future. This cosmopolitan city is home to students, engineers, researchers, doctors, medical specialists and artists from all over the globe and each one of them makes the city more attractive with their language, their culture and their cuisine.

Cotbus has a thriving culture

While new structures are developed all around Cottbus, the city centre has been lovingly restored. The Gothic Oberkirche church, the mediaeval city wall and the unique Art Nouveau theatre are only some of the architectural highlights.

The productions at the Cottbus Theatre are remarkably successful. All four fields of performing arts can be experienced here: Opera, drama, ballet and concerts. The "piccolo Theatre" newly established in 2011 provides a theatrical experience exclusively for children and young adults with a diversified range of dance and theatre pedagogics.

The "Night of Creative Minds", held each year in October, is but one opportunity for culture and education.

The Kunstmuseum Dieselkraftwerk art museum with its visual arts collections, the pretty Apothekenmuseum and the Carl Blechen Collection at Schloss Branitz are open all year through for a cultural experience of the first degree.

The capital city of the Lower Lusatian Sorbs (Wends), Cottbus/Chóśebuz is also the largest bilingual city in Germany. The notion of integration and tolerance between ethnic groups is not a hollow phrase in Cottbus but every day life.