Cottbus erleben 2012

1 New town hall
Was built 1934-1936. Reliefs above the pillared
colonnade in Berliner Straße depict symbols of
traditional Cottbus craftsmanship (birthplace
of the painter Carl Blechen).
2 Walk of Fame
The path outside the town hall is inlaid with
46 medals, which bear witness to over 100
years of Olympic history in modern times and
honour 31 Olympic and Paralympic medal
winners from Cottbus.
3 Medieval city wall
Towers, gates and „Wiek” houses built into the
walls mark the outline of the old town. The Coin
Tower and Spremberg Tower border the 1,200metre-long
section of the old fortifications.
4 Linden Gate
In 1879 a way was cut through the old tower
in Mauerstraße so that the market in the
new town could be reached more quickly
from the old town.
5 Mill island
The Stadtmühle (town mill), whose fate was
finally sealed by its sixth fire in 1882, was
situated directly beneath the castle, the
Schlossberg of today. A man-made trench
was dug out to form an island here. After the
town mill had been gutted by fire, its place
was taken in 1902/03 by the first Cottbus
electric power station. The intention was
to harness the un used water power of the
burnt-out mill to ge nerate electrical power.
In 1927/28, a diesel power station was built
on the mill island to provide a second
source of electricity.
6 Art Museum Cottbus Power Station
Today this old industrial building houses the
diesel power station art museum Cottbus. The
attractive, modern clinker building has always
blended in beautifully with the surrounding
park land, where landscaping work began as
far back as 1889.
7 Spremberg Tower
The city’s 31-metre-high landmark was built
in the 13th century and, along with gatehouse
and bas tion, forms the south city gate.
Schinkel designed the battlements, which
were added 1823-25.
8 Spremberger Straße
Characterised by residential and office
buildings constructed in the 19th century
and between 1950 and 1960, this once
leading commer cial route has been given
a complete revamp.
9 Castle Square and Church
This is where four building eras combine.
The house at the eastern end of the square
has been the seat of the mayor, the pastor and
the French judge. To the south is a building in
typical Bauhaus style. First constructed in 1419
and destroy ed by fire several times, after the
arrival of the Huguenots the Katharinenkirche
was rebuilt on its foundation walls in 1714 as
a single-nave rendered structure with a hipped
roof and vestry annex. A neo-Gothic tower was
added in 1870.
10 Wendish Museum/Serbski Muzej
There are 16 exhibition rooms displaying
nume rous costumes, writings, literature,
music, traditional songs, folk heritage, fine
arts and Wendian customs which document
the development of Sorbian culture.
11 Apothecary Museum
Apart from historic pharmacy fixtures and
fittings, attractions in the Löwenapotheke,
a pharmacy over 400 years old, include a fully
equipped dispensary, a collection of tradi -
tional pharmacy items, a herbs and poisons
store and a Galenic laboratory.
12 Old marketplace /market fountain
Once a leading trading centre, originally
surrounded by half-timbered buildings. Today
the marketplace is an impressive ensemble
of Saxon Baroque townhouses and 18/19thcentury
neo-classical eaves-fronted houses.
Dating back to 1991, the market fountain is
octagonally shaped with a central column
along the lines of historical fountains.
13 Oberkirchplatz/Church of St. Nikolai
This was built east of the Altmarkt at the end
of the 19th century following the demolition
of the preacher houses. The biggest church
in Lower Lusatia is a late Gothic three-nave
brick struc ture from the 14th century. The
interior has a beautiful star-ribbed vault,
pulpit and high altar (1664) with
magnificent alabaster carvings.
12
14 Wendish quarter
Was constructed 1984-89 on a historic site
between Berliner Platz and Oberkirchplatz
with building facades typical of the old town.
15 Youth hostel
As part of the city wall the youth hostel at
the Klos tertor borders the Klosterplatz. The
tra ditional two- storey half-timbered building
originally served as a stronghold to protect
the monas tery. It later became an oast-house,
then a warehouse and, in 1842, the site of the
first Cottbus textile factory. It has served as
a hostel for walkers since 1936.
16/17 Klosterplatz/Minster
The courtyard and cloister of the medieval
Fran cis can monastery can still be identified
today. Situated amidst beautiful mature
trees between minster and city wall, it is an
idyllic and romantic spot. Also known as the
„Wendish Church”, the minster is part of the
former Franciscan monas tery dating back
to the 13th and 14th centuries. The oldest
building in Cottbus conceals an important
piece of the city’s history – the tomb of the
city’s founder and his wife. The crab
depicted on the grave stone remains
the city’s emblem to this day.
18 Puschkinpromenade
Developed into a walk for local citizenry
from the old system of ditches and ramparts
along the city wall in the second half of the
19th century.
19 Conservatoire
Built as a lyceum for the up-and-coming
town in 1911, it became an upper lyceum
in 1928. Its distinct late art nouveau
style is preserved.
20 Coin Tower
This is the city’s oldest tower. It was probably
here that the Cottbus city fathers had Cottbus
„Heller” (coins) embossed with the city’s he -
raldic symbol, the crab, as long ago as 1483.
21 Schlossberg
During the 10th century Wends built a Slavonic
castle rampart on a sand island on the west
bank of the Spree. It is here that the battlements
and neo-Gothic roof of the medieval
castle tower soar 46 metres into the air.