COTTBUS

also spelled Kottbus city, Brandenburg Land (state), eastern Germany, on the Spree River, at the southeastern edge of the Spree Forest, near the Polish border. First mentioned in 1156 and chartered in the early 13th century, Cottbus became an exclave of Brandenburg in 144555 in Niederlausitz (Lower Lusatia) and part of Saxony in 180713. It has 14th- and 15th-century churches and remains of the old fortifications, notably the Spremberg Tower. A railway junction and industrial centre, Cottbus manufactures textiles, leather, machinery, building materials, and electrotechnical equipment. Pop. (1993 est.) 122,883.