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Lower Lusatia (; ; ; szl, Dolnŏ Łużyca; ; ) is a historical region in Central Europe, stretching from the southeast of the Germany, German state of Brandenburg to the southwest of Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Like adjacent Upper Lusatia in the south, Lower Lusatia is a settlement area of the West Slavic Sorbs whose endangered Lower Sorbian language is related to Upper Sorbian language, Upper Sorbian and Polish language, Polish.
This sparsely inhabited area within the North European Plain (North German Plain, Northern Lowland) is characterised by extended Scots pine, pine forests, heathlands and meadows. In the north it is confined by the middle Spree (river), Spree River with Lake Schwielochsee (lake), Schwielochsee and its eastern continuation across the Oder at Eisenhüttenstadt, Fürstenberg to Chlebowo, Lubusz Voivodeship, Chlebowo. In the glacial valley between Lübben (Spreewald), Lübben and Cottbus, the Spree River branches out into the Spreewald ("Spree Woods") riparian forest. Other rivers include the Berste and Oelse tributaries as well as the Schlaube and the Oder–Spree Canal opened in 1891.
In the east, the Bóbr River from Łagoda via Nowogród Bobrzański, Krzystkowice down to the historic town of Żary forms the border with the lands of Lower Silesia. In the west the course of the upper Dahme (river), Dahme River down to Golßen separates it from the former Electorate of Saxony, Electoral Saxon lands of Saxe-Wittenberg. Between Lower and Upper Lusatia is a hill region called the Lusatian Border Ridge, ''Grenzwall'' (literally "border dike", although it is in fact a morainic ridge), the eastern continuation of the Fläming Heath. In the Middle Ages this area had dense forests, so it represented a major obstacle to civilian and military traffic. Today it is roughly congruent of the border between Brandenburg and the state of Saxony.
In the course of much of the 19th and the entire 20th century, Lower Lusatia was shaped by the lignite (brown coal) industry and extensive open-pit mining, by which more than 100 of the region's villages—many of them within the Sorbian settlement area—were damaged or destroyed, especially by order of East Germany, East German authorities. While this process is still going on, most notably around Jänschwalde Power Station, run by ''Energetický a průmyslový holding, EPH'', some now exhausted open-pit mines are being converted into artificial lakes, in the hope of attracting tourism, and the area is now referred to as the Lusatian Lake District (''Lausitzer Seenland'').
Today the area comprises the Brandenburg Districts of Germany, districts of Oberspreewald-Lausitz and Spree-Neiße with the Independent cities of Germany, unitary authority of Cottbus, as well as parts of Elbe-Elster, Dahme-Spreewald, and Oder-Spree. Important towns beside Cottbus and the historic capitals Lübben (Spreewald), Lübben and Luckau include Calau, Doberlug-Kirchhain, Finsterwalde, Forst (Lausitz), Forst, Guben/Gubin, Poland, Gubin, Lauchhammer, Lübbenau, Senftenberg, Spremberg, Vetschau, and Żary in present-day Poland.
Since 1945, when a small part of Lusatia east of the Oder–Neisse line was incorporated into Poland, Żary has been touted as the capital of Polish Lusatia.STOLICA POLSKICH ŁUŻYC
/ref>
In 1136 Conrad, Margrave of Meissen, Conrad the Great of the mighty House of Wettin, margrave of Margravate of Meissen, Meissen since 1123, also received the March of Lusatia. This remained under the rule of the Wettin dynasty until in 1303 it was acquired by the House of Ascania, Ascanian margraves of Margraviate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg. With Brandenburg the march was inherited by the House of Wittelsbach in 1320; in 1367 Elector Otto V, Duke of Bavaria, Otto V sold it to Emperor Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV of Luxembourg who incorporated Lower Lusatia into the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, Bohemian Crown. Charles' father King John of Bohemia had already acquired the adjacent territory to the south around Bautzen and Görlitz, which became known as Upper Lusatia. The former Lordship of Cottbus was acquired by Brandenburg in 1455 and remained an Enclave and exclave, exclave within the Bohemian kingdom.
Both Lusatias formed separate Bohemian crown lands under the rule of the House of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Jagiellonian dynasty, Jagiellon and—from 1526—House of Habsburg, Habsburg dynasties. In the course of the Reformation the vast majority of the population turned Protestantism, Protestant. The Bohemian era came to an end when Emperor Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II of Habsburg ceded the Lusatias to Elector John George I, Elector of Saxony, John George I of Saxony under the 1635 Peace of Prague (1635), Peace of Prague in return for his support in the Thirty Years' War; thus the lands returned to the House of Wettin. As the Kingdom of Saxony had sided with Napoleon it had to cede Lower Lusatia to Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia in the 1815 Congress of Vienna, whereafter the territory became part of the Province of Brandenburg. With the implementation of the Oder–Neisse line by the 1945 Potsdam Conference, the lands east of the Lusatian Neisse, Neisse river fell to Poland, and the land's indigenous German population was Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II, expelled by the Communist Authorities.
The Lower Lusatian bull is first documented in 1363. In 1378, upon the death of Emperor Charles IV, it appeared in gules on a field argent (red on silver), similar to the coat of arms of Luckau, in which the bull has gold horns and hooves, and turns his head to look at the viewer. After over 600 years it is still used today as Lower Lusatia's coat of arms.
Lower Lusatia (; ; ; szl, Dolnŏ Łużyca; ; ) is a historical region in Central Europe, stretching from the southeast of the Germany, German state of Brandenburg to the southwest of Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Like adjacent Upper Lusatia in the south, Lower Lusatia is a settlement area of the West Slavic Sorbs whose endangered Lower Sorbian language is related to Upper Sorbian language, Upper Sorbian and Polish language, Polish.
Geography
This sparsely inhabited area within the North European Plain (North German Plain, Northern Lowland) is characterised by extended Scots pine, pine forests, heathlands and meadows. In the north it is confined by the middle Spree (river), Spree River with Lake Schwielochsee (lake), Schwielochsee and its eastern continuation across the Oder at Eisenhüttenstadt, Fürstenberg to Chlebowo, Lubusz Voivodeship, Chlebowo. In the glacial valley between Lübben (Spreewald), Lübben and Cottbus, the Spree River branches out into the Spreewald ("Spree Woods") riparian forest. Other rivers include the Berste and Oelse tributaries as well as the Schlaube and the Oder–Spree Canal opened in 1891.
In the east, the Bóbr River from Łagoda via Nowogród Bobrzański, Krzystkowice down to the historic town of Żary forms the border with the lands of Lower Silesia. In the west the course of the upper Dahme (river), Dahme River down to Golßen separates it from the former Electorate of Saxony, Electoral Saxon lands of Saxe-Wittenberg. Between Lower and Upper Lusatia is a hill region called the Lusatian Border Ridge, ''Grenzwall'' (literally "border dike", although it is in fact a morainic ridge), the eastern continuation of the Fläming Heath. In the Middle Ages this area had dense forests, so it represented a major obstacle to civilian and military traffic. Today it is roughly congruent of the border between Brandenburg and the state of Saxony.
In the course of much of the 19th and the entire 20th century, Lower Lusatia was shaped by the lignite (brown coal) industry and extensive open-pit mining, by which more than 100 of the region's villages—many of them within the Sorbian settlement area—were damaged or destroyed, especially by order of East Germany, East German authorities. While this process is still going on, most notably around Jänschwalde Power Station, run by ''Energetický a průmyslový holding, EPH'', some now exhausted open-pit mines are being converted into artificial lakes, in the hope of attracting tourism, and the area is now referred to as the Lusatian Lake District (''Lausitzer Seenland'').
Today the area comprises the Brandenburg Districts of Germany, districts of Oberspreewald-Lausitz and Spree-Neiße with the Independent cities of Germany, unitary authority of Cottbus, as well as parts of Elbe-Elster, Dahme-Spreewald, and Oder-Spree. Important towns beside Cottbus and the historic capitals Lübben (Spreewald), Lübben and Luckau include Calau, Doberlug-Kirchhain, Finsterwalde, Forst (Lausitz), Forst, Guben/Gubin, Poland, Gubin, Lauchhammer, Lübbenau, Senftenberg, Spremberg, Vetschau, and Żary in present-day Poland.
Since 1945, when a small part of Lusatia east of the Oder–Neisse line was incorporated into Poland, Żary has been touted as the capital of Polish Lusatia./ref>
History
The area of Lower Lusatia roughly corresponds with the eastern March of Lusatia or Saxon Eastern March between the Saale and Bóbr rivers, which about 965 was severed from the vast ''Marca Geronis'', conquered by the Duchy of Saxony, Saxon count Gero in the course of his campaigns against the Polabian Slavs from 939 onwards. Odo I, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark, Odo I became the first margrave; his successor Gero II, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark, Gero II from 1002 onwards had to face several attacks by Polish duke Bolesław I Chrobry, which did not end until the 1018 Treaty of Bautzen, which ceded large parts of eastern Lusatia to Poland. Emperor Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor, Conrad II reconquered the territories in 1031.
In 1136 Conrad, Margrave of Meissen, Conrad the Great of the mighty House of Wettin, margrave of Margravate of Meissen, Meissen since 1123, also received the March of Lusatia. This remained under the rule of the Wettin dynasty until in 1303 it was acquired by the House of Ascania, Ascanian margraves of Margraviate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg. With Brandenburg the march was inherited by the House of Wittelsbach in 1320; in 1367 Elector Otto V, Duke of Bavaria, Otto V sold it to Emperor Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV of Luxembourg who incorporated Lower Lusatia into the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, Bohemian Crown. Charles' father King John of Bohemia had already acquired the adjacent territory to the south around Bautzen and Görlitz, which became known as Upper Lusatia. The former Lordship of Cottbus was acquired by Brandenburg in 1455 and remained an Enclave and exclave, exclave within the Bohemian kingdom.
Both Lusatias formed separate Bohemian crown lands under the rule of the House of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Jagiellonian dynasty, Jagiellon and—from 1526—House of Habsburg, Habsburg dynasties. In the course of the Reformation the vast majority of the population turned Protestantism, Protestant. The Bohemian era came to an end when Emperor Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II of Habsburg ceded the Lusatias to Elector John George I, Elector of Saxony, John George I of Saxony under the 1635 Peace of Prague (1635), Peace of Prague in return for his support in the Thirty Years' War; thus the lands returned to the House of Wettin. As the Kingdom of Saxony had sided with Napoleon it had to cede Lower Lusatia to Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia in the 1815 Congress of Vienna, whereafter the territory became part of the Province of Brandenburg. With the implementation of the Oder–Neisse line by the 1945 Potsdam Conference, the lands east of the Lusatian Neisse, Neisse river fell to Poland, and the land's indigenous German population was Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II, expelled by the Communist Authorities.
Coat of arms
The Lower Lusatian bull is first documented in 1363. In 1378, upon the death of Emperor Charles IV, it appeared in gules on a field argent (red on silver), similar to the coat of arms of Luckau, in which the bull has gold horns and hooves, and turns his head to look at the viewer. After over 600 years it is still used today as Lower Lusatia's coat of arms.
Nature reserves and parks
*Spreewald biosphere reserve *Lusatian Lake District *Lower Lusatian Heath Nature Park *Lower Lusatian Ridge Nature ParkSee also
*List of regions of SaxonyReferences
{{Authority control Geography of Lusatia Historical regions in Germany Regions of Brandenburg Historical regions in Poland Regions of Saxony Former duchies of the Kingdom of Bohemia Lands of the Bohemian Crown