Culture of Cottbus. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

The main historical symbol of Cottbus is Branitzer Castle, which is considered to be a single attraction with the surrounding landscaped garden. Built in the 19th century for Prince Hermann Ludwig Heinrich von Pückler-Muskau, today this luxurious castle is the most spectacular baroque architectural monument in the city. The author of the castle project was the famous German architect G.Semper, among whose outstanding works is the Dresden Opera building.

Today, the castle houses an interesting museum that keeps an extensive collection of historical artifacts. Many personal belongings of the prince have been preserved here, and his private art collection is of particular interest. The beautiful garden surrounding the castle was designed by the prince himself; it took more than forty years to create it. In the park, one can find several old gazebos and sculptures, as well as the tombs of the prince and his wife. One will need a lot of time to explore the vast area of the park covering 700 hectares.

Walking along the city streets, you can see many beautiful historic buildings. Gerberhäuser buildings are among the oldest in town. Built in the 17th century, both have survived to this day almost unchanged. The buildings can be found on the picturesque historic street Uferstraße, which is considered one of the most attractive for walking. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The city has also partially preserved medieval fortifications, The Spremberger tower is considered the most interesting medieval monument. It was once part of the medieval city wall surrounding the city. Over the years, the boundaries of Cottbus had expanded rapidly, so the fortress and its defensive walls soon lost their strategic importance. Now the old tower is one of the most noticeable architectural monuments of the historic district with an excellent viewing platform on its top.

The city has a lot of interesting museums, and the richest art museum is the Kunstmuseum Dieselkraftwerk. It has gathered works by famous artists of East Germany, here you can see collections of sculptures and paintings made in various styles and techniques. In total, the museum displays more than 30,000 exhibits and regularly holds temporary exhibitions. The earliest works presented in the museum are dated by the late 19th century. In addition to paintings and sculptures, it also contains an interesting collection of old photographs.

In the Stadtmuseum, one can find out about the most interesting events Cottbus has ever seen. The historical museum's collection includes old documents and household items of local residents. It has gathered archaeological exhibits discovered by researchers within the city and around it, and a collection of artworks is of great interest.

The Wendisches Museum is located on one of the historic streets of the city. It is relatively small but the collection of exhibits it stores is unique and very valuable. This museum is dedicated to the culture and traditions of the region's population. It contains beautiful national costumes of various periods, household items that local people used hundreds of years ago, as well as interesting handicrafts. A tour of this museum can help visitors learn a lot about the local traditions and its bearers.

A very valuable cultural symbol for the locals is the Staatstheater Cottbus. It would be of great interest even to those who have never been enthusiastic about theatrical art. Apart from operettas and musicals, musical concerts are often held in the theater. The history of the theater begins in 1905 when the city authorities decided to build a large cultural center on the site of the old market. The theater got a splendid building, the cost of which at the beginning of the 20th century exceeded one million marks.

The official opening took place in 1908, and now it is not just the largest cultural center in Cottbus but also an outstanding architectural monument. The theater's building is made in the best traditions of Art Nouveau style, its well-preserved interior is of great historical value. The most beautiful breeds of marbles were used for its decoration. Also, an interesting collection of sculptures is stored in the theater.

An old pharmacy building is presently occupied by the interesting themed museum Brandenburgisches Apothekenmuseum dedicated to the history of pharmaceutics. The very first pharmacy was opened in this building in the second half of the 16th century and closed after more than 200 years. The thematic museum was established in the preserved historic building in 1980. Now it keeps a collection of old pharmacy tools, historical documents, as well as old pharmaceutical products that were made here hundreds of years ago.