Cottbus

Cottbus is a university city and the second-largest city in Brandenburg, Germany. Situated around 125km southeast of Berlin, on the River Spree, Cottbus is also a major railway junction with extensive sidings/depots. Although only a small Sorbian minority lives in Cottbus itself, the city is considered as the political and cultural center of the Sorbs in Lower Lusatia.SpellingUntil the beginning of the twentieth century the spelling of the city's name was contentious. In Berlin the spelling "Kottbus" was preferred, and it is still used in respect of the capital's Kottbusser Tor ("Cottbus Gate"), but locally the traditional spelling "Cottbus" (which defies standard German-language rules) was preferred, and this is now used in most circumstances. Because the official spelling used locally before the spelling reforms of 1996 had contravened even the standardized spelling rules already in place, the Standing Committee for Geographical Names stress their urgent recommendation that geographical names should respect the national spelling standards. In this context it is to be noted that to identify a citizen of the city either "Cottbuser" or "Cottbusser" may be used.Names in different languages: Chotěbuz Cottbus Cotbusium Chociebuż