Cottbus - the green town on the Spree ...

... is closely linked with its river. The derivation of the term "Cottbus" hints at the watercourse which has been flowing here for centuries. One interpretation of the name states that it evolved out of the Slavic "Ko-prze-wos" which means as much as "to-go-over". South of the many arms of the Spreewald it was a good opportunity to cross the river at a shallow spot. That was approximately the place where today the Sandow Bridge stands.
Historians suggest that this location contributed to the settling which is called Cottbus today. So you can call the river one of the "founding fathers" of Cottbus. When 850 years ago an urban society developed it were mainly all the mills, later the textile industry, and then the turbines of the powerhouse which profited from the streaming water. Today the 100.000 Cottbus people, the visitors, and guests use the Spree mainly for recreation and leisure time purposes.