Lebus

Infobox Ort in Deutschland
Art = Stadt
Name = Lebus
Wappen = Wappen_Lebus.pnglat_deg = 52 |lat_min = 25 |lat_sec = 00
lon_deg = 14 |lon_min = 31 |lon_sec = 59
Lageplan = Lebus in MOL.pngBundesland = Brandenburg
Landkreis = Märkisch-Oderland
Amt = Lebus
Höhe = 20
Fläche = 54.23
Einwohner = 3346
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 15326
Vorwahl = 033604
Kfz = MOL
Gemeindeschlüssel = 12 0 64 268
Gliederung = 3 Ortsteile
Adresse-Verband = Breite Straße 1
15326 Lebus
Website = [http://www.amt-lebus.de/ www.amt-lebus.de]
Bürgermeister = Bernd Tillack (Pro Lebus)

Lebus is a town in the southeast of the Märkisch-Oderland District in Brandenburg, Germany. It had a population of 3,375 as of 2005. It was the center of the historical region known as Lebus/Lubusz.

Geography

Location

Lebus is located on the Oder River on the German border with Poland, 10 km north of Frankfurt (Oder). It is the seat of Amt Lebus.

Districts

* Mallnow
* Schönfließ
* Wulkow

History

Settlement in the vicinity of Lebus has been traced as far back as 3,000 years. The ridges provided natural defense and led to fortifications being constructed upon them. The Germanic Lombards and Semnoni are believed to have lived in the area before the Common Era. After approximately 1,000 years, the Slavic "Leubuzzi", the easternmost tribe of the pagan Liutizi, settled the area during the 8th and 9th centuries in the Migration Period. The land on both sides of the Oder became known as "Terra Lebusana" ("land of the Leubuzzi" in Latin).

The region was conquered and brought under Polish control by 966 under the rule of Duke Mieszko I. A castellan's castle was built to control it, which became a battleground for neighboring rulers over the following centuries. This Lubusz Land, which provides the name for the present-day Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland, was especially influenced by the Piast dukes in Silesia. The existence of a settlement known as "Lubusz" at a ford of the Oder near the castle was first documented in 1109.

The Bishopric of Lebus was founded in 1124-25 during the reign of Boleslaus III to counter and convert the Liutizi. It served as an important center for Catholic missionaries preaching in and developing the Oder region. In 1163 Emperor Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor granted the Lubusz/Lebus territory on both sides of the Oder as a fief to the Silesian Piasts. German colonization of the region proceeded throughout the 13th century and the settlement became predominantly known as "Lebus". Duke Henry I of Silesia granted it German town law in 1226. The Ascanian Margraviate of Brandenburg acquired the region ca. 1250.

During the Middle Ages, Lebus served as an important stop on trade routes from the Baltic Sea to Italy and from Poznań to Flanders. After the destruction of the town's cathedral by troops of Emperor Charles IV in 1373, the seat of the bishopric was moved from Lebus to Fürstenwalde. The populace became Lutheran during the Protestant Reformation, and the bishopric was secularized in 1555 following the death of the last Catholic bishop, Georg von Blumenthal. After the 16th century fires and political changes weakened the fortifications; the castle was decisively damaged by a lightning strike in 1713. Lebus gradually became a backwater locality.

In 1701 Lebus became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1815 after the Napoleonic Wars, it was administered within the new Prussian Province of Brandenburg.

During World War II, Lebus, including its medieval center, was almost completely destroyed, and its land east of the Oder joined Poland in 1945 according to the Potsdam Agreement. The parish church of Lebus was restored in 1954.

Politics

Town council

The town council of Lebus has 16 representatives.
*CDU 3 seats
*SPD 5 seats
*Pro Lebus 6 seats
*Schill-Partei 1 seat
*PDS 1 seat(as of the communal vote from 26 October 2003)

Heraldry

The coat of arms of Lebus depicts a wolf carrying a sheep in its mouth.

Attractions

Constructed

The "Heimatstube Lebus" has information about the history and tourism sights of the town.

Natural

Nearby hills and ridges have provided natural defenses to the town for over a thousand years. The Turmberg offers a surprising view of the Oder river valley.

External links

* [http://www.amt-lebus.de/ Municipal website] de icon
* [http://www.kirche-lebus.de/buch/chronik2.html History of the Bishopric of Lebus] de icon