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The defeat of Nazi Germany changed the Sorbs’ situation considerably. The regions in East Germany (the German Democratic Republic) faced heavy industrialisation and a large influx of expelled Germans. [citation needed] The East German authorities tried to counteract this development by creating a broad range of Sorbian institutions.
However, the Sorbs, the descendants of the Milceni and the Lusici, have retained their identity within Lusatia, a region divided between the German states of Brandenburg and Saxony. The Slavic language was spoken by the descendants of the Drevani in the area of the lower Elbe until the early 18th century.
In colloquial German, it is called Sorbenland (Land of the Sorbs); [1] before 1945 also – sometimes pejoratively – called Wendei. [2] This area was reduced constantly during the centuries due to assimilation, Germanization and strip mining lignite. Additionally, the identification as Sorb is free under federal and state law and cannot be ...
In Germany, Upper and Lower Sorbian are officially recognized and protected as minority languages. [9] In the officially defined Sorbian settlement area, both languages are recognized as second official languages next to German. [10] The city of Bautzen in Upper Lusatia is the centre of Upper Sorbian culture.
In 1950, the Sorbs obtained language and cultural autonomy within the then–East German state of Saxony. Lusatian schools and magazines were launched and the Domowina association was revived, although under increasing political control of the ruling Communist Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED).
Lower Lusatia (German: Niederlausitz; Lower Sorbian: Dolna Łužyca [ˈdɔlna ˈwuʒɨtsa]; Upper Sorbian: Delnja Łužica [ˈdɛlnʲa ˈwuʒitsa]; Polish: Łużyce Dolne; Czech: Dolní Lužice) is a historical region in Central Europe, stretching from the southeast of the German state of Brandenburg to the southwest of Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland.
In 1871 Prussia, and therefore Cottbus, became part of the German Empire. According to the Prussian census of 1905, the city of Cottbus had a population of 46,270, of which 97% were Germans, 2% were Sorbs and 1% were Poles. [8] In interwar Germany, the town was the site of a concentration camp for unwanted Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. [9]
Görlitz is also the birthplace of the German version of nonpareils, popularly known in Germany as Liebesperlen (German for love pearls). Invented by confectioner Rudolf Hoinkis (1876–1944), the name derives from a conversation Hoinkis had with his wife, proclaiming his love for her was like these 'pearls', the nonpareil.