DEUTSCHLAND	GERMANY
Bundesland: Brandenburg
Landkreis: Oberspreewald-Lausitz

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Lübenau / Spreewald is situated at an elevation of 52 m in the Spreewald region, about 80 km southeast of Berlin and about 30 km northwest of Cottbus. The municipality has a population of about 16,200 (2015).

The oldest traces of human settlements that have been unearthed date from the 8th/9th century. The earliest written document referring to castrum Lubenowe dates from 1301; Lubenaw, refering to both castle and settlement, was first mentioned in 1315. From 1364 to 1635 Lübbenau was in possession of the kingdom of Bohemia; thereafter until 1815 it was part of the Electorate of Saxony. In 1815 it became part of Prussia (province Brandenburg). In 1998 it obtained permission to use officially the predicate Staatlich anerkannter Erholungsort (state-approved resort). The following neighbouring communities were incrporated into Lübbenau in the 20th century: Krimnitz (Kśimnice in 1974, Zerkwitz (Lower Sorbian: Cerkwica) in 1978, Bischdorf (Wótšowc), Boblitz (Bobolcs), Groß Beuchow (Buchow), Groß Klessow (Klěšow), Groß Lübbenau (Lubń), Hindenberg (Želnjojce), Kittlitz (Dłopje), Klein Radden (Radyńc), Leipe (Lipje) and Ragow (Rogow) followed in 2003.

The Protestant church of Sankt Nikolai [background] was built in 1738–1741 in Saxon Baroque style because the older church, of which no building date is known, had to be closed and demolished in 1736. the architect of the new church was Johann Gottfried Findeisen from Dresden. In 1778 the top part of the church tower was removed and the tower was heightened to its present height of 60 metres. The lowering of the groundwater level, caused by opencast mining of lignite west of Lübbenau, caused the exposure to oxygen and ensuing rotting of the old alderwood foundations of the church, so that the entire building began to sink. Therefore, new concrete foundations were created in 2000. The remaining parts of the church were renovated until 2007. However, the church tower still inclined by 14 centimetres.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lübbenau/Spreewald, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lübbenau, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bischdorf_(Lübbenau), https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krimnitz, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zerkwitz; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankt-Nikolai-Kirche_(Lübbenau)]