View source for Lubusz Land

{{Short description|Historical region in Germany and Poland}}
{{Infobox settlement
| native_name        = {{native name|pl|Ziemia Lubuska}}<br>{{native name|de|Land Lebus}}
| settlement_type    = [[Historical region]]
| image_skyline      = {{Photomontage
|color = #ffffff
|photo1a = Łagów Lubuski aerial 2023 I.jpg{{!}}Aerial view of Łagów with Ciecz and Łagowskie lakes
|photo1b = Saint Stanislaus Kostka church in Chwarszczany (6).jpg{{!}}Medieval Saint Stanislaus Kostka church in Chwarszczany
|photo2a = Town hall Frankfurt Oder 02846.JPG{{!}}Town Hall in Frankfurt (Oder)
|photo2b = 20-04-23-Fotoflug-Ostbrandenburg-RalfR-DSCF6705.jpg{{!}}Aerial view of Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice
|spacing = 2
|border = 0
|size = 260
}}
| image_caption      = {{hlist|From top, left to right: Aerial view of [[Łagów, Świebodzin County|Łagów]]|Medieval Saint Stanislaus Kostka church in [[Chwarszczany]]|Town Hall in [[Frankfurt (Oder)]]|Aerial view of Frankfurt (Oder) and [[Słubice]]}}
| image_map          = Ziemia Lubuska mapa II.png
| map_caption        = Lubusz Land on the map of Poland
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{POL}}<br />{{DEU}}
| seat_type          = Historical capital
| seat               = [[Lebus]]
| seat1_type         = Largest city
| seat1              = [[Frankfurt (Oder)]]
| timezone           = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset         = +1
| timezone_DST       = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST     = +2
| blank_name_sec2    = Highways
| blank_info_sec2    = [[File:A2-PL.svg|32px|link=A2 autostrada (Poland)]] [[File:Bundesautobahn 12 number.svg|32px|link=Bundesautobahn 12]]
}}
'''Lubusz Land''' ({{langx|pl|Ziemia Lubuska}}; {{langx|de|Land Lebus}}) is a [[historical region]] and [[cultural landscape]] in [[Poland]] and [[Germany]] on both sides of the [[Oder]] river.

Originally the settlement area of the [[Lechites]], the swampy area was located east of [[Margraviate of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]] and west of [[Greater Poland]], south of [[Pomerania]] and north of [[Lower Silesia]] and [[Lower Lusatia]]. Presently its eastern part lies within the Polish [[Lubusz Voivodeship]], the western part with its historical capital [[Lebus]] (Lubusz) in the German state of [[Brandenburg]].

== History==

=== Kingdom of Poland ===
[[File:WielkoPolska epoki Piastowskiej.jpg|thumb|left|A 19th-century map of the 13th-century [[Duchy of Greater Poland]] of fragmented Poland. Lubusz Land, stretched on both sides of the [[Oder]], marked in yellow]]
When in 928 King [[Henry the Fowler|Henry I of Germany]] crossed the [[Elbe]] river to conquer the lands of the Veleti, he did not subdue the Leubuzzi people settling beyond the [[Spree (river)|Spree]]. Their territory was either already inherited by the first Polish ruler [[Mieszko I of Poland|Mieszko I]] (~960-992) or conquered by him in the early period of his rule. After Mieszkos' death the whole country was inherited by his son Duke, and later King, [[Bolesław I the Brave]]. After the German [[Northern March]] got lost in a 983 Slavic rebellion, Duke Bolesław and King [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto III of Germany]] in 991 agreed at [[Quedlinburg]] to jointly conquer the remaining [[Lutici]]an territory, Otto coming from the west and Bolesław starting from Lubusz in the east. However, they did not succeed. Instead Otto's successor King [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry II of Germany]] in the rising conflict over the adjacent [[March of Lusatia|Lusatian march]] concluded an alliance with the Lutici and repeatedly attacked Bolesław.

Lubusz Land remained under Polish control even after King [[Mieszko II Lambert]] in 1031 finally had to withdraw from the adjacent, just conquered March of Lusatia and accept the overlordship of Emperor [[Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor|Conrad II]]. In 1125 Duke [[Bolesław III Wrymouth]] of Poland established the [[Bishopric of Lubusz]] to secure Lubusz Land. 1124-1125 records note that the new Bishop of Lubusz was nominated by Duke Bolesław under the [[Archbishops of Gniezno and Primates of Poland|Archbishopric of Gniezno]]. However, from the beginning Gniezno's role as metropolia of the Lubusz diocese was challenged by the claims of the mighty [[Archbishopric of Magdeburg|Archbishops of Magdeburg]], who also tried to make Lebus their suffragan. The Polish position was decisively enfeebled by the process of [[History of Poland (966–1385)|fragmentation]] after the death of Duke Bolesław III in 1138, when Lubusz Land became part of the [[Duchy of Silesia]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Zientara|first=Benedykt|title=Henryk Brodaty i jego czasy|publisher=Trio|year=2006|isbn=83-7436-056-9|pages=193–96|language=pl}}</ref> The Duchy of Silesia was restored to the descendants of [[Władysław II the Exile]] in 1163, and Lubusz Land together with [[Lower Silesia]] was given to his eldest son [[Bolesław I the Tall]].
[[File:Coat of arms of Lubusz Land.svg|thumb|left|upright=0.55|Coat of arms of the historic [[Bishopric of Lebus|Bishopric of Lubusz/Lebus]]]]

In the 13th century Polish dukes in order to help develop Lubusz Land, granted some areas to different [[Religious order (Catholic)|Catholic religious orders]], such as the [[Cistercians]], Canons Regular and [[Knights Templar]]. Among those orders possessions were [[Łagów, Świebodzin County|Łagów]], [[Chwarszczany]], [[Müncheberg|Lubiąż]] (today's ''Müncheberg'') and [[Dębno]].<ref>''Codex diplomaticus Majoris Polonia'', tom XI</ref>
[[File:Silesia 1241-1243.jpg|thumb|{{legend|lightblue|[[Duchy of Lubusz]] under [[Mieszko, Duke of Lubusz|Mieszko of Lubusz]] 1241-1242}}]]
Lubusz remained under the rule of the [[Silesian Piasts]], though Bolesław's son Duke [[Henry I the Bearded]] in 1206 signed an agreement with Duke [[Władysław III Spindleshanks]] of [[Greater Poland]] to swap it for the [[Kalisz Region]]. This agreement however did not last as it provoked the revolt of Władysław's nephew [[Władysław Odonic]], while in addition the [[March of Lusatia|Lusatian]] margrave Conrad II of Landsberg took this occasion to invade Lubusz. Duke Henry I appealed to Emperor [[Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto IV]] and already started an armed expedition, until he was once again able to secure his possession of the region after Margrave Conrad had died in 1210. Nevertheless, the resistance against the Imperial expansion waned as the Silesian territories were again fragmented after the death of Duke [[Henry II the Pious]] at the [[Battle of Legnica]] in 1241. His younger son [[Mieszko, Duke of Lubusz|Mieszko]] then held the title of a "[[Duchy of Lubusz|Duke of Lubusz]]", but died only one year later, after which his territory fell to his elder brother [[Bolesław II the Bald]]. In 1248 Bolesław II, then [[Duchy of Legnica|Duke of Legnica]], finally sold Lubusz to Magdeburg's Archbishop Wilbrand von Käfernburg and the [[House of Ascania|Ascanian]] margraves of Brandenburg in 1249, wielding the secular reign.

=== March of Brandenburg and Kingdom of Bohemia ===
{|class="infobox" style="width:300px; text-align:center; border-spacing:0"
|colspan="4" style="background-color:white;padding:0.4em"|[[File:Coat_of_arms_of_Lubusz_Land.svg|50px|left]]<br>'''Historical affiliations<br>of the Lubusz Land'''
|-
|colspan="4" style="width:100%; background-color:#fa796b;vertical-align:middle"|'''[[Civitas Schinesghe|Duchy of Poland]]'''<br>960s–1025<br>{{flagicon image|Alex K Kingdom of Poland-flag.svg}} '''[[Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385)|Kingdom of Poland]]'''<br>1025–1138
|-
|colspan="4" style="width:100%; background-color:#fba69d;vertical-align:middle"|Provincial duchies of [[Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385)|Poland]] during the fragmentation period (1138–1249):<br>
'''[[Duchy of Silesia]]''' 1138–1173<br>'''[[Duchy of Silesia|Duchy of Wrocław]]''' 1173–1177<br>'''[[Duchy of Głogów]]''' 1177–1181<br>'''[[Duchy of Silesia|Duchy of Wrocław]]''' 1181–1203<br>'''[[Duchy of Greater Poland]]''' 1203–1211<br>'''[[Duchy of Silesia|Duchy of Wrocław]]''' 1211–1218<br>'''[[Duchy of Greater Poland]]''' 1218–1230<br>'''[[Duchy of Silesia|Duchy of Wrocław]]''' 1230–1241<br>'''[[Duchy of Lubusz]]''' 1241–1242<br>[[File:POL województwo dolnośląskie COA.svg|16px]] '''[[Duchy of Silesia|Duchy of Wrocław]]''' 1242–1248<br>[[File:Arms of the duchy of Glogow.svg|16px]] '''[[Duchy of Legnica]]''' 1248–1249
|-
|colspan="4" style="width:100%; background-color:#D0E7FF;vertical-align:middle"|{{flagicon image|Brandenburg Flag 1340-1657 (new).svg}} '''[[Margraviate of Brandenburg]]'''<br>ca. 1250–1319
|-
|colspan="4" style="width:100%; vertical-align:middle"|Contested by [[Piast dynasty|Piasts]], [[House of Griffin|Griffins]], [[House of Ascania|Ascanians]] and [[House of Wittelsbach|Wittelsbachs]]<br>1319–1326
|-
|colspan="4" style="width:100%; background-color:#D0E7FF;vertical-align:middle"|{{flagicon image|Brandenburg Flag 1340-1657 (new).svg}} '''[[Margraviate of Brandenburg]]'''<br>1326–1356<br>{{flagicon image|Brandenburg Flag 1340-1657 (new).svg}} '''[[Electorate of Brandenburg]]'''<br>1356–1373
|-
|colspan="4" style="width:100%; background-color:darkkhaki;vertical-align:middle"|{{flagicon image|Flag of Bohemia.svg}} '''[[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemian Crown]]''', [[Electorate of Brandenburg]]
|-
|colspan="3" style="width:70%; background-color:darkkhaki;vertical-align:middle"|1373–1415
|colspan="1" rowspan="2" style="width:30%; background-color:#b3d7ff;vertical-align:middle"|{{flagicon image|Flag of the State of the Teutonic Order.svg}} '''[[State of the Teutonic Order|Teutonic Order]]'''<br>1402–1454
|-
|colspan="3" style="width:70%; background-color:#D0E7FF;vertical-align:middle"|{{flagicon image|Brandenburg Flag 1340-1657 (new).svg}} '''[[Electorate of Brandenburg]]'''<br>1415–1618
|-
|colspan="4" style="width:100%; background-color:#D0E7FF;vertical-align:middle"|{{flagicon image|Brandenburg Flag 1340-1657 (new).svg}} '''[[Brandenburg-Prussia]]'''<br>1618–1701
|-
|colspan="4" style="width:100%; background-color:#D0E7FF;vertical-align:middle"|'''{{flag|Kingdom of Prussia|1803}}'''<br>1701–1871
|-
|colspan="4" style="width:100%; background-color:lightblue;vertical-align:middle"|{{flagicon|German Empire}} '''[[German Empire|German Reich]]''', [[Kingdom of Prussia]]<br>1871–1918<br>{{flagicon|Weimar Republic}} '''[[Weimar Republic|German Reich]]''', [[Free State of Prussia]]<br>1919–1933<br>{{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} '''[[Nazi Germany|German Reich]]''', [[Free State of Prussia]]<br>1933–1945
|-
|colspan="2" style="width:45%; background-color:#b3d7ff;vertical-align:middle"|{{flag|Allied-occupied Germany}}, ''[[Soviet occupation zone]]''<br>1945-1949<br>'''{{flag|German Democratic Republic}}'''<br>1949–1990
|colspan="2" style="width:55%; background-color:#fa796b;vertical-align:middle"|'''{{flag|Polish People's Republic}}'''<br>1945–1989
|-
|colspan="2" style="width:45%; background-color:lightblue;vertical-align:middle"|'''{{flag|Federal Republic of Germany}}'''<br>1990–present
|colspan="2" style="width:55%; background-color:#fa796b;vertical-align:middle"|'''{{flag|Republic of Poland}}'''<br>1989–present<br><br>
|}
As to secular rule Lubusz Land was finally separated from Silesia, according to [[canon law]] however, the Lubusz diocese, comprising most of Lubusz Land, remained subordinate to the Gniezno [[Metropolis (religious jurisdiction)|metropolis]]. Meanwhile, the Brandenburg margraves forwarded the incorporation of Lubusz Land into their [[Neumark|New March]], created and expanded further to the northeast after the acquisition of the [[Santok]] castellany in 1296 on the forest areas between the [[Duchy of Pomerania]] and Greater Poland.

The Lebus bishops tried to maintain their affiliation with Poland and in 1276 therefore moved their residence east of the Oder river to [[Górzyca, Lubusz Voivodeship|Górzyca (Göritz upon Oder)]], an episcopal fief. When in 1319 the Brandenburg House of Ascania became extinct, the Lubusz Land became the subject of rivalry between the Piasts (duchies of [[Duchy of Jawor|Jawor]] and [[Duchy of Żagań|Żagań]]), [[House of Griffin|Griffins]] ([[Duchy of Pomerania]]) and the Ascanians ([[Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg]]).<ref>{{cite journal|last=Rymar|first=Edward|year=1979|title=Rywalizacja o ziemię lubuską i kasztelanię międzyrzecką w latach 1319–1326, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem stosunków pomorsko-śląskch|journal=Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka|publisher=[[Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich]], Wydawnictwo [[Polish Academy of Sciences|Polskiej Akademii Nauk]]|location=Wrocław|language=pl|volume=XXXIV|issue=4|page=481}}</ref> In 1319, the region was captured by [[Wartislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania]], in 1320 a large portion passed to Duke [[Henry I of Jawor]], who tried to reclaim the Lubusz Land as region lost by his grandfather [[Bolesław II the Horned]], later that year the western part was conquered by [[Rudolf I, Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg]], and the eastern outskirts with [[Torzym]] were controlled by Duke [[Henry IV the Faithful]] of Żagań by 1322.<ref>Rymar, pp. 481, 485–486, 489</ref> In 1322–1323, there were heavy fights between Pomerania and Saxe-Wittenberg in the northern part of the region, around [[Kostrzyn nad Odrą]].<ref>Rymar, p. 489</ref>

After the [[Battle of Mühldorf]], the [[House of Wittelsbach]] took an interest in the region in 1323, and King [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Louis IV the Bavarian]] decided to grant the Margraviate of Brandenburg with the Lubusz Land to his son [[Louis V, Duke of Bavaria|Louis V]].<ref name=er492>Rymar, p. 492</ref> The emergence of a new powerful rival prompted the previously warring parties to make peace with each other and cooperate.<ref name=er492/> Bavarian forces soon entered the region, but in October 1323 [[Pope John XXII]] called Louis IV to annul the grant of Brandenburg to Louis V, declaring it unlawful.<ref>Rymar, p. 493</ref> The Pope supported the dukes of Pomerania and Głogów and local bishop Stephen II, and urged the region's inhabitants to resist the Wittelsbachs.<ref>Rymar, pp. 493–494</ref> King [[Władysław I the Elbow-high]] of Poland also took the chance, allied with Bishop Stephen II and campaigned the Lubusz Land. In return the head of secular government in Lubusz, governor Erich of Wulkow, loyal to the new Brandenburg margrave Louis V, raided and captured the episcopal possessions in 1325, burning down the Górzyca cathedral. Bishop Stephen fled to Poland.

In 1354 Bishop Henry Bentsch reconciled with Margrave [[Louis VI the Roman|Louis II]] and the episcopal possessions were returned. The see of the bishopric returned to Lebus, where a new cathedral was built. In 1373 the diocese was again devastated by a Bohemian army, when Emperor [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV of Luxembourg]] took the Brandenburg margraviate from the [[House of Wittelsbach]]. It became part of the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Lands of the Bohemian (Czech) Crown]]. The see of the bishopric now moved to [[Fürstenwalde|Fürstenwalde (Przybór)]] ([[St Mary's Cathedral, Fürstenwalde]]). Polish monarchs still made peaceful attempts to regain the region. The northern part of the diocese of Lubusz, the [[Kostrzyn nad Odrą|Kostrzyn]] land, administratively became part of the [[New March]], a peripheral region for Czech rulers who were willing to sell it. In 1402, an agreement was reached in [[Kraków]] between them and the Poles, under which [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Poland]] was purchase and reincorporate this region,<ref>{{cite book|last=Rogalski|first=Leon|year=1846|title=Dzieje Krzyżaków oraz ich stosunki z Polską, Litwą i Prussami, poprzedzone rysem dziejów wojen krzyżowych. Tom II|language=pl|location=Warszawa|pages=59–60}}</ref> however in the same year the Luxembourgs sold the region to the [[Teutonic Knights]], Poland's arch-enemy. In 1454, after the [[Thirteen Years’ War (1454–1466)|Thirteen Years’ War]] broke out, the Teutonic Knights sold the region to Brandenburg in order to raise funds for war against Poland. The bulk of the Lubusz Land remained part of the Bohemian (Czech) lands until 1415.
[[File:Dom St Marien - panoramio.jpg|thumb|left|[[St Mary's Cathedral, Fürstenwalde|St Mary's Cathedral in Fürstenwalde]], the last cathedral of the [[Bishopric of Lebus]]]]
In 1424 the Lebus bishopric became a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Magdeburg, finally leaving the Gniezno ecclesiastical province. In 1432, the Czech [[Hussites]] captured the city of [[Frankfurt (Oder)]].<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom II|year=1881|language=pl|location=Warszawa|page=402}}</ref> In 1518 Bishop Dietrich von Bülow bought the secular lordship of [[Beeskow]]-[[Storkow, Brandenburg|Storkow]], in secular respect a Bohemian fief, in religious respect mostly no part of his diocese but of the [[Diocese of Meissen]].<ref>Dirk Schumann, ''Beeskow'' (<sup>1</sup>2001), Sibylle Badstübner-Gröger and Christine Herzog (collab.) for the Freundeskreis Schlösser und Gärten der Mark (ed.), slightly altered ed., Berlin: Deutsche Gesellschaft, <sup>2</sup>2006, (Schlösser und Gärten der Mark; part: Beeskow), p. 4. No ISBN</ref> The castle in [[Beeskow]] became the episcopal residence. The last Catholic bishop was [[Georg von Blumenthal]], who died in 1550 after a heroic non-military counter-reformatory campaign. However, when in 1547 Bishop Georg tried to recruit and arm troops in order to join the Catholic Imperial forces in the [[Smalkaldic War]], his vassal city of Beeskow refused to obey.

From 1555 the bishopric was secularised and became a [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] diocese and the area east of the Oder was later called [[Eastern Brandenburg]]. In 1575 King [[Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian II of Bohemia]] granted the Beeskow lordship of the Lebus diocese to Brandenburg as a Bohemian [[fief]], which it remained until the [[First Silesian War]] in 1742.<ref>Dirk Schumann, ''Beeskow'' (<sup>1</sup>2001), Sibylle Badstübner-Gröger and Christine Herzog (collab.) for the Freundeskreis Schlösser und Gärten der Mark (ed.), slightly altered ed., Berlin: Deutsche Gesellschaft, <sup>2</sup>2006, (Schlösser und Gärten der Mark; part: Beeskow), p. 7. No ISBN</ref> When in 1598 the Magdeburg administrator [[Joachim Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg|Joachim Frederick of Hohenzollern]] became Elector of Brandenburg, all official links with Poland had long been cut.

In the 16th century, many Polish exports, including grain, wood, ash, tar and hemp, were floated from western Poland via [[Frankfurt (Oder)]] in Lubusz Land to the port of [[Szczecin]], with the high Brandenburgian customs duties on Polish goods lowered in the early 17th century.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rutkowski|first=Jan|title=Zarys gospodarczych dziejów Polski w czasach przedrozbiorowych|year=1923|language=pl|location=Poznań|pages=200–201}}</ref>

=== Prussia and Germany ===
[[File:Lebus - Stadt des Flieders (MOL Brandenburg).jpg|thumb|Modern view of [[Lebus]] (''Lubusz''), the historical capital of the region]]
But new links to Poland developed, because since 1618 the prince-electors of Brandenburg ruled the [[Duchy of Prussia]], then a Polish [[vassal state]], in [[personal union]]. In 1657 Prussia gained sovereignty, so in 1701 the electors could upgrade their simultaneously held Prussian dukedom to the [[Kingdom of Prussia]], dropping the title of elector of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] at its dissolution in 1806. In 1815 the kingdom joined the [[German Confederation]], in 1866 the [[North German Confederation]], which enlarged in 1871 to [[German Empire|united Germany]].

By the 17th century most of the population, consisting of autochthon [[Polish people|Poles]] and German settlers, had mingled and assimilated to [[German language]]. At the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, communes of [[French people|French]] [[Huguenots]] were established in [[Frankfurt (Oder)]], [[Müncheberg]] and [[Fürstenwalde]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Muret|first=Eduard|title=Geschichte der Französischen Kolonie in Brandenburg-Preußen, unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Berliner Gemeinde. Aus Veranlassung der Zweihundertjährigen Jubelfeier am 29. Oktober 1885|year=1885|location=Berlin|language=de|pages=213, 217, 248}}</ref>

One of the main escape routes for insurgents of the unsuccessful Polish [[November Uprising]] from partitioned Poland to the [[Great Emigration]] led through the region.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Umiński|first=Janusz|year=1998|title=Losy internowanych na Pomorzu żołnierzy powstania listopadowego|magazine=Jantarowe Szlaki|language=pl|issue=4 (250)|page=16}}</ref>

During [[World War I]], a [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War I|German strict regime prisoner-of-war camp]] for French, Russian, Belgian, British and Canadian officers was operated in [[Kostrzyn nad Odrą|Kostrzyn]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Orłow|first=Aleksander|editor-last1=Mykietów|editor-first1=Bogusław|editor-last2=Bryll|editor-first2=Wolfgang Damian|editor-last3=Tureczek|editor-first3=Marceli|year=2011|title=Forty. Jeńcy. Monety. Pasjonaci o Twierdzy Kostrzyn|language=pl|location=Zielona Góra|publisher=Księgarnia Akademicka|pages=18, 21|chapter=Oficerski obóz jeniecki twierdzy Kostrzyn nad Odrą 1914−1918}}</ref> Notable inmates included [[Leefe Robinson]], [[Jocelyn Lee Hardy]], [[Roland Garros (aviator)|Roland Garros]] and [[Jules Bastin (soldier)|Jules Bastin]], who all made unsuccessful escape attempts.<ref>Orłow, pp. 22−24</ref> It is considered the only German POW camp of World War I from which no one managed to escape.<ref>Orłow, p. 27</ref>

====World War II====
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-E0406-0022-012, Sowjetische Artillerie vor Berlin.jpg|thumb|left|[[Battle of the Seelow Heights]]]]
The ''[[Einsatzgruppen|Einsatzgruppe VI]]'' was formed in Frankfurt (Oder) before it entered several Polish cities, including [[Poznań]], [[Kalisz]] and [[Leszno]], to commit various [[Nazi crimes against the Polish nation|crimes against Poles]] during the German [[invasion of Poland]], which started [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2009|title=Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|page=60}}</ref> During the war, the Germans operated the [[Stalag III-C]] [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|prisoner-of-war camp]] for Polish, [[French prisoners of war in World War II|French]], Serbian, Soviet, [[Italian Military Internees|Italian]], British, American and Belgian POWs in the region,<ref name=ushm>{{cite book|last1=Megargee|first1=Geoffrey P.|last2=Overmans|first2=Rüdiger|last3=Vogt|first3=Wolfgang|year=2022|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|page=408–409|isbn=978-0-253-06089-1}}</ref> and numerous [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] camps, including several subcamps of the [[Sachsenhausen concentration camp]], whose prisoners were Poles, Ukrainians, Russians, Norwegians, French, Belgians, Germans, Jews and Dutch.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bundesrecht.juris.de/begdv_6/anlage_6.html|title=Anlage zu § 1. Verzeichnis der Konzentrationslager und ihrer Außenkommandos gemäß § 42 Abs. 2 BEG|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423004151/http://bundesrecht.juris.de/begdv_6/anlage_6.html|language=de|access-date=23 October 2023|archive-date=23 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Megargee|first=Geoffrey P.|year=2009|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume I|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|pages=1303–1305, 1321–1322, 1345|isbn=978-0-253-35328-3}}</ref> Particularly infamous camps were the Oderblick labor education camp in [[Świecko]] and the [[Sonnenburg concentration camp]] in [[Słońsk]], in which Polish, Belgian, French, Bulgarian, Dutch, Yugoslav, Russian, Italian, Ukrainian, Luxembourgish, Danish, Norwegian, Czech, Slovak and other prisoners were held, and many died.<ref name=ipn>{{cite web|url=https://poszukiwania.ipn.gov.pl/bbp/aktualnosci/13596,Swiecko-Lager-Schwetig-Odnaleziono-szczatki-21-osob.html|title=Świecko (Lager Schwetig): Odnaleziono szczątki 21 osób|website=Instytut Pamięci Narodowej|access-date=23 October 2023|language=pl}}</ref><ref name=dz>{{cite web|url=https://dzieje.pl/aktualnosci/slonsk-73-rocznica-zaglady-wiezniow-niemieckiego-obozu-sonnenburg|title=Słońsk: 73. rocznica zagłady więźniów niemieckiego obozu Sonnenburg|website=dzieje.pl|access-date=23 October 2023|language=pl}}</ref>

In early 1945, the [[Death marches during the Holocaust|death marches]] of prisoners of various nationalities from the dissolved camps in Świecko and [[Żabikowo, Luboń|Żabikowo]] to the [[Sachsenhausen concentration camp]] passed through the region.<ref name=ipn/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://zabikowo.eu/ewakuacja-piesza|title=Ewakuacja piesza|website=Muzeum Martyrologiczne w Żabikowie|access-date=23 October 2023|language=pl}}</ref> On 30–31 January, the [[SS]] and [[Gestapo]] perpetrated a massacre of over 800 prisoners of the Sonnenburg concentration camp.<ref name=dz/>

Lubusz Land was the site of fierce fighting on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]] of [[World War II]] in 1945. In February and March the battle for [[Kostrzyn nad Odrą]] (then ''Küstrin'') was fought, which resulted in 95% of the town being destroyed,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.konflikty.pl/historia/druga-wojna-swiatowa/bitwa-o-festung-kustrin-w-1945-roku/|title=Bitwa o Festung Küstrin w 1945 roku|website=Konflikty.pl|author=Andrzej Toczewski|access-date=17 October 2019|language=pl}}</ref> making it the most destructed town of post-war Poland. Shortly after the liberation of the Stalag III-C POW camp in Kostrzyn, Soviet troops killed some American POWs mistaking them for German troops.<ref name=ushm/> In April the [[Battle of the Seelow Heights]] took place, ending in a Soviet-Polish victory. It was one of the last battles before the [[German Instrument of Surrender|capitulation]] of [[Nazi Germany]] and the [[end of World War II in Europe]].

=== In Poland and Germany ===
The portion of Lubusz Land east of the Oder River became again part of Poland by the 1945 Potsdam Conference, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the 1980s, whereas the western portion with the historical capital Lebus remained under [[Soviet occupation zone of Germany|Soviet occupation]] and became a part of communist [[East Germany]] in 1949.

Polish and Soviet authorities expelled most of the German population from the Polish annexed part of Lubusz Land in accordance with the [[Potsdam Agreement]]. Refugees who had fled before the Soviet forces were prevented from returning to their homes. The area was then resettled with Poles expelled from Soviet-annexed [[Kresy|eastern Poland]] and migrants from central Poland. The largest cities and capitals of the Polish [[Lubusz Voivodeship]] today are [[Zielona Góra]] and [[Gorzów Wielkopolski]], which however were not part of the historical Lubusz Land (cf. map above), but were parts of [[Lower Silesia]] and [[Greater Poland]] (the [[Santok]] castellany) respectively. Today, the largest town of Lubusz Land is [[Frankfurt (Oder)]], located in the German part of the region. On the Polish side the largest town is [[Kostrzyn nad Odrą]]. The region's historic capital, [[Lebus]], is one of the smallest towns.

In the Polish part of the Lubusz Land, in [[Słubice]], the [[Wikipedia Monument]], world's first monument dedicated to the [[Wikipedia community]], was unveiled in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archiwum.thenews.pl/1/11/Artykul/185125|title=World's first Wikipedia monument unveiled in Poland|website=TheNews.pl|access-date=18 October 2019|language=en}}</ref>

== Towns ==
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{{col-break}}
Towns on the west side of the Oder, in [[Germany]]:
*[[Beeskow]]
*[[Buckow]]
*[[Eisenhüttenstadt]]
*[[Frankfurt (Oder)]]
*[[Fürstenwalde]]
*[[Lebus]]
*[[Müllrose]]
*[[Müncheberg]]
*[[Seelow]]
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Towns on the east side of the Oder, in [[Poland]]:
*[[Cybinka]]
*[[Dębno]]
*[[Kostrzyn nad Odrą]]
*[[Ośno Lubuskie]]
*[[Rzepin]]
*[[Słubice]]
*[[Sulęcin]]
*[[Torzym]]
*[[Witnica]]
{{col-break}}
{{col-end}}

== See also ==
*[[Lubusz Voivodeship]]
*[[Lebus]]

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070317043020/http://www.ziemia-lubuska.pl/ Info on the Lubusz Land]
* [http://www.lubusz.com/ Pictures of Lubusz]

== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist}}

{{coord missing|Lubusz Voivodeship}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Historical regions in Poland]]
[[Category:Geography of Lubusz Voivodeship]]
[[Category:Margraviate of Brandenburg]]
[[Category:Regions of Brandenburg]]
[[Category:History of Silesia]]
[[Category:Oder]]