Bautzen

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Bautzen (pronounced , , until 1868: Budissin; Upper Sorbian: Budy?in; Lower Sorbian: Budy?yn; Polish: Budziszyn , ; Czech: Budy??n) is a city in eastern Saxony, Germany, and capital of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2005, its population is 42,199.

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Bautzen may be regarded as the unofficial capital of Upper Lusatia, and it is a cultural center of the Sorbs, a Slavic minority.

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The first written proof of the city was in 1002. In 1018 the Peace of Bautzen was signed between the German king Henry II and the Polish prince Boleslaus I. The Treaty left Bautzen under Polish rule. In 1033 the city passed to the Holy Roman Empire, in 1319 to Bohemia and in 1635 to Saxony. During the Middle Ages it was a member of the Six Cities' Alliance of the Upper Lusatian cities of G?rlitz, Zittau, L?bau, Kamenz, Lauban and Bautzen.

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During the Nazi era there was a subcamp of the Gro?-Rosen concentration camp in Bautzen. Ernst Th?lmann was imprisoned there before being deported to Buchenwald.

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The East German regime kept a prison for opposition members in Bautzen. The prison was called Gelbes Elend ("Yellow Misery") by the people.

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In 2002 the city commemorated its thousandth birthday.

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Asteroid (11580) Bautzen is named in honor of the city.

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Pronounced: REDIRECT Pronunciation...

1868: 1868 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar)....

Upper Sorbian: REDIRECT Upper Sorbian language...