page_title: Lubusz Land
section_title: Prussia and Germany
hierarchical_section_title: Lubusz Land / History / Prussia and Germany
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Sowjetische Artillerie vor Berlin ADN-ZB/Archiv II.Weltkrieg 1939-45 Am 16. April beginnt der Angriff der an der Oder und Neiße stehenden 1. Belorussischen und 1. Ukrainischen Front zum Kampf um Berlin. Die sowjetischen Truppen erreichen am 21. April den äußeren Verteidigungsgürtel und schließen am 25. April die Stadt ein. Nach harten, verlustreichen Kämpfen kapitulieren die faschistischen Truppen der Berliner Garnison am Nachmittag des 2.Mai. - Sowjetische Artillerie vor Berlin; seit dem 20. April wird die Stadt beschossen.
context_page_description: Lubusz Land is a historical region and cultural landscape in Poland and Germany on both sides of the Oder river.
  Originally the settlement area of the West Slavic Leubuzzi tribe, the swampy area was located east of March of Brandenburg and west of Greater Poland, south of Pomerania and north of Silesia and Lower Lusatia. Presently its eastern part lies within the Polish Lubusz Voivodeship, the western part with its historical capital Lebus in the German state of Brandenburg.
context_section_description: 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 united Germany.
  By the 17th century most of the population, consisting of autochthon Poles and German settlers, had mingled and assimilated to German language. By later eastward extensions of Brandenburg on the expense of Polish territory also a new Polish-speaking minority was incorporated. The most numerous Polish minority was in the village of Kaława (Kalau), although the great majority (90+%) of the population spoke German.
  Lubusz Land was the site of fierce fighting on the 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, making it the most destructed town of post-war Poland. 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 capitulation of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II in Europe.
caption: Battle of the Seelow Heights
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