Also known as "the green town on the river Spree", Cottbus is the ideal destination for park lovers. Since the Federal Garden Show, a wealth of lush parkland has sprung up around the town and is now something of a hallmark. It includes the riverbank meadows along the Spree, the zoo, Branitz Park and a number of other smaller parks.Branitz Park
Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau began laying out this remarkable landscaped park in 1846. Considered one of the finest examples of German garden landscaping, the park was designed according to the principle of zoning, which divided it into separate, individually laid out areas, with man-made water courses fed by ground water from the river Spree. The paths are cleverly positioned to ensure that the plants and reliefs are seen by visitors as a three-dimensional gardenscape. At the centre of the park stands Branitz Palace, built in 1772, which now houses the Prince Pückler Museum.Cottbus Park Railway
The park railway takes visitors on a relaxing journey around the parks on the outskirts of Cottbus. One of the town's most popular attractions for decades, the narrow-gauge railway snakes its way through the town's parkland. The railway stops are an ideal starting point for walks or longer tours through the riverbank meadows along the Spree (Spreeauenpark).Spreeauenpark
Since the Federal Garden Show, the Spreeauenpark has joined a number of others to form one long green belt around the town centre. Continuing a long-established tradition of horticulture, Cottbus has an impressive wealth of parks, tree-lined avenues and green spaces with plants and woodland from a variety of geological periods.