Forst (Lausitz)

Forst (Lausitz) (Lower Sorbian: Baršć) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany. It lies east of Cottbus, on the river Lausitzer Neiße which is also the German-Polish border, the Oder-Neisse line. It is the capital of the Spree-Neiße district. It is known for its rose garden and textile museum. The town's population is 18,651. In Forst, there is a railway bridge across the Neiße belonging to the line Cottbus–Żary which is serviced by regional trains and a EuroCity train between Hamburg and Kraków (2011). There is also a road bridge across the river north of Forst.

Forst (Lausitz)
Watertower in Forst
Flag
Coat of arms
Location of Forst (Lausitz) within Spree-Neiße district
Forst (Lausitz)
Forst (Lausitz)
Coordinates: 51°44′N 14°38′E
CountryGermany
StateBrandenburg
DistrictSpree-Neiße
Government
 • MayorSimone Taubenek
Area
 • Total109.91 km2 (42.44 sq mi)
Elevation
72 m (236 ft)
Population
 (2018-12-31)[1]
 • Total18,164
 • Density170/km2 (430/sq mi)
Time zoneCET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes
03141–03149
Dialling codes03562
Vehicle registrationSPN
Websitewww.forst-lausitz.de

Overview

Part of the region of Lusatia, Forst was awarded to the Kingdom of Prussia in the 1815 Congress of Vienna. The town was subsequently administered within the Province of Brandenburg. After World War II it became part of the German Democratic Republic.

Forst has experienced severe problems as a result of the 1990 German reunification, most notably from extreme unemployment. In the past, the town was known for textile manufacturing, but all of the textile plants and factories have closed down.

History

A short distance to the south of the old Sorbian village of Altforst, the town probably originated around 1150 at a river crossing point on the important west-east route (known as the Salzstraße / Salt Road) connecting Halle and Głogów. By 1265 it was developing into a permanent trading settlement round the Church of St Nicholas. The commercial importance of Forst increased with the development of a north-south route connecting to Guben, downstream along the Neisse River. In the fourteenth century the council was able to take on responsibility for the lower courts locally. In 1352 of Ileburg took over the overlordship of Forst from Frederick III of Meißen.

Demography
  • Development of population since 1875 within the current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population development in Brandenburg state; Grey Background: Time of Nazi Germany; Red Background: Time of communist East Germany)
  • Recent Population Development and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to the Census in Germany in 2011 (blue bordered line); Official projections for 2005-2030 (yellow line); for 2014-2030 (red line); for 2017-2030 (scarlet line)
Forst (Lausitz): Population development
within the current boundaries (2017)[2]
YearPop.±% p.a.
1875 19,084—    
1890 27,494+2.46%
1910 31,594+0.70%
1925 32,977+0.29%
1933 35,112+0.79%
1939 36,771+0.77%
1946 32,638−1.69%
1950 33,339+0.53%
1964 32,342−0.22%
1971 31,471−0.39%
1981 28,870−0.86%
1985 28,031−0.73%
1989 27,703−0.29%
1990 27,214−1.77%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1991 26,363−3.13%
1992 26,024−1.29%
1993 26,085+0.23%
1994 25,961−0.48%
1995 25,701−1.00%
1996 25,543−0.61%
1997 25,403−0.55%
1998 25,164−0.94%
1999 24,840−1.29%
2000 24,309−2.14%
2001 23,839−1.93%
2002 23,395−1.86%
2003 23,122−1.17%
2004 22,781−1.47%
YearPop.±% p.a.
2005 22,391−1.71%
2006 22,112−1.25%
2007 21,674−1.98%
2008 21,304−1.71%
2009 20,971−1.56%
2010 20,618−1.68%
2011 19,576−5.05%
2012 19,312−1.35%
2013 19,053−1.34%
2014 18,945−0.57%
2015 18,773−0.91%
2016 18,651−0.65%
2017 18,353−1.60%
2018 18,164−1.03%

People

See also

References
  1. "Bevölkerung im Land Brandenburg nach amtsfreien Gemeinden, Ämtern und Gemeinden 31. Dezember 2018". Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg (in German). July 2019.
  2. Detailed data sources are to be found in the Wikimedia Commons.Population Projection Brandenburg at Wikimedia Commons
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