The Spree Neiße region is part of Lusatia, which took its name from the Slavonic tribe of the Luscici, who settled in the territory in the 6^th and 7^th centuries. From the 10^th Century the Germanic peoples began to reclaim the land under Heinrich 1, the founder of the Kingdom of Germany. In c. 963 Count Gero succeeded in subjugating the Sorbs completely.

The area of Lower Lusatia has a chequered history and belonged to many different Royal Houses:         from 1032 – 1304 to the Wettiner, from 1304 – 1370 to the Askanier, from 1370 to a range of Houses due to its annexing to Bohemia; then from 1526 – 1623/35 it belonged to the Hapsburgs, and from 1635 – 1815 to the House of Saxony, then Prussia. Lower Lusatia has lived through many wars: the 30 Years War, the Napoleonic Wars, and World War II. Traditional sources of employment here are farming, the cloth and textile industry, glass making and mining. 

There are 2 nationalities who call Lower Lusatia home – the Germans and the Sorbs/Wends. The visitor to the area can see this from the fact that place names are given in two languages.