Finsterwalde (, ) is a town in the Elbe-Elster district (German: Landkreis), in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany. Overview It is situated on the Schackebach, a tributary of the Kleine Elster, 28 m. W.S.W of Cottbus by rail. Pop. (2005) 18,840. The town has a Gothic church (1581), a castle, schools, cloth and cigar factories, iron-foundries, flour and saw mills and factories for machine building. Popular are the "four singers from Finsterwalde" and their "singer-song". History Finsterwalde, which is first mentioned in 1288, came into the possession of the Electorate of Saxony from 1635 and of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815. From 1815 to 1947, Finsterwalde was part of the Prussian Province of Brandenburg. From 1952 to 1990, it was part of the Bezirk Cottbus of East Germany. Demography Known persons The following well known persons are from Finsterwalde: Hansgeorg Bätcher (1914-2003), Oberstleutnant in the Luftwaffe Inge Deutschkron, (1922-2022), German-Israeli journalist and author Thomas Eisfeld, (born 1993), football player for Arsenal FC Catrin G Grosse (born 1964), artist and painter Kurt Haehling (1893-1983), Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht Detlef Irrgang, (born 1966), football player Sonja Kesselschläger, Heptathlon athlete Hermann Kotzschmar, (1829-1908), German-American musician, conductor and composer Peggy Kuznik, Football player Otto Ostrowski, (1883-1963), Mayor of Finsterwalde in the 1920s Stephanie Pohl, (born 1978), beach volleyball player Hans-Jürgen Riediger, football player Buildings and Monuments Finsterwalde Solar Park Janusz-Korczak-Gymnasium, formerly Knabenschule by Max Taut (1913) In Finsterwalde is located a relief dedicated to Lenin in the park "Bürgerheide" References External links Localities in Elbe-Elster