Golßen

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Golßen is a small town in Brandenburg, Germany, in the district of Dahme-Spreewald. It is the administrative center of the Amt Unterspreewald. The town sits in the northwest part of the region called Lower Lusatia, near the border with the Mittelmark. Golßen covers about 63.7 square kilometers and sits around 58 meters above sea level. About 2,489 people lived there at the end of 2023. The mayor for 2024–2029 is Andrea Schulz.

Golßen is connected by the Berlin–Dresden railway, so the train is an easy way to travel to the area. The region around Golßen is famous for Spreewald pickles (gherkins). The town also includes the nearby villages of Mahlsdorf and Zützen.

History in short:
- The settlement began during the German eastward settlement in the 11th century, possibly where an older Slavic fortress once stood.
- It was first mentioned in 1276 as Golsyn.
- In 1367 it came under the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, and its estates were at times pawned to others, including William I of Meissen in 1395.
- After the Thirty Years’ War, the area returned to Wettin rulers (Saxony) by 1635.
- Golßen Castle was built around 1723 and later passed to the Counts of Solms-Baruth; its gardens were redesigned in Neoclassical style in 1852.
- The nearby estate at Zützen was owned by the Kleist family; a Baroque palace there burned down late in World War II.
- After the Napoleonic Wars, Golßen became part of the Prussian province of Brandenburg in 1816.