Sorbs

The Sorbs, also called Wends, are a West Slavic ethnic minority native to Lusatia, a region in eastern Germany straddling the states of Saxony and Brandenburg, and the last remaining Slavic-speaking people in Germany, descended from Slavic tribes that settled the area in the sixth and seventh centuries CE. The Sorbs are divided linguistically into Upper Sorbian speakers around Bautzen and Lower Sorbian speakers around Cottbus, both recognized as official minority languages in Germany, and Sorbian identity has been sustained through Sorbian-language schools, a dedicated cultural institute, and distinctive traditions including elaborately decorated Sorbian Easter eggs. Despite periods of forced Germanization under Nazi rule and pressure from lignite mining and village relocation in the German Democratic Republic era, a Sorb community continues to maintain its language and customs today.