Upper Lusatian League of Six Cities

The Upper Lusatian League of Six Cities (Oberlausitzer Sechsstädtebund) was an alliance of six towns in Upper Lusatia that was established in 1346 and existed until 1815. It included the towns of Bautzen, Kamenz, Zittau, Görlitz, and Löbau in modern-day Germany, and Lauban (Lubań) in modern-day Poland. The League played a vital economic and political role in the history of Upper Lusatia, which was part of the Bohemian Crown until 1635, before becoming a fief of the Electorate of Saxony. The alliance was formed during the reign of Charles IV, likely on his own initiative, as he viewed these towns as key allies against the local nobility. The League was eventually dissolved in 1815, when the Congress of Vienna divided the towns between two states: Saxony and Prussia.