In the 3rd century AD an eastern Germanic settlement existed here, but excavations have proved that the region was already inhabited as early as the late
Stone Age.
Sorbs arrived in the area during the
migration period in the 6th century AD. The first written evidence of the city is from 1002 under the name
Budusin (, ). In 1018 the
Peace of Bautzen was signed between the German king
Henry II and the Polish ruler
Bolesław I the Brave. The treaty left the town under Polish rule. In 1032 it passed to the
Margraviate of Meissen within the
Holy Roman Empire, in 1075 to the
Duchy of Bohemia, elevated to a
kingdom in 1198 (with short periods of
Brandenburgian and
Hungarian rule). In 1346, Budissin became a member of the
Lusatian League, an alliance of Upper Lusatian cities, also including
Görlitz,
Kamenz,
Lauban,
Löbau and
Zittau. In 1429 and 1431, it was unsuccessfully besieged by the
Hussites. During the
Napoleonic Wars, it was the site of the
Battle of Bautzen (1813). In 1868, the name was officially changed from
Budissin to the more Germanized form
Bautzen. After the
Nazi Party came to power in Germany in 1933, many political prisoners were held in the Bautzen I and Bautzen II prisons, built in 1904 and 1906, respectively. The
AL Bautzen subcamp of the
Groß-Rosen concentration camp operated in Bautzen. At least 600 men, mostly Poles, but also of other nationalities, were imprisoned there, about 310 of whom died. This meant Bautzen and its surroundings stayed in German hands until
Germany's capitulation. From 1952 to 1990, Bautzen was part of the
Bezirk Dresden of
East Germany. Bautzen was infamous throughout
East Germany for its two penitentiaries. "Bautzen I" was used as an official prison, soon to be nicknamed '''' ("Yellow Misery") due to its outer colour, whereas the more secretive "
Bautzen II" was used as a facility to hold political prisoners, dissidents and prisoners of conscience. Today, Bautzen I is known as the Bautzen Correctional Institution and is used to hold prisoners who are awaiting trial. Bautzen II which was also operated by the GDR's
Ministry for State Security, has served as an open memorial since 1993, operated by the Saxon Memorials Foundation. It is accessible to the public. Guided tours are provided and occasionally, films are screened. A permanent exhibition depicts the misery suffered by occupants; visitors may tour detention cells, the isolation area and the yards where prisoners were allowed to exercise. In 2002 the city commemorated its 1000th birthday. In 2010 it was hit by a flood. • 1875 – 14,709 • 1890 – 21,516 • 1933 – 41,951 • 1950 – 41,592 (as of August 31) • 1960 – 41,613 • 1984 – 51,208 • 1995 – 44,763 • 2000 – 43,353 • 2005 – 42,150 • 2010 – 40,573 • 2015 – 40,501 • 2020 – 38,006 • 2021 - 38,360 • 2022 - 38,682 ==Politics==