Who are the Wends?

The Wends of Lusatia, an area in the Eastern part of Germany, make up the smallest group of the many Slavic races who include the Poles, Czechs, Russians and other Slavic peoples.

The German cities of Bautzen and Cottbus are the main centres for the Upper Wends [Bautzen] and the Lower Wends [Cottbus].

The Wendish language is closely related to Polish and Czech and is still the first language spoken by many Wends who live in villages in this area of Germany. Estimates vary, but there are maybe 30,000 Wends who still speak their native tongue.

The Wends have inhabited the area called Lusatia, for over 1,500 years, and in earlier times their territory was much larger and included Berlin, which was originally a Wendish settlement.

In Germany the name ‘Sorb’ is usually preferred to ‘Wend’ by the German people, but the term ‘Wend’ has usually been preferred in the English speaking countries where the Wends have settled, including Australia, Canada, South Africa and the USA.