Places

Formed by the sand deposited by the Lubsza river at the mouth to the Nysa Łużycka, it was originally a river islet. In 1446, the citizens called it the Town Islet (Ostrów Miejski) or the Townspeople Islet (Ostrów Mieszczański). Since 1671, the islet became known as the Marksmen Island, as the local chapter of the Marksmen Society would use it for practice and a venue for their events. In mid-19th Century, the governor of the Marksmen Society and master baker August Heinze organised a fund raiser and turned the park on the islet into the town’s pride. Frederick Wilhelm IV of Prussia even took a walk there in June 1844. At the end of the 19th Century, a citizens’ committee was formed to build a large cultural and entertainment complex on the islet. The Marksmen Society sold it to a joint stock company which built a theatre there. The famous violinist Erich Röhn, before his appointment as the first concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic (German: Berliner Philharmoniker), played in the Gubin orchestra named “Kutschan” and performed frequently in the theatre. In 1903, a commemorative plaque was placed in the theatre foyer with the following inscription: “In the memory of Mayor Fritsche, the creator of this temple of art”.