Since 2005, the Friends of Branitz have been supporting the foundation in maintaining and further developing Branitz Park and Palace. Traditionally, the Friends finance the spring planting at the Palace and organize the big celebration of Pückler’s birthday in autumn. Thanks to the commitment of its members and sponsors, a number of Lost Places have been revived and restored: These include the historic garden at the Park Smithy, the candelabra at the Cottbus Gate House, the seating area on the Rose Hill, the restored chandeliers in the staircase of the Palace, the cross on the Holy Mountain, the crescent stele on the Moon Hill. The members participate in park care work, support school projects and go on excursions to get to know the Pückler heritage and other parks even better.
The genius of the Cottbus artist Carl Blechen was already admired by his contemporaries. At the same time, however, he snubbed the public with his new views on content and style. Today he is internationally appreciated as one of the most important artists of the 19th century. In 1998, the CARL-BLECHEN-Gesellschaft e.V. was founded as a non-profit association. Its task is to make the works of Carl Blechen known to a broad public, to promote academic research into his complete works and the art-historical dialogue, and to support the further development of the Cottbus collection.
The association’s public relations work includes, among other things, the salon evenings in Branitz Palace, annual excursions to interesting exhibitions outside of Cottbus, as well as the organisation of lectures, concerts, podium discussions, and special events such as symposia and exhibitions, also in cooperation with the Brandenburg State Museum of Modern Art, the Carl Blechen Elementary School, the Cultural Workshop P12 of the Glad-House Cottbus, the Sandow Library, and the Carl Blechen House in Sandow, as well as with the Friends of the Cottbus State Theatre Association.