Until 1815, Guben belonged uninterruptedly to the Margravate of Lower Lusatia. Between 1367 and 1635 the margravate belonged to the crown of Bohemia. The city was fortified in the 14th century with earthworks, trenches, and wooden planking, and then refortified from 1523 to 1544. In 1635 Elector John George I of Saxony received Lower Lusatia and Guben in the Peace of Prague.
