Comprehensive information and links about Germany Brandenburg

Brandenburg is a town in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is located on the banks of the Havel river. Population: 74,875 (December 31,2004).

Although the town of Brandenburg is less known than the state of Brandenburg, the state was named after the town and not vice versa. Today it is a small town compared to nearby Berlin, but once it was the origin of the realms of Brandenburg and Prussia.

The castle of Brandenburg, which had been a Slavic fortress b (Branim's forest), was conquered in 929 by king Henry the Fowler. The town remained German only until 983, when a Slavic rebellion was successful. In the next 170 years the area was ruled by Slavic princes of the Hevelles tribe. The last of them, Pribislav, died in 1150. Afterwards Albert I settled here and became the first margrave of Brandenburg. The town was restricted to the western bank of the Havel until 1196, when it was extended to the eastern side. The parts on either side of the river were regarded as two different towns (Old and New Brandenburg) for centuries.

In 1314 (resp. 1315) the two towns joined the Hanseatic League. In the Thirty Years' War the towns suffered plundering and destruction; this led to a loss of power; Potsdam became the new capital, and the court left the town of Brandenburg. In 1715 the two halves of the town were merged at last to a common town.

Today's Brandenburg

Today Brandenburg suffers from migration. After the fall of the Berlin Wall the population has suffered greatly. From over 100,000 in 1989 down to roughly 75,000 in 2005. The migration mainly affects the young people and thus the future of the city is uncertain.