Brandenburg is situated in the north-east of the Federal Republic of Germany; it surrounds the capital Berlin and borders on Poland to the east. Covering an area of 29,479 square kilometres, Brandenburg is the largest of Germany’s five new Länder. It is sparsely populated, however, with only 2.6 million inhabitants. On the other hand, the magnetic attraction of the capital Berlin is having a knock-on effect, boosting Brandenburg’s population. The capital Potsdam lies to the south-west of Berlin and has 135,000 inhabitants. Brandenburg is governed by a grand coalition of SPD and CDU headed by Prime Minister Matthias Platzeck (SPD).
www.brandenburg.de
1157 is regarded as the year of birth of the Mark Brandenburg. This was when Albrecht the Bear started calling himself the Markgraf (Margrave) of Brandenburg. Up until the 14th century, the Ascanians and later the Wittelsbachers developed the Mark Brandenburg into Germany’s leading principality. The Hohenzoller Elector Frederick William, later called the “Great Elector,” took over the reins of government in Germany’s largest electorate in 1640. The Great Elector’s successor, Elector Frederick III, founded the Prussian kingdom, and the Mark Brandenburg became part of Prussia. Under his son, King Frederick II (photograph), known as Frederick the Great (1740–1786), Prussia grew into a great power of European importance.
Brandenburg’s economy benefits from its proximity to the capital. The Berlin-Brandenburg region was the cradle of the German electrical industry (Siemens). The automobile industry and its components-supplying industry (DaimlerChrysler) are committed to Brandenburg. The chemical industry is one of the most dynamic sectors. However, it is the food industry that records the highest revenues. Futuristic sectors such as life sciences, information technology and communications are experiencing a boom. eBay, the online auction house, is based near Potsdam. More than 280 foreign companies have settled in Brandenburg since 1990.
www.zab-brandenburg.de
Brandenburg’s universities in Cottbus, Frankfurt/Oder and Potsdam, the Film and Television College, the five universities of applied sciences and 21 technology centres supplement the facilities available in Berlin and make the area the most densely concentrated research region in Germany. 33,000 young people study at Brandenburg’s universities. One of the most renowned institutions is Frankfurt/Oder’s ViadrinaUniversity, which was reestablished in 1991 and is today called the Europe University. The expressionistic Einstein Tower serves as a solar observatory.
Brandenburg’s “cultural landscape” is noted for its hundreds of palaces, manor houses, ornamental gardens and parks – the most famous of which is the UNESCO world cultural heritage site in Potsdam, the Sanssouci Palace and Gardens. Brandenburg’s eventful history is documented by many museums and memorials – such as the Theodor Fontane Archive in Potsdam and the Heinrich von Kleist Research Centre in Frankfurt/Oder. The calendar is full of musical and theatrical events. The year’s highlights include the Potsdam-Sanssouci Music Festival and the Rheinsberg Music Days. A visit to the Babelsberg Film City in Potsdam is a very special experience. Today, major international productions like Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist” are produced where film greats like Frederick Wilhelm Murnau, Ernst Lubitsch, Fritz Lang and Marlene Dietrich used to work.
“The beauty is there; all you need to do is to open your eyes – or at least not to intentionally close them.” Few people had a more intimate relationship with the Mark Brandenburg and few people have described it more beautifully than the poet and novelist Theodor Fontane (1819–1898; photograph: monument in Neuruppin). His main works include “Effi Briest,” “The Stechlin,” and not least “Walks through the Mark Brandenburg.” Fontane developed the idea for these traveller’s tales on a journey through Scotland during his years as a correspondent in London. The “Walks” are still a popular guide to Brandenburg even today – although Fontane himself preferred to travel by “chaise.”
