Brandenburg an der Havel

Infobox German Location
type = town
Wappen = Wappen_Brandenburg_an_der_Havel.pngimage_photo = Hauptstrasse_Brandenburg.jpg
image_caption = Brandenburg an der Havel main street
lat_deg = 52 |lat_min = 25 |lat_sec = 0
lon_deg = 12 |lon_min = 32 |lon_sec = 0
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Brandenburg
Landkreis = Kreisfreie Stadt
Höhe = 32
Fläche = 228.80
Einwohner = 73475
pop_ref = [ [http://www.stadt-brb.de/stadt-brandenburg/index.php?id=2278] ]
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 14772–14778
Vorwahl = 03381
PLZ-alt = 1800
Kfz = BRB
Gemeindeschlüssel = 12 0 51 000
Adresse = Klosterstraße 14
14770 Brandenburg an der Havel
Website = [http://www.stadt-brandenburg.de/ www.stadt-brandenburg.de]
Bürgermeister = Dr. Dietlind Tiemann
Bürgermeistertitel = Oberbürgermeisterin
Partei = CDU

Brandenburg an der Havel is a town in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is located on the banks of the Havel river. Population: 74,129 (December 31, 2005).

Although the town of Brandenburg is less known than the state of Brandenburg, it provided the name for the medieval Bishopric of Brandenburg, the Margravate of Brandenburg, and the current state of Brandenburg. Today it is a small town compared to nearby Berlin, but once it was the origin of the realms of Brandenburg and Prussia.

History

The castle of Brandenburg, which had been a fortress of the Slavic tribe Stodoranie, 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 tree different towns (Oldtown Brandenburg, Newtown Brandenburg and Brandenburg cathedral district) for centuries.

In 1314 (resp. 1315) Oldtown and Newtown joined the Hanseatic League. In the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) the towns suffered plundering and destruction which led to a loss of power; Potsdam became the new capital, and the court left the town of Brandenburg. In 1715 Oldtown and Newtown were merged to form a single town. In 1928 it was added the Brandenburg cathedral district.

In the end of the 19th century Brandenburg an der Havel became a very important industrial center in the German Empire. Steel industries settled in Brandenburg an der Havel, different world famous bicycle brands like "Brennabor", "Corona" or "Excelsior" where manufactured in Brandenburg city. Also a world famous toy industry was established. With an giant industrial complex the Deutsche Reichsbahn (German Imperial Railways) was attendant in Brandenburg-Kirchmöser in the time between the two world wars and the time of the former GDR. As a great advantage did prove the excellent infrastructure: In Brandenburg an der Havel meet the Federal Highways 1 and 102, the Autobahn A2 is nearby, the river Havel and the canal Silokanal serve as European Waterways. The railroad connection between Berlin and Magdeburg leads through Brandenburg an der Havel.

The concentration camp, one of the first ones in Germany was located on Nikolaiplatz in Oldtown Brandenburg. After closing this inner city concentration camp, the Nazis used the prison Brandenburg-Görden, located in Görden, a suburb of Brandenburg, during the years of Nazi Germany. In the concentration camp on Nikolaiplatz the Nazis killed people and children with mental diseases. They called this action "T4" because of the Berlin address Tiergartenstraße 4, the headquarter of this planned and well-organized killing "Euthanasia"-action. Brandenburg an der Havel was one of the very first locations in the Third Reich, where the Nazis made experiments with killing their victims by gas. Here they prepared the mass killings in Auschwitz and other devastation camps. After complaints of inhabitants in the neighbourhood because of the smoke, when the Nazis burned the corpses of their victims on the compound of the concentration camp in mobile furnaces, they did stop burning the corpses in the city. A short time after this the Nazis closed the old prison.

Friedrich Fromm, a German officer involved in the July 20 plot to assassinate Hitler, was executed here in February 1945 for his part in the plot. This was despite the fact Fromm betrayed those conspirators he knew and ordered their execution.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall the population declined from over 100,000 in 1989 down to roughly 75,000 in 2005 through emigration. The migration mainly affects the young people and thus the future of the city is uncertain.

Population statistics

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Sights

The "Dominsel" (Cathedral Island) is the historic heart of the town. Here stands its oldest edifice: the "Dom St. Peter und Paul" (Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul). Although construction began in the Romanesque style in 1165, it was completed as a Gothic cathedral during the 14th century. While the exterior is rather austere, the cathedral surprises the visitor with its sumptuous interior, especially the painted vault of the "Bunte Kapelle" (Coloured Chapel)

The "Katharinenkirche" (St. Catherine's church) built in 1401 in the Neustadt is an impressive example of northern German brick Gothic architecture. The "Gotthardkirche" (St. Gotthard's church) was built of the same material just a few years later.

Another interesting building is the "Altstädtische Rathaus" (Old Town Hall), a late Gothic brick building with stepped gables and an ornate portal. In front of it stands a 5.35m high statue of the knight Roland. Made in sandstone, the statue was erected in 1474 as the sign of the town's independence.

There is also a part of Brandenburg's medieval city wall, with four preserved watchtowers: the "Steintorturm" and the "Mühlentorturm" (in Newtown), and the "Rathenower Torturm" and the "Plauer Torturm" (in Oldtown).

The "Brandenburg Industrial Museum" is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage.

Twin Towns

* Ivry-sur-Seine, France
* Kaiserslautern, Germany
* Magnitogorsk, Russia

See also

*Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

References

* [http://www.stadt-brandenburg.de/stadt-brandenburg/index.php?id=2278 Bevölkerungszahlen]

External links

*de icon [http://www.stadt-brandenburg.de/stadt-brandenburg/ Municipal website]
*de icon [http://www.dom-brandenburg.de/index_f1.html Cathedral of Brandenburg]
*de icon [http://speedmap.maerkischeallgemeine.de/MAZ/brandenburg/cgi-bin/perl/seite.pl City map]
*de icon [http://www.erlebnis-innenstadt.de/cms/ Inner City Brandenburg guide]
* [http://public-transport.net/bim/Brandenburg.htm Tramway in Brandenburg]