View source for Brandenburg

{{short description|State in Germany}}
{{about|the German state|the town|Brandenburg an der Havel|other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields in and descriptions -->| official_name      = State of Brandenburg
| native_name        = <small>{{native name|de|Land Brandenburg}}<br/>{{native name|nds|Land Brannenborg}}<br/>{{native name|dsb|Kraj Bramborska}}</small>
| native_name_lang   = 
| settlement_type    = [[States of Germany|State]]
| image_skyline      = 
| imagesize          = 270px
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = Flag of Brandenburg.svg
| flag_size          = 120px
| image_shield       = Brandenburg Wappen.svg
| shield_size        = 75px
| anthem             = {{lang|de|"Märkische Heide, märkischer Sand"|italics=no}} (Unofficial)<br />({{Langx|en|"[[Brandenburglied]]"}})<div style="display:inline-block;padding-top:0.4em;"></div>
| image_map          = {{maplink|frame=y|plain=yes|frame-align=center|zoom=5|type=shape<!--line-->|stroke-color=|stroke-width=2|frame-lat=51.1|frame-long=10.5|frame-width=250|frame-height=300}}
| mapsize            = 155px
| map_caption        = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|52|21|43|N|13|0|29|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = [[Germany]]
| seat_type          = Capital
| seat               = [[Potsdam]]
| governing_body     = [[Landtag of Brandenburg]]
| leader_party       = SPD
| leader_title       = [[Minister-President]]
| leader_name        = [[Dietmar Woidke]]
| leader_title1      = Governing parties
| leader_name1       = {{Polparty|Germany|SPD}} / [[Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance|BSW]]
| leader_title2      = [[Bundesrat of Germany|Bundesrat votes]]
| leader_name2       = 4 (of 69)
| leader_title3      = [[Bundestag|Bundestag seats]]
| leader_name3       = [[Results of the 2025 German federal election#Brandenburg|21 (of 630)]] <small>(as of 2025)</small>
| total_type         = Total
| area_footnotes     = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Fläche und Bevölkerung |url=https://www.statistikportal.de/de/bevoelkerung/flaeche-und-bevoelkerung |access-date=2025-06-18|website=Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder |language=de}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 29654.38
| elevation_m        = 
| population_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Bevölkerung am 31.12.2024 nach Nationalität und Bundesländern |url=https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Bevoelkerungsstand/Tabellen/bevoelkerung-nichtdeutsch-laender-basis-2022.html |access-date=8 July 2025|website=Statistisches Bundesamt |language=de}}</ref>
| population_total   = 2556747
| population_as_of   = 2024-12-31
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_urban   = 
| population_metro   = 
| population_demonym = 
| demographics_type1 = GDP
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |year=2025 |title=Gross domestic product, gross value added in the states of the Federal Republic of Germany 1991 to 2024 (Series 1 Volume 1) |url=https://www.statistikportal.de/sites/default/files/2025-04/vgrdl_r1b1_bs2024_2.xlsx |website=Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder |language=de}}</ref>
| demographics1_title1 = Total
| demographics1_info1 = €97.539 billion (2024)
| demographics1_title2 = Per capita
| demographics1_info2 = €37,774 (2024)
| timezone1          = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1        = +1
| timezone1_DST      = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = +2
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 
| area_code_type     = 
| area_code          = 
| registration_plate = formerly: BP<small> (1945–1947)</small>, SB (1948–1953)<ref>BP = Brandenburg Province, SB = Soviet Zone, Brandenburg. With the abolition of states in East Germany in 1952 vehicle registration followed the new Bezirk subdivisions. Since 1991 distinct prefixes are specified for each district.</ref>
| iso_code           = DE-BB
| blank_name_sec2    = [[First level NUTS of the European Union#Germany|NUTS Region]]
| blank_info_sec2    = DE4
| blank2_name_sec2   = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2022)
| blank2_info_sec2   = 0.926<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/table/shdi/DEU/ |title=Subnational HDI |website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=17 June 2025}}</ref><br />{{color|green|very high}} · [[List of German states by Human Development Index|14th of 16]]
| website            = [https://www.brandenburg.de/cms/detail.php/bb1.c.330014.de brandenburg.de]
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Brandenburg''', officially the '''State of Brandenburg''' (see [[#Names|Names]]), is a [[states of Germany|state]] in northeastern [[Germany]]. Brandenburg borders [[Poland]] and the states of [[Berlin]], [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]], [[Lower Saxony]], [[Saxony-Anhalt]], and [[Saxony]]. It is the [[List of German states by area|fifth-largest German state by area]] and the [[List of German states by population|tenth-most populous]], with 2.5 million residents. [[Potsdam]] is the state capital and largest city. Other major towns are [[Cottbus]], [[Brandenburg an der Havel]] and [[Frankfurt (Oder)]].

Brandenburg surrounds the national capital and city-state of [[Berlin]]. Together they form the [[Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deutsche-metropolregionen.org/metropolregion/berlin-brandenburg/|title=Berlin-Brandenburg &#124; IKM|date=31 August 2020}}</ref> the third-largest [[Metropolitan regions in Germany|metropolitan area in Germany]]. There was [[Fusion of Berlin and Brandenburg#1996 fusion attempt|an unsuccessful attempt to unify both states in 1996]], and the states still cooperate on many matters.

Brandenburg originated in the [[Northern March]] in the 900s AD, from areas conquered from the [[Wends]]. It later became the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]], a major principality of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. In the 15th century, it came under the rule of the [[House of Hohenzollern]], which later established [[Brandenburg-Prussia]], the core of the later [[Kingdom of Prussia]]. From 1815 to 1947, Brandenburg was a [[Province of Brandenburg|province]] of [[Prussia]].

Following the [[abolition of Prussia]] after [[World War II]], Brandenburg was established as [[State of Brandenburg (1947–1952)|a state]] by the [[Soviet Military Administration in Germany]]. In 1952, the [[German Democratic Republic]] dissolved the state and broke it up into multiple [[Administrative divisions of East Germany|regional districts]]. After [[German reunification]], Brandenburg was re-established in 1990 as one of the five [[New states of Germany|new states]] of the Federal Republic.

Southeastern Brandenburg contains part of the historical [[Lower Lusatia]], and most of these localities have two official languages, [[German language|German]] and [[Lower Sorbian language|Lower Sorbian]] (of the [[Sorbs|Sorbs/Wends]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Das sorbische Volk |url=https://www.politische-bildung-brandenburg.de/themen/das-sorbische-volk |website=Brandenburgische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung}}</ref>

==Names==
Brandenburg takes its name from [[Brandenburg an der Havel]]. The name's origin is unclear but it is thought to derive from the [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] {{lang|sla|branyi}} ('marshy/boggy')<ref name="Duden-Geo"/><ref name="Frinta"/> or [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] {{lang|gem|branda}} ('fire').<ref name="Duden-Geo">{{cite book |last1=Berger |first1=Dieter |title=Geographische Namen in Deutschland |date=1999 |publisher=[[Duden]] |isbn=978-3-411-06252-2 |page=68 |url=https://d-nb.info/955146836 |language=German}}</ref> Other theories have included [[West Slavic languages|West Slavic]] {{lang|zlw|branný bor}} ('defensive forest')<ref name="Frinta">{{cite journal |last1=Frinta |first1=Antonín |title=Brandenburg = Branibor? |journal=Listy filologické / Folia philologica |date=1961 |volume=84 |issue=1 |pages=44–49 |publisher=[[Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences]] |jstor=23463007 |language=Czech, Russian, German}}</ref> and {{lang|zle|brani-bor}} ('pine forest').<ref>{{cite book |last1=Benmohel |first1=N.L. |title=Epea Pteroenta: Conveying Revelations of the Past |date=1860 |publisher=University Press at Trinity College |location=Dublin |isbn=978-1-152-65321-4 |page=15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hYpDAAAAcAAJ}}</ref> {{wikt-lang|de|Burg}} in [[German language|German]] means 'castle'. In the extinct local language [[Polabian language|Polabian]], Brandenburg was {{lang|pox|Branibor}}.

In the modern local languages, ''Brandenburg'' and the ''State of Brandenburg'' are named:

* [[German language|German]]: {{lang|de|Brandenburg}} ({{IPA|de|ˈbʁandn̩bʊʁk||De-Brandenburg2.ogg}}) and {{lang|de|Land Brandenburg}}
* {{langx|nds|Brannenborg}} and {{langx|nds|Land Brannenborg|label=none}}
* {{langx|dsb|Bramborska}} {{IPA|dsb|ˈbrambɔrska|}} and {{lang|dsb|Kraj Bramborska}}

==History==
{{History of Brandenburg and Prussia}}
In late medieval and early modern times, Brandenburg was, with varying borders, one of seven [[prince-elector|electoral states]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], and, along with [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], formed the original core of the [[German Empire]], the first unified German state. Governed by the [[House of Hohenzollern|Hohenzollern dynasty]] from 1415, it contained the future German capital Berlin. After 1618 the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]] and the [[Duchy of Prussia]] were combined to form [[Brandenburg-Prussia]], which was ruled by the same branch of the [[House of Hohenzollern]]. In 1701 the state was elevated as the [[Kingdom of Prussia]]. Franconian [[Nuremberg]] and [[Ansbach]], Swabian [[Burg Hohenzollern|Hohenzollern]], the eastern European connections of Berlin, and the status of Brandenburg's ruler as [[prince-elector]] together were instrumental in the rise of that state.

===Early Middle Ages===
{{Main|Northern March}}
Brandenburg is situated in territory known in antiquity as [[Magna Germania]], which reached to the Vistula river. By the 7th century, [[Slavic people]] are believed to have settled in the Brandenburg area. The Slavs expanded from the east, possibly driven from their homelands in present-day Ukraine and perhaps Belarus by the invasions of the [[Huns]] and [[Pannonian Avars|Avars]]. They relied heavily on river transport. The two principal Slavic groups in the present-day area of Brandenburg were the [[Hevelli]] in the west and the [[Sprevane]] in the east.

Beginning in the early 10th century, [[Henry the Fowler]] and his successors conquered territory up to the [[Oder River]]. Slavic settlements such as Brenna<ref>{{Cite book|last=Barford|first=Paul M.|title=The Early Slavs: Culture and Society in Early Medieval Eastern Europe|publisher=Cornell University Press|location=Ithaca|year=2001|page=421|isbn=0-8014-3977-9}}</ref> ([[Brandenburg an der Havel]]), Budusin<ref>{{Cite book|last=Institut für Sorbische Volksforschung in Bautzen|title=Lětopis Instituta za serbski ludospyt|publisher=Domowina|location=Bautzen|year=1962}}</ref> ([[Bautzen]]), and Chośebuz<ref>{{Cite book|last=Room|first=Adrian|title=Placenames of the World|publisher=McFarland & Company|location=Jefferson|year=2006|page=433|isbn=0-7864-2248-3}}</ref> ([[Cottbus]]) came under [[Holy Roman Empire|imperial]] control through the installation of margraves. Their main function was to defend and protect the eastern [[marches]]. In 948, Emperor [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto I]] established margraves to exert imperial control over the pagan Slavs west of the Oder River. Otto founded the Bishoprics of [[Diocese of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]] and [[Bishopric of Havelberg|Havelberg]]. The [[Northern March]] was founded as a northeastern border territory of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. However, a great uprising of [[Wends]] drove imperial forces from the territory of present-day Brandenburg in 983. The region returned to the control of Slavic leaders. The eastern parts of current Brandenburg, i.e. the [[Lubusz Land]] and [[Lower Lusatia]], became part of Poland in the 10th-11th centuries.

===Late Middle Ages===
{{Main|Margraviate of Brandenburg}}

[[File:Bad Belzig asv2022-07 img13 Burg Eisenhardt.jpg|thumb|left|Eisenhardt Castle in [[Bad Belzig]]]]
In the early 12th century, the Slavic [[Duchy of Kopanica]] was established in the central part of present-day Brandenburg, whereas the [[Lubusz Land]] in the east remained part of medieval Poland. During the 12th century, the German kings and emperors re-established control over the Slav-inhabited lands of present-day Brandenburg, excluding Polish-controlled Lubusz Land, although some Slavs like the [[Sorbs]] in [[Lusatia]] adapted to [[Germanization]] while retaining their distinctiveness. The Roman Catholic Church brought [[bishoprics]] which, with their walled towns, afforded protection from attacks for the townspeople. With the monks and bishops, the history of the town of [[Brandenburg (town)|Brandenburg an der Havel]], which was the first center of the state of Brandenburg, began.

In 1134, in the wake of a German [[Northern Crusade|crusade]] against the [[Wends]], the German magnate, [[Albert the Bear]], was granted the [[Northern March]] by the Emperor [[Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor|Lothar III]]. He formally inherited the town of Brandenburg and the lands of the Hevelli from their last Wendish ruler, [[Pribislav of Brandenburg|Pribislav]], in 1150. After crushing a force of Sprevane who occupied the town of Brandenburg in the 1150s, Albert proclaimed himself ruler of the new [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]]. Albert, and his descendants the [[House of Ascania|Ascanians]], then made considerable progress in conquering, colonizing, Christianizing, and cultivating lands as far east as the Oder. Within this region, Slavic and German residents intermarried. During the 13th century, the Ascanians began acquiring and seizing territory around and east of the Oder from Poland ([[Lubusz Land]] and north-western [[Duchy of Greater Poland|Greater Poland]]), later known as the [[Neumark]], in contrast to the [[Altmark]], the cradle of the March of Brandenburg.

In 1320, the Brandenburg Ascanian line came to an end, and from 1323 up until 1415 Brandenburg was under the control of the [[Wittelsbach]]s of [[Bavaria]], followed by the [[House of Luxembourg|Luxembourg]] Dynasties. Under the Luxembourgs, the [[Margrave of Brandenburg]] gained the status of a [[prince-elector]] of the Holy Roman Empire. In the period 1373–1415, Brandenburg was a part of the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemian Crown]]. In 1415, the Electorate of Brandenburg was granted by Emperor [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund]] to the [[House of Hohenzollern]], which would rule until the end of World War I. The Hohenzollerns established their capital in Berlin, by then the economic center of Brandenburg.

===16th and 17th centuries===
{{Main|Brandenburg-Prussia}}
[[File:Schlacht bei Fehrbellin2.JPG|thumb|Brandenburg's victory over Swedish forces at the [[Battle of Fehrbellin]] in 1675]]
Brandenburg converted to Protestantism in 1539 in the wake of the [[Protestant Reformation]], and generally did quite well in the 16th century, with the expansion of trade along the Elbe, Havel, and Spree rivers. The Hohenzollerns expanded their territory by co-rulership since 1577 and acquiring the [[Duchy of Prussia]] in 1618, the [[Duchy of Cleves]] (1614) in the [[Rhineland]], and territories in [[Westphalia]]. The result was a sprawling, disconnected country known as [[Brandenburg-Prussia]] that was in poor shape to defend itself during the [[Thirty Years' War]].

Beginning near the end of that devastating conflict, however, Brandenburg enjoyed a string of talented rulers who expanded their territory and power in Europe. The first of these was [[Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick William]], the so-called "Great Elector", who worked tirelessly to rebuild and consolidate the nation. He moved the royal residence to [[Potsdam]]. At the [[Peace of Westphalia]], his envoy [[Joachim Friedrich von Blumenthal]] negotiated the acquisition of several important territories such as [[Halberstadt]]. Under the [[Treaty of Oliva]] Christoph Caspar [[von Blumenthal]] (son of the above) negotiated the incorporation of the [[Duchy of Prussia]] into the Hohenzollern inheritance.

===Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire===
{{Main|Kingdom of Prussia|Province of Brandenburg}}
[[File:P1190390 Potsdam sans souci rwk.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Sanssouci|Sanssouci Palace]] in [[Potsdam]], the former summer palace of [[Frederick the Great]], is today a [[World Heritage Site]].]]
When Frederick William died in 1688, he was followed by his son [[Frederick I of Prussia|Frederick]], third of that name in Brandenburg. As the lands that had been acquired in Prussia were outside the boundaries of the Holy Roman Empire, Frederick assumed (as Frederick I) the title of "[[King in Prussia]]" (1701). Although his self-promotion from margrave to king relied on his title to the Duchy of Prussia, Brandenburg was still the most important portion of the kingdom. However, this combined state is known as the [[Kingdom of Prussia]].

[[File:Brandenburg superimposed on modern borders.svg|thumb|200px|The [[Province of Brandenburg]], as superimposed on modern borders]]
Brandenburg remained the core of the Kingdom of Prussia, and it was the site of the kingdom's capitals, Berlin and Potsdam. When Prussia was subdivided into provinces in 1815, the territory of the Margraviate of Brandenburg became the [[Province of Brandenburg]], again subdivided into the [[Regierungsbezirk Frankfurt|government region of Frankfurt]] and Potsdam. It also included [[Lower Lusatia]], previously ruled at various times by Poland, [[Bohemian Crown|Bohemia]], [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungary]] and [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]]. In 1881, the City of Berlin was separated from the province of Brandenburg.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Berlin |display=Berlin § ''Government Administration and Politics'' |volume=3 |page=778}}</ref> However, industrial towns ringing Berlin lay within Brandenburg, and the growth of the region's industrial economy brought an increase in the population of the province. The Province of Brandenburg had an area of 38,274 km<sup>2</sup> and a population of 3,023,443 (1939).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistisches Jahrbuch für das Deutsche Reich 1939/40 |url=https://www.digizeitschriften.de/id/514401303_1939%7Clog10?tify=%7B%22pages%22%3A%5B58%5D%2C%22view%22%3A%22info%22%7D}}</ref>

Under the [[Nazi government]] and during [[World War II]], repressions of [[Polish people|Poles]], especially autochthones in the eastern part of the province, intensified with [[Expulsion of Poles by Germany|expulsions of Poles]], censorship of Polish newspapers, invigilation, arrests and [[assassination]]s of Polish leaders, activists, teachers, entrepreneurs, editors, etc., deportations to [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camps]] and closure of Polish organizations, enterprises, schools and libraries.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Cygański|first=Mirosław|year=1984|title=Hitlerowskie prześladowania przywódców i aktywu Związków Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1939-1945|journal=Przegląd Zachodni|language=pl|issue=4|pages=45–46, 49–51, 53–54}}</ref>{{quote needed|date=November 2025}} The [[Sachsenhausen concentration camp]] with a network of [[List of subcamps of Sachsenhausen|subcamps]] was located in Brandenburg, and several [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|prisoner-of-war camps]], including [[Stalag III-A]], Stalag III-B, [[Stalag III-C]], [[Stalag III-D]], [[Oflag II-A]], Oflag III-A, Oflag III-B, [[Oflag III-C]], Oflag 8 and Oflag 80 for Polish, Belgian, British, Dutch, [[French prisoners of war in World War II|French]], Serbian, [[Italian Military Internees|Italian]], American, Czechoslovak, Soviet, Romanian, Greek, Bulgarian and other [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] POWs with numerous [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] subcamps.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Megargee|first1=Geoffrey P.|last2=Overmans|first2=Rüdiger|last3=Vogt|first3=Wolfgang|year=2022|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|pages=211–212, 226, 229, 234–235, 402–410|isbn=978-0-253-06089-1}}</ref> In early 1945, the [[Death marches during the Holocaust|death marches]] of prisoners of various nationalities from various dissolved camps passed through the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://poszukiwania.ipn.gov.pl/bbp/aktualnosci/13596,Swiecko-Lager-Schwetig-Odnaleziono-szczatki-21-osob.html|title=Świecko (Lager Schwetig): Odnaleziono szczątki 21 osób|website=Instytut Pamięci Narodowej|access-date=23 June 2024|language=pl}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://zabikowo.eu/ewakuacja-piesza|title=Ewakuacja piesza|website=Muzeum Martyrologiczne w Żabikowie|date=29 January 2023 |access-date=23 June 2024|language=pl}}</ref> In the final stages of the war, it was the place of heavy fights, including the [[Battle of the Seelow Heights]] and [[Battle of Berlin]], won by the Allied Soviet and Polish armies. After Germany's defeat, the territories of Brandenburg located east of the Oder–Neisse line were placed under Polish administration, pending a final peace settlement. The entire population of former East Brandenburg was [[Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II|expelled en masse]]. The remainder of the province became a state in the [[Soviet occupation zone|Soviet Zone of occupation in Germany]] when Prussia was dissolved in 1947.

===East Germany ===
[[File:Glienicke Bridge GB23840.jpg|thumb|[[Glienicke Bridge]], which connected East Germany to the American sector of West Berlin, became known for the exchange of captured spies.]]
After the foundation of [[East Germany]] in 1949, Brandenburg formed one of its component states. The State of Brandenburg was completely dissolved in 1952 by the [[Council of Ministers of the GDR|Socialist government of East Germany]], doing away with all component states. The East German government then divided Brandenburg among several ''Bezirke'' or districts. (See [[Administrative division of the German Democratic Republic]]). Most of Brandenburg lay within the [[Cottbus (Bezirk)|Bezirke of Cottbus]], [[Frankfurt (Bezirk)|Frankfurt]], or [[Potsdam (Bezirk)|Potsdam]], but parts of the former province passed to the [[Schwerin (Bezirk)|Schwerin]], [[Neubrandenburg (Bezirk)|Neubrandenburg]] and [[Magdeburg (Bezirk)|Magdeburg districts]] (town [[Havelberg]]). East Germany relied heavily on [[lignite]] (the lowest grade of coal) as an energy source, and lignite strip mines marred areas of south-eastern Brandenburg. The industrial towns surrounding Berlin were important to the East German economy, while rural Brandenburg remained mainly agricultural.

===Federal Republic of Germany===
The present State of Brandenburg was re-established on 3 October 1990 upon [[German reunification]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Ländereinführungsgesetz (1990)|url=http://www.verfassungen.de/de/ddr/ddr90-laeeinf.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040529223646/http://www.verfassungen.de/de/ddr/ddr90-laeeinf.htm|archive-date=29 May 2004|language=de}}</ref> The newly elected Landtag of Brandenburg first met on 26 October 1990.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brandenburg-geburtstag.de/aktuell/historischer-kalender/ |title=Historischer Kalender - 20 Jahre Land Brandenburg |access-date=26 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411062741/http://www.brandenburg-geburtstag.de/aktuell/historischer-kalender/ |archive-date=11 April 2010}}</ref> As in other former parts of East Germany, the lack of modern infrastructure and exposure to West Germany's competitive market economy brought widespread unemployment and economic difficulty in the 1990s and early 2000s.

====Berlin-Brandenburg fusion attempt====
{{Main|Fusion of Berlin and Brandenburg}}

[[File:DEU Berlin-Brandenburg COA.svg|thumb|upright|The coat of arms proposed in the interstate treaty]]
The legal basis for a combined state of [[Berlin]] and Brandenburg is different from other state fusion proposals. Normally, Article 29 of the [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany|Basic Law]] stipulates that states may only merge after a specific federal Act of Parliament is enacted.<ref>{{cite act |type= |index= |date=24 May 1949 |article=29 |article-type=Article |legislature=Parlamentarischer Rat |title=Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland |trans-title=Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany |page= |url=https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_29.html |language=de}}</ref> However, a clause added to the Basic Law in 1994, Article 118a, allows Berlin and Brandenburg to unify without federal approval, requiring a referendum and a ratification by both state parliaments.<ref>{{cite act |type= |index= |date=27 October 1994 |article=118a |article-type=Einzelnorm |legislature=Bundestag |title=Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland |trans-title=Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany |page= |url=https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_118a.html |language= de}}</ref>

In 1996, an attempt of unifying the states of Berlin and Brandenburg was rejected at referendum.<ref name="berlingeschichte">{{Cite web|title=LÄNDERFUSION / FUSIONSVERTRAG (1995) |url=https://berlingeschichte.de/stadtentwicklung/texte/5_33_laefuver.htm |year=2004 |access-date=31 March 2022}}</ref> Both share a common history, dialect and culture and in 2020, over 225,000 residents of Brandenburg commute to Berlin. The fusion had the near-unanimous support by a broad coalition of both state governments, political parties, media, business associations, trade unions and churches.<ref>{{cite news|date=4 May 2016|title=Die Brandenburger wollen keine Berliner Verhältnisse|url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/gescheiterte-laenderfusion-mit-berlin-die-brandenburger-wollen-keine-berliner-verhaeltnisse/13539146.html|access-date=30 March 2022|work=Tagesspiegel|language=de}}</ref> Though Berlin voted in favor by a small margin, largely based on support in former [[West Berlin]], Brandenburg voters disapproved of the fusion by a large margin.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Barry|first=Colleen|date=May 6, 1996|title=Eastern Voters Block Merger With Berlin|work=AP News|url=https://apnews.com/article/6e403a3a4504b85ddcaad1153da87375|access-date=January 4, 2022}}</ref> It failed largely due to Brandenburg voters not wanting to take on Berlin's large and growing public debt and fearing losing identity and influence to the capital.<ref name="berlingeschichte" />

==Geography==
{{See also|Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region|List of cities in Brandenburg by population}}
Brandenburg is bordered by [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]] in the north, [[Poland]] in the east, the [[Free State of Saxony|Freistaat Sachsen]] in the south, [[Saxony-Anhalt]] in the west, and [[Lower Saxony]] in the northwest.

The [[Oder river]] forms a part of the eastern border, the [[Elbe|Elbe river]] a portion of the western border. The main rivers in the state itself are the [[Spree (river)|Spree]] and the [[Havel]]. In the southeast, there is a wetlands region called the [[Spreewald]]; it is the northernmost part of [[Lusatia]].
{{Further|Mathiasberg}}

===Protected areas===
Brandenburg is known for its well-preserved natural environment and its ambitious natural protection policies which began in the 1990s. 15 large protected areas were designated following [[German reunification|Germany's reunification]]. Each of them is provided with state-financed administration and a park ranger staff, who guide visitors and work to ensure nature conservation. Most protected areas have visitor centers.
{{Further|Tree-top walk Beelitz-Heilstätten}}

'''National parks'''
*[[Lower Oder Valley National Park]] (106&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>)

'''Biosphere reserves'''
[[File:Spreewald 4.jpg|thumb|The [[Spreewald]], a [[biosphere reserve]] by [[UNESCO]]]]
*[[Spreewald]] Biosphere Reserve ({{convert|474|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}})
*[[Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve]] ({{convert|1291|km2|sqmi|2|abbr=on|disp=or}})
*River Landscape Elbe-Brandenburg Biosphere Reserve ({{convert|533|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}})

'''Nature parks'''
* [[Barnim Nature Park]] ({{convert|750|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}})
* [[Dahme-Heideseen Nature Park]] ({{convert|594|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}})
* [[High Fläming Nature Park]] ({{convert|827|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}})
* [[Märkische Schweiz Nature Park]] ({{convert|204|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}})
* [[Niederlausitzer Heidelandschaft]] Nature Park ({{convert|490|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}})
* [[Niederlausitzer Landrücken Nature Park]] ({{convert|580|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}})
* [[Nuthe-Nieplitz Nature Park]] ({{convert|623|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}})
* [[Schlaube Valley Nature Parke]] ({{convert|225|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}})
* [[Uckermark Lakes Nature Park]] ({{convert|895|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}})
* [[Westhavelland Nature Park]] ({{convert|1315|km2|sqmi|2|abbr=on|disp=or}})
* [[Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park]] ({{convert|1080|km2|sqmi|2|abbr=on|disp=or}})

== Demographics ==
{{Expand section|date=May 2020}}
Brandenburg has the [[List of German states by population density|second lowest population density]] among the German states, after Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
[[File:Metropolregion Berlin-Brandenburg Einwohnerdichte.svg|thumb|Population density in Berlin-Brandenburg in 2015|right]]

===Development===
[[File:Bevölkerungsentwicklung Land Brandenburg.pdf|thumb|left|Development of Brandenburg's population from 1875 within current borders]]

{{historical populations
|align=none | cols=2 |title = Land Brandenburg: Population development <br />within the current boundaries (2020)<ref>Detailed data sources are to be found in the Wikimedia Commons.[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Population_projection_Brandenburg Population Projection Brandenburg at Wikimedia Commons]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Germany: States and Major Cities |url=https://citypopulation.de/en/germany/cities/ |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=citypopulation.de}}</ref>
| 1875 | 1444441
| 1890 | 1578138
| 1910 | 1879375
| 1925 | 2048866
| 1939 | 2433881
| 1950 | 2746002
| 1964 | 2620071
| 1971 | 2667096
| 1981 | 2667052
| 1990 | 2602404
| 2000 | 2589504
| 2011 | 2455780
| 2022 | 2534075
| 2024 | 2556747
}}

===Religion===
{{bar box
|title=Religion in Brandenburg – 2011
|left1=religion
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|Other|SlateGray|79.8}}
{{bar percent|Registered [[Protestant Church in Germany|EKD Protestants]]|DodgerBlue|17.1}}
{{bar percent|Registered [[Roman Catholicism|Roman Catholics]]|DarkOrchid|3.1}}
}}

17.1% of the Brandenburgers are registered members of the local, regional [[Protestant Church in Germany|Protestant church]] (mostly the [[Evangelical Church in Berlin, Brandenburg and Silesian Upper Lusatia]]), while 3.1% are registered with the [[Roman Catholic Church]] (mostly the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Berlin|Archdiocese of Berlin]], and a minority in the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Görlitz|Diocese of Görlitz]]).<ref name="Jahrbuch">[http://www.statistik-berlin-brandenburg.de/produkte/KleineStatistik/AP_KleineStatistik_DE_2011_BB.pdf ''Die kleine Brandenburg–Statistik 2011'']. Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120824033640/http://www.statistik-berlin-brandenburg.de/produkte/KleineStatistik/AP_KleineStatistik_DE_2011_BB.pdf |date=24 August 2012 }}</ref> The majority (79.8%)<ref name="Jahrbuch"/> of Brandenburgers, whether of Christian or other beliefs, choose not to register with the government as members of these churches, and therefore do not pay the [[church tax]].

===Foreign population===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Significant foreign citizens populations<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150403105316/https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/Bevoelkerung/MigrationIntegration/AuslaendBevoelkerung2010200147004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile] 31 December 2014 German Statistical Office. [https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/Bevoelkerung/MigrationIntegration/AuslaendBevoelkerung.html ''Zensus 2014: Bevölkerung am 31. Dezember 2014'']</ref>
|-
! Nationality || Population (31.12.2023)
|-
| {{flag|Ukraine}} || 35,685
|-
| {{flag|Poland}} || 29,460
|-
| {{flag|Syria|revolution}} || 22,320
|-
| {{flag|Russia}} || 12,100
|-
| {{flag|Afghanistan}} || 12,070
|-
| {{flag|Romania}} || 8,945
|-
| {{flag|Turkey}} || 6,420
|-
| {{flag|Vietnam}} || 4,215
|-
| {{flag|Bulgaria}} || 3,815
|-
| {{flag|India}} || 3,695
|-
|}

==Politics ==
{{See also||List of rulers of Brandenburg}}
Politically, Brandenburg is a stronghold of the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]], which won the largest share of the vote and seats in every state election. All three [[List of Minister-Presidents of Brandenburg|Minister-Presidents of Brandenburg]] have come from the Social Democratic Party (unlike any other state except [[Bremen (state)|Bremen]]) and they even won an absolute majority of seats and every single-member constituency in the [[1994 Brandenburg state election|1994 state election]].

On a federal level, the Social Democratic Party has also been the strongest party in most [[Elections in Germany#German elections since 1949|federal elections]], their strongholds being the [[Prignitz – Ostprignitz-Ruppin – Havelland I|northwestern part of the state]] and [[Potsdam – Potsdam-Mittelmark II – Teltow-Fläming II|Potsdam and its surrounding areas]]. However, the [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] won the most votes in [[1990 German federal election|1990]], their [[2013 German federal election|2013 landslide]] and in [[2017 German federal election|2017]]. In [[2009 German federal election|2009]], [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] won the most votes in a year where, like in 2017, the social democrats collapsed. Prominent politicians from Brandenburg include Social Democrats [[Frank-Walter Steinmeier]], who served in the [[Bundestag]] for Brandenburg before being elected [[President of Germany]], and [[Chancellor of Germany]] [[Olaf Scholz]], who sits in the Bundestag for [[Potsdam – Potsdam-Mittelmark II – Teltow-Fläming II|Potsdam]].

Like in all other [[New states of Germany]], the leftist party of [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] and, more recently, the far-right [[Alternative for Germany]] are especially strong in Brandenburg.

Brandenburg has 4 out of 69 votes in the [[German Bundesrat|Bundesrat]] and, as of 2021, 25 seats out of 736 in the [[Bundestag]].

===Subdivisions===

Brandenburg is divided into 14 rural districts (''Landkreise'') and four urban districts (''kreisfreie Städte''), shown with their population in 2011:<ref>{{Cite web|title=Amt für Statistik Berlin Brandenburg – Statistiken|url=https://www.statistik-berlin-brandenburg.de/Statistiken/inhalt-statistiken.asp|access-date=24 April 2015|website=www.statistik-berlin-brandenburg.de|language=de|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308125331/https://www.statistik-berlin-brandenburg.de/Statistiken/inhalt-statistiken.asp}}</ref>

[[File:Brandenburg, administrative divisions - de - colored.svg|thumb|400px|Administrative divisions of Brandenburg]]
{| class="sortable wikitable"
!District
!Population
|-
|[[File:DEU Landkreis Barnim COA.svg|20px]] [[Barnim]]
|align="right"|176,953
|-
|[[File:Wappen Landkreis Dahme-Spreewald.svg|20px]] [[Dahme-Spreewald]]
|align="right"|161,556
|-
|[[File:Wappen des Landkreises Elbe-Elster.svg|20px]] [[Elbe-Elster]]
|align="right"|110,291
|-
|[[File:DEU Havelland COA.svg|20px]] [[Havelland (district)|Havelland]]
|align="right"|155,226
|-
|[[File:DEU Maerkisch-Oderland COA.svg|20px]] [[Märkisch-Oderland]]
|align="right"|189,673
|-
|[[File:DEU_Oberhavel_COA.svg|20px]] [[Oberhavel]]
|align="right"|203,508
|-
|[[File:Wappen des Landkreises Oberspreewald-Lausitz.svg|20px]] [[Oberspreewald-Lausitz]]
|align="right"|120,023
|-
|[[File:Wappen Landkreis Oder-Spree.svg|20px]] [[Oder-Spree]]
|align="right"|182,798
|-
|[[File:Wappen des Landkreises Ostprignitz-Ruppin.svg|20px]] [[Ostprignitz-Ruppin]]
|align="right"|102,108
|-
|[[File:Wappen Landkreis Potsdam-Mittelmark.png|20px]] [[Potsdam-Mittelmark]]
|align="right"|205,678
|-
|[[File:Wappen des Landkreises Prignitz.svg|20px]] [[Prignitz]]
|align="right"|80,872
|-
|[[File:DEU Landkreis Spree-Neisse COA.svg|20px]] [[Spree-Neiße]]
|align="right"|124,662
|-
|[[File:Wappen des Landkreises Teltow-Fläming.svg|20px]] [[Teltow-Fläming]]
|align="right"|161,546
|-
|[[File:DEU Landkreis Uckermark COA.svg|20px]] [[Uckermark (district)|Uckermark]]
|align="right"|128,174
|-
|[[File:DEU Brandenburg an der Havel COA.svg|20px]] Stadt [[Brandenburg an der Havel]]
|align="right"|71,534
|-
|[[File:DEU Cottbus COA.svg|20px]] Stadt [[Cottbus]]
|align="right"|102,129
|-
|[[File:DEU Frankfurt (Oder) COA.svg|20px]] Stadt [[Frankfurt (Oder)]]
|align="right"|60,002
|-
|[[File:Coat of arms of Potsdam.svg|20px]] Stadt [[Potsdam]]
|align="right"|158,902
|}

=== Government===
{{Main|List of minister-presidents of Brandenburg|Landtag of Brandenburg}}

{{Further|Land Brandenburg Commissioner for the Study of the Repercussions of the Communist Dictatorship}}

====Election of 2024====
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ Election 2024<ref name="w562">{{cite web | last=Brandenburg | first=Redaktion des Landtages | title=Plenarsitzordnung | website=Landtag Brandenburg | date=2024-10-14 | url=https://www.landtag.brandenburg.de/de/abgeordnete_-_fraktionen/abgeordnete/plenarsitzordnung/25228 | language=de | access-date=2024-12-13}}</ref>
|-
! Party !! Seats !! +/- !! In Majority?
|-
| {{Color box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|border=silver}} [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]] || 32 || +7 {{increase}} || government
|-
| {{Color box|{{party color|Alternative for Germany}}|border=silver}} [[Alternative for Germany|AfD]] || 30 || +7{{increase}} || opposition
|-
| {{Color box|{{party color|Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht}}|border=silver}} [[Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht|BSW]] || 14 || New || government
|-
| {{Color box|{{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}|border=silver}} [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]] || 12 || -3 {{decrease}} || opposition
|-
| Total ||88
|}
The [[2024 Brandenburg state election]] took place on 22 September. One important outcome of the election was that the number of parties with representation in the [[Landtag of Brandenburg|state parliament]] went from six to four. The Greens, the Left, and the Brandenburg United Civic Movements/Free Voters all lost their representation while a new party, the [[Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance]] (BSW), gained 14 votes. The BSW was formed on 8 January 2024, mostly by members who had broken away from the Left. While it shares the Left's economic outlook, it is more closely aligned with stances traditionally held by the right on certain issues. For example, the BSW is broadly anti-immigration and anti-Nato, and has been accused of having [[Russophile]] tendencies, partially based on their desire for the war in [[Ukraine]] to be ended by diplomacy.<ref name="h006">{{cite web | last=Adler | first=Nils | title=Not just AfD: What’s the BSW, Germany’s rising populist left party? | website=Al Jazeera | date=2024-09-25 | url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/25/not-just-afd-whats-the-bsw-germanys-rising-new-populist-left-party | access-date=2024-12-13}}</ref>

Other German parties have generally been unwilling to work with the AfD and that trend continued with the formation of the new government based on this election. Assuming that the AfD would be in the opposition, the only two options that the SPD, with the plurality of seats, had to obtain a majority were to work with the BSW as well as the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) or to just work with the BSW. Ultimately, the latter option was chosen and a majority of 46 out of 88 seats was obtained.<ref name="w562"/>

While this should have been enough votes to reelect Woidke as the Minister-President, he lost the first vote, having only 43 supporters in the secret ballot. While there were only 40 votes against him (there were two abstentions and two votes that were invalid), an absolute majority, 45 votes, was required to win the first round. On 11 December, in the second round of voting, all that was needed was for Woidke to receive more votes in his favor than there were in opposition, and he won in this round with 50 votes.<ref name="s277">{{cite web | title=Woidke als Ministerpräsident in Brandenburg wiedergewählt | website=tagesschau.de | date=2024-12-11 | url=https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/brandenburg-woidke-106.html | language=de | access-date=2024-12-13}}</ref> This meant that at least 4 members of the opposition, whether from the AfD, the CDU, or a combination of the two, had voted with the coalition government to reelect Woidke. The CDU accused the SPD of receiving help from the AfD, but it is impossible to know because the ballot was secret. The government in Brandenburg has been led by the SPD since 1990.<ref name="e857">{{cite web | title=Brandenburg: Dietmar Woidke im zweiten Wahlgang zum Brandenburger Ministerpräsidenten gewählt | website=tagesschau.de | date=2024-12-11 | url=https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/brandenburg/rbb-woidke-stellt-sich-im-landtag-erneut-als-ministerpraesident-zur-wahl-100.html | language=de | access-date=2024-12-13}}</ref>

====Election of 2019====
[[File:Potsdam Stadtschloss 07-2017.jpg|thumb|The [[Landtag of Brandenburg|Brandenburg parliament]] building (Landtag) in Potsdam, the seat of the parliament is the reconstructed [[City Palace, Potsdam|Potsdam City Palace]]]]
[[File:Dietmar Woidke M-0212 36139 Ausschnitt Color Hoffotografen.jpg|thumb|Dietmar Woidke, current Minister-President of Brandenburg]]
{{Main|2019 Brandenburg state election}}

The 2019 elections took place on 1 September. A coalition government was formed by the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democrats]], [[Alliance 90/The Greens|The Greens]], and the [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] led by incumbent Minister-President [[Dietmar Woidke]] (SPD), replacing the previous coalition between the Social Democrats and [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=SPIEGEL|first=DER|title=Dietmar Woidke in Brandenburg als Ministerpräsident wiedergewählt – DER SPIEGEL – Politik|url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/brandenburg-dietmar-woidke-von-kenia-koalition-zum-ministerpraesidenten-gewaehlt-a-1297353.html|access-date=11 January 2021|newspaper=Der Spiegel|date=20 November 2019|language=de}}</ref> 
{{#section-h:2019 Brandenburg state election|Results}}

==Economy==
[[File:Tesla Gigafactory 4 DJI 20230728123435.JPG|thumb|[[Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg]]]]
The [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) of the state was 72.9 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 2.2% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 26,700 euros or 88% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 91% of the EU average. The GDP per capita was the third lowest of all states in Germany.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58 |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018|website=Eurostat}}</ref>

The unemployment rate stood at 6.1% in 2024 and was higher than the German average but lower than the average of Eastern Germany.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www-genesis.destatis.de/datenbank/online/statistic/13211/table/13211-0007|title=Arbeitslose, Arbeitslosenquoten, Gemeldete Arbeitsstellen: Bundesländer, Jahre {{!}} Statista|website=Statista|language=de|access-date=8 July 2025}}</ref>

The industrial sector in Brandenburg is mainly characterized by small and medium‑sized enterprises.<ref name="mwaek">{{Cite web |title=Industriestandort Brandenburg |url=https://mwaek.brandenburg.de/de/industriestandort-brandenburg/bb1.c.478812.de |website=Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Arbeit, Energie und Klimaschutz des Landes Brandenburg |access-date=2025-11-02 |language=de}}</ref> Its economy is centered on a diverse range of sectors, including metal production and processing, mechanical engineering, the plastics and chemical industries, food production, optics, photonics, vehicle manufacturing and logistics.<ref name="mwaek"/>

Tesla [[Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg]] is located in Brandenburg.

==Transport==
[[File:Berlin Brandenburg Airport Terminal 1.jpg|thumb|[[Berlin Brandenburg Airport]]]]
[[Berlin Schönefeld Airport]] (IATA code: SXF) was the largest airport in Brandenburg. It was the second largest [[international airport]] of the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region and was located {{convert|18|km|abbr=on}} southeast of central [[Berlin]] in [[Schönefeld]]. The airport was a base for [[Condor Flugdienst|Condor]], [[easyJet]] and [[Ryanair]]. In 2016, Schönefeld handled 11,652,922 passengers (an increase of 36.7%).

Schönefeld's existing infrastructure and terminals were incorporated into the new [[Berlin Brandenburg Airport]] (BER),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.berlin-airport.de/EN/BBI/FlughafenDerZukunft/Aus3Mach1/zukunftschoenefeld.html |title=The future lies in Schoenefeld |publisher=Berlin-airport.de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110502150350/http://www.berlin-airport.de/EN/BBI/FlughafenDerZukunft/Aus3Mach1/zukunftschoenefeld.html |archive-date=2 May 2011}}</ref> which opened in 2020.<ref>[https://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article171642256/Der-BER-bleibt-noch-drei-Jahre-ein-Geisterflughafen.html "The BER will remain ghost-airport until 2020"], welt.de, 15. December 2017</ref> Berlin Brandenburg Airport had an initial capacity of 35–40 million passengers a year. Due to increasing air traffic in Berlin and Brandenburg, plans for airport expansions were in the making.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport receives over sixty combined passenger, charter and cargo airlines.

==Education and research==

===Higher education===
[[File:Potsdam Sanssouci 07-2017 img3.jpg|thumb|[[University of Potsdam]]|right]]
In 2016, around 49,000 students were enrolled in Brandenburg universities and higher education facilities.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dateien|url=https://www.statistischebibliothek.de/mir/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/BBHeft_derivate_00013085|access-date=6 March 2021|website=www.statistischebibliothek.de}}</ref> The largest institution is the [[University of Potsdam]], located southwest of [[Berlin]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article209248369/Statistikamt-Berlin-Brandenburg-feiert-zehnten-Geburtstag.html|title=Brandenburg auf dem Sprung zu 2,5 Millionen-Einwohner-Marke|access-date=12 January 2017|archive-date=13 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113140209/http://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article209248369/Statistikamt-Berlin-Brandenburg-feiert-zehnten-Geburtstag.html}}</ref> In 2019 the state of Brandenburg adopted an [[Open Access]] strategy calling on universities to develop transformation strategies to make knowledge from Brandenburg freely accessible to all.<ref name=Euler2019>{{citation |last1=Euler |first1=Ellen|date=2019|title=Open-Access-Strategie des Landes Brandenburg|doi=10.5281/zenodo.2581783|doi-access=free}}</ref>

'''Universities in Brandenburg:'''
* [[University of Potsdam]]
* [[Brandenburg University of Technology]] in Cottbus and Senftenberg
* [[European University Viadrina]] in Frankfurt (Oder)
* [[Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg]]
* Medizinische Hochschule Brandenburg Theodor Fontane
* Medizinische Universität Lausitz – Carl Thiem

==Culture==

===Music===
The ''[[Brandenburg Concertos]]'' by [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] (original title: ''Six Concerts à plusieurs instruments'')<ref name=bga>Johann Sebastian Bach's Werke, vol.19: Kammermusik, dritter band, Bach-Gesellschaft, Leipzig; ed. Wilhelm Rust, 1871</ref> are a collection of six instrumental works presented by Bach to [[Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt|Christian Ludwig]], [[Margrave]] of Brandenburg-[[Schwedt]],<ref>MacDonogh, Giles. ''Frederick the Great: A Life in Deed and Letters''. St. Martin's Griffin. New York. 2001. {{ISBN|0-312-27266-9}}</ref> in 1721 (though probably composed earlier). They are widely regarded as among the finest musical compositions of the [[baroque music|Baroque era]] and are among the composer's best known works.

===Cuisine===
{{Main|Brandenburg cuisine}}

[[File:Spreewaldgurke2.jpg|thumb|Spreewald gherkins]]

A famous speciality food from Brandenburg are the [[Spreewald gherkins]]. The wet soil of the [[Spreewald]] makes the region ideal for growing cucumbers. Spreewald gherkins are protected by the [[European Union|EU]] as a [[Protected Geographical Indication]] (PGI). They are one of the biggest exports of Brandenburg.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/jul/10/spreewald-gherkins-brandenburg-germany |title=Germany's Spreewald gherkins – possibly the best in the world |website=The Guardian |date=10 July 2016 |access-date=9 May 2020}}</ref>

===Notable people===

* [[Wilhelm von Humboldt]] (1767–1835), philosopher, linguist, diplomat, and founder of the [[Humboldt University of Berlin]]
* [[Heinrich von Kleist]] (1777–1811), poet, dramatist, and novelist
* [[Karl Friedrich Schinkel]] (1781–1841), architect, city planner, and painter
* [[Peter Joseph Lenné]] (1789–1866), gardener and landscape architect
* [[Theodor Fontane]] (1819–1898), novelist and poet
* [[Wilhelm Pieck]] (1876–1960), politician, first President of the German Democratic Republic
*[[Kurt Demmler]] (1943–2009), songwriter; accused of sexual abuse he hanged himself in his jail cell.
* [[Wolfgang Joop]] (born 1944), fashion designer, founder of [[JOOP!]]
* [[Matthias Platzeck]] (born 1953), politician, Minister President of Brandenburg from 2002 to 2013
* [[Henry Maske]] (born 1964), professional boxer
* [[Paul van Dyk]] (born 1971), DJ, record producer, and musician
* [[Britta Steffen]] (born 1983), competitive swimmer, former Olympic, World, and European champion
* [[Robert Harting]] (born 1984), discus thrower, former Olympic, World, and European champion
* Roehl brothers, [[Charles Roehl|Charles (1857–1927)]] and [[William Roehl|William (1890–1968)]], businessmen and pioneers of [[Washington state]].
* [[Mike David Ortmann]] (born 1999), racing driver

==See also==
{{portal|Geography|Europe|European Union|Germany|Brandenburg}}
*[[Outline of Germany]]
* [[Former countries in Europe after 1815]]
{{Clear}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Brandenburg}}
{{wikivoyage}}
{{Collier's poster}}

* [https://www.brandenburg.de/cms/detail.php/bb1.c.330014.de Official website] {{in lang|en}}
* [https://www.brandenburg-business-guide.de/en Official local information system] {{in lang|en}}
* [https://www.brandenburg-tourism.com/ Brandenburg Tourist Board] {{in lang|en}}
* {{Osmrelation-inline|62504}}

{{States of the Federal Republic of Germany}}
{{Germany districts Brandenburg}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Brandenburg| ]]
[[Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1990]]
[[Category:1990 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:States of Germany]]