Brandenburg takes its name fromBrandenburg an der Havel. The name's origin is unclear but it is thought to derive from theSlavicbranyi ('marshy/boggy')[8][9] orGermanicbranda ('fire').[8] Other theories have includedWest Slavicbranný bor ('defensive forest')[9] andbrani-bor ('pine forest').[10]Burg inGerman means 'castle'. In the extinct local languagePolabian, Brandenburg wasBranibor.
In the modern local languages,Brandenburg and theState of Brandenburg are named:
Brandenburg is situated in territory known in antiquity asMagna 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 theHuns andAvars. They relied heavily on river transport. The two principal Slavic groups in the present-day area of Brandenburg were theHevelli in the west and theSprevane in the east.
Beginning in the early 10th century,Henry the Fowler and his successors conquered territory up to theOder River. Slavic settlements such as Brenna[11] (Brandenburg an der Havel), Budusin[12] (Bautzen), and Chośebuz[13] (Cottbus) came underimperial control through the installation of margraves. Their main function was to defend and protect the easternmarches. In 948, EmperorOtto I established margraves to exert imperial control over the pagan Slavs west of the Oder River. Otto founded the Bishoprics ofBrandenburg andHavelberg. TheNorthern March was founded as a northeastern border territory of theHoly Roman Empire. However, a great uprising ofWends 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. theLubusz Land andLower Lusatia, became part of Poland in the 10th-11th centuries.
In the early 12th century, the SlavicDuchy of Kopanica was established in the central part of present-day Brandenburg, whereas theLubusz 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 theSorbs inLusatia adapted toGermanization while retaining their distinctiveness. The Roman Catholic Church broughtbishoprics which, with their walled towns, afforded protection from attacks for the townspeople. With the monks and bishops, the history of the town ofBrandenburg an der Havel, which was the first center of the state of Brandenburg, began.
In 1134, in the wake of a Germancrusade against theWends, the German magnate,Albert the Bear, was granted theNorthern March by the EmperorLothar III. He formally inherited the town of Brandenburg and the lands of the Hevelli from their last Wendish ruler,Pribislav, in 1150. After crushing a force of Sprevane who occupied the town of Brandenburg in the 1150s, Albert proclaimed himself ruler of the newMargraviate of Brandenburg. Albert, and his descendants theAscanians, 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-westernGreater Poland), later known as theNeumark, in contrast to theAltmark, 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 theWittelsbachs ofBavaria, followed by theLuxembourg Dynasties. Under the Luxembourgs, theMargrave of Brandenburg gained the status of aprince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. In the period 1373–1415, Brandenburg was a part of theBohemian Crown. In 1415, the Electorate of Brandenburg was granted by EmperorSigismund to theHouse 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.
Brandenburg converted to Protestantism in 1539 in the wake of theProtestant 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 theDuchy of Prussia in 1618, theDuchy of Cleves (1614) in theRhineland, and territories inWestphalia. The result was a sprawling, disconnected country known asBrandenburg-Prussia that was in poor shape to defend itself during theThirty 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 wasFrederick William, the so-called "Great Elector", who worked tirelessly to rebuild and consolidate the nation. He moved the royal residence toPotsdam. At thePeace of Westphalia, his envoyJoachim Friedrich von Blumenthal negotiated the acquisition of several important territories such asHalberstadt. Under theTreaty of Oliva Christoph Casparvon Blumenthal (son of the above) negotiated the incorporation of theDuchy of Prussia into the Hohenzollern inheritance.
When Frederick William died in 1688, he was followed by his sonFrederick, 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 theKingdom of Prussia.
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 theProvince of Brandenburg, again subdivided into thegovernment region of Frankfurt and Potsdam. It also includedLower Lusatia, previously ruled at various times by Poland,Bohemia,Hungary andSaxony. In 1881, the City of Berlin was separated from the province of Brandenburg.[14] 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 km2 and a population of 3,023,443 (1939).[15]
Under theNazi government and duringWorld War II, repressions ofPoles, especially autochthones in the eastern part of the province, intensified withexpulsions of Poles, censorship of Polish newspapers, invigilation, arrests andassassinations of Polish leaders, activists, teachers, entrepreneurs, editors, etc., deportations toconcentration camps and closure of Polish organizations, enterprises, schools and libraries.[16][need quotation to verify] TheSachsenhausen concentration camp with a network ofsubcamps was located in Brandenburg, and severalprisoner-of-war camps, includingStalag 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, Serbian,Italian, American, Czechoslovak, Soviet, Romanian, Greek, Bulgarian and otherAllied POWs with numerousforced labour subcamps.[17] In early 1945, thedeath marches of prisoners of various nationalities from various dissolved camps passed through the region.[18][19] In the final stages of the war, it was the place of heavy fights, including theBattle of the Seelow Heights andBattle 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 wasexpelled en masse. The remainder of the province became a state in theSoviet Zone of occupation in Germany when Prussia was dissolved in 1947.
Glienicke Bridge, which connected East Germany to the American sector of West Berlin, became known for the exchange of captured spies.
After the foundation ofEast Germany in 1949, Brandenburg formed one of its component states. The State of Brandenburg was completely dissolved in 1952 by theSocialist government of East Germany, doing away with all component states. The East German government then divided Brandenburg among severalBezirke or districts. (SeeAdministrative division of the German Democratic Republic). Most of Brandenburg lay within theBezirke of Cottbus,Frankfurt, orPotsdam, but parts of the former province passed to theSchwerin,Neubrandenburg andMagdeburg districts (townHavelberg). East Germany relied heavily onlignite (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.
The present State of Brandenburg was re-established on 3 October 1990 uponGerman reunification.[20] The newly elected Landtag of Brandenburg first met on 26 October 1990.[21] 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.
The coat of arms proposed in the interstate treaty
The legal basis for a combined state ofBerlin and Brandenburg is different from other state fusion proposals. Normally, Article 29 of theBasic Law stipulates that states may only merge after a specific federal Act of Parliament is enacted.[22] 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.[23]
In 1996, an attempt of unifying the states of Berlin and Brandenburg was rejected at referendum.[24] 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.[25] Though Berlin voted in favor by a small margin, largely based on support in formerWest Berlin, Brandenburg voters disapproved of the fusion by a large margin.[26] 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.[24]
TheOder river forms a part of the eastern border, theElbe river a portion of the western border. The main rivers in the state itself are theSpree and theHavel. In the southeast, there is a wetlands region called theSpreewald; it is the northernmost part ofLusatia.
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 followingGermany'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.
Politically, Brandenburg is a stronghold of theSocial Democratic Party, which won the largest share of the vote and seats in every state election. All threeMinister-Presidents of Brandenburg have come from the Social Democratic Party (unlike any other state exceptBremen) and they even won an absolute majority of seats and every single-member constituency in the1994 state election.
The2024 Brandenburg state election took place on 22 September. One important outcome of the election was that the number of parties with representation in thestate 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, theSahra 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 havingRussophile tendencies, partially based on their desire for the war inUkraine to be ended by diplomacy.[33]
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.[32]
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.[34] 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.[35]
TheBrandenburg parliament building (Landtag) in Potsdam, the seat of the parliament is the reconstructedPotsdam City PalaceDietmar Woidke, current Minister-President of Brandenburg
Thegross 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.[37]
The unemployment rate stood at 6.1% in 2024 and was higher than the German average but lower than the average of Eastern Germany.[38]
The industrial sector in Brandenburg is mainly characterized by small and medium‑sized enterprises.[39] 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.[39]
Berlin Schönefeld Airport (IATA code: SXF) was the largest airport in Brandenburg. It was the second largestinternational airport of the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region and was located 18 km (11 mi) southeast of centralBerlin inSchönefeld. The airport was a base forCondor,easyJet andRyanair. In 2016, Schönefeld handled 11,652,922 passengers (an increase of 36.7%).
Schönefeld's existing infrastructure and terminals were incorporated into the newBerlin Brandenburg Airport (BER),[40] which opened in 2020.[41] 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.
In 2016, around 49,000 students were enrolled in Brandenburg universities and higher education facilities.[42] The largest institution is theUniversity of Potsdam, located southwest ofBerlin.[43] In 2019 the state of Brandenburg adopted anOpen Access strategy calling on universities to develop transformation strategies to make knowledge from Brandenburg freely accessible to all.[44]
TheBrandenburg Concertos byJohann Sebastian Bach (original title:Six Concerts à plusieurs instruments)[45] are a collection of six instrumental works presented by Bach toChristian Ludwig,Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt,[46] in 1721 (though probably composed earlier). They are widely regarded as among the finest musical compositions of theBaroque era and are among the composer's best known works.
A famous speciality food from Brandenburg are theSpreewald gherkins. The wet soil of theSpreewald makes the region ideal for growing cucumbers. Spreewald gherkins are protected by theEU as aProtected Geographical Indication (PGI). They are one of the biggest exports of Brandenburg.[47]
^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.
^Barford, Paul M. (2001).The Early Slavs: Culture and Society in Early Medieval Eastern Europe. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. 421.ISBN0-8014-3977-9.
^Institut für Sorbische Volksforschung in Bautzen (1962).Lětopis Instituta za serbski ludospyt. Bautzen: Domowina.
^Room, Adrian (2006).Placenames of the World. Jefferson: McFarland & Company. p. 433.ISBN0-7864-2248-3.
^Cygański, Mirosław (1984). "Hitlerowskie prześladowania przywódców i aktywu Związków Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1939-1945".Przegląd Zachodni (in Polish) (4):45–46,49–51,53–54.
^Megargee, Geoffrey P.; Overmans, Rüdiger; Vogt, Wolfgang (2022).The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. pp. 211–212, 226, 229,234–235,402–410.ISBN978-0-253-06089-1.
^ab"Industriestandort Brandenburg".Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Arbeit, Energie und Klimaschutz des Landes Brandenburg (in German). Retrieved2 November 2025.
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