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73-617: Schwarzer See (literally "Black Lake") may refer to: in Brandenburg , Germany in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern , Germany Brandenburg Brandenburg , officially the State of Brandenburg (see Names ), is a state in northeastern Germany . Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin , Mecklenburg-Vorpommern , Lower Saxony , Saxony-Anhalt , and Saxony . It is the fifth-largest German state by area and

146-545: A bi-confessional state, with the ruling Hohenzollern house staying Calvinist . This situation persisted until Frederick William III of Prussia. Frederick William was determined to unify the Protestant churches to homogenize their liturgy, organization, and architecture. The long-term goal was to have fully centralized royal control of all the Protestant churches in the Prussian Union of churches . The merging of

219-572: A combined state of Berlin and Brandenburg is different from other state fusion proposals. Normally, Article 29 of the Basic Law stipulates that states may only merge after a specific federal Act of Parliament is enacted. 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. In 1996, an attempt of unifying

292-752: A federal level, the Social Democratic Party has also been the strongest party in most federal elections , their strongholds being the northwestern part of the state and Potsdam and its surrounding areas . However, the Christian Democratic Union won the most votes in 1990 , their 2013 landslide and in 2017 . In 2009 , The Left won the most votes in a year where, like in 2017, the Social Democratic collapsed. Prominent politicians from Brandenburg include Social Democrats Frank-Walter Steinmeier , who served in

365-632: 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 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

438-617: A minor German princely family into one of the most important dynasties in Europe. From 8 January 1701 the title of Elector of Brandenburg was attached to the title of King in Prussia and, from 13 September 1772, to that of King of Prussia. At Frederick V's death on 21 January 1398, his lands were partitioned between his two sons: After John III/I 's death on 11 June 1420, the margraviates of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Kulmbach were briefly reunited under Frederick VI/I/I . He ruled

511-696: A part of the eastern border, the Elbe river a portion of the western border. The main rivers in the state itself are the Spree and the Havel . In the southeast, there is a wetlands region called the Spreewald ; it is the northernmost part of Lusatia . 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 Germany's reunification . Each of them

584-658: 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. The largest institution is the University of Potsdam , located southwest of Berlin . In 2019

657-517: 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. National parks Biosphere reserves Nature parks Brandenburg has the second lowest population density among the German states, after Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. 17.1% of the Brandenburgers are registered members of

730-787: The Black Forest . The Zollerns received the Graf title from Emperor Henry V in 1111. As loyal vassals of the Swabian Hohenstaufen dynasty, they were able to significantly enlarge their territory. Count Frederick III ( c.  1139  – c.  1200 ) accompanied Emperor Frederick Barbarossa against Henry the Lion in 1180, and through his marriage was granted the Burgraviate of Nuremberg by Emperor Henry VI in 1192. In about 1185, he married Sophia of Raabs ,

803-655: The Bundestag for Brandenburg before being elected President of Germany , and likely Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz , who sits in the Bundestag for Potsdam . Like in all other New states of Germany , the populist parties The Left and, more recently, the Alternative for Germany are especially strong in Brandenburg. Brandenburg has 4 out of 69 votes in the Bundesrat and, as of 2021, 25 seats out of 736 in

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876-473: The Bundestag . Brandenburg is divided into 14 rural districts ( Landkreise ) and four urban districts ( kreisfreie Städte ), shown with their population in 2011: The most recent election took place on 1 September 2019. A coalition government was formed by the Social Democrats , The Greens , and the Christian Democratic Union led by incumbent Minister-President Dietmar Woidke (SPD), replacing

949-738: The Catholic Swabian branch and the Protestant Franconian branch , which ruled the Burgraviate of Nuremberg and later became the Brandenburg-Prussian branch. The Swabian branch ruled the principalities of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen until 1849, and also ruled Romania from 1866 to 1947. Members of the Franconian branch became Margrave of Brandenburg in 1415 and Duke of Prussia in 1525. The Margraviate of Brandenburg and

1022-712: The 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 Hohenzollern , the eastern European connections of Berlin, and

1095-589: The Imperial City of Nuremberg . The territories of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Kulmbach remained possessions of the family, once parts of the Burgraviate of Nuremberg. On 2 December 1791, Christian II Frederick sold the sovereignty of his principalities to King Frederick William II of Prussia . On 2 December 1791, Charles Alexander sold the sovereignty of his principalities to King Frederick William II of Prussia. The Duchy of Jägerndorf (Krnov)

1168-606: 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. When Frederick William died in 1688, he was followed by his son Frederick , third of that name in Brandenburg. As

1241-521: The Schwerin , Neubrandenburg and 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. The present State of Brandenburg

1314-552: The Swabian Alps . The Hohenzollern Castle lies on an 855 meters high mountain called Hohenzollern . It still belongs to the family today. The dynasty was first mentioned in 1061. According to the medieval chronicler Berthold of Reichenau , Burkhard I, Count of Zollern ( de Zolorin ) was born before 1025 and died in 1061. In 1095, Count Adalbert of Zollern founded the Benedictine monastery of Alpirsbach , situated in

1387-462: The Vistula River together with Malbork and Chełmno Land formed the province of West Prussia with its capital at Marienwerder (Kwidzyn) in 1773. The Polish Partition Sejm ratified the cession on 30 September 1772, whereafter Frederick officially went on to call himself King "of" Prussia . From 1772 onwards the titles of Duke of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg were always attached to

1460-660: The Weimar Republic was established, thus bringing an end to the German and Prussian monarchy . Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia , is the current head of the formerly royal Prussian line, while Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern , is the head of the formerly princely Swabian line. Zollern, from 1218 Hohenzollern, was a county of the Holy Roman Empire . Later its capital was Hechingen . The Hohenzollerns named their estates after Hohenzollern Castle in

1533-495: The church tax . Politically, Brandenburg is a stronghold of the Social Democratic Party , which won the largest share of the vote and seats in every state election. All three Minister-Presidents of Brandenburg have come from the Social Democratic Party (unlike any other state except Bremen ) and they even won an absolute majority of seats and every single-member constituency in the 1994 state election . On

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1606-637: The death marches of prisoners of various nationalities from various dissolved camps passed through the region. 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 part of Brandenburg east of the Oder–Neisse line , which formed part of Poland in

1679-524: The suzerainty of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland . In Brandenburg and the other Hohenzollern domains within the borders of the empire, he was legally still an elector under the ultimate overlordship of the emperor. By this time, however, the emperor's authority had become purely nominal over the other German prices outside the immediate hereditary lands of the emperor. Brandenburg was still legally part of

1752-595: The 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 , the third-largest metropolitan area in Germany . There was an unsuccessful attempt to unify both states in 1996 and

1825-570: 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

1898-615: The Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region and was located 18 km (11 mi) southeast of central Berlin in Schönefeld . The airport was a base for 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), which opened in 2020. Berlin Brandenburg Airport had an initial capacity of 35–40 million passengers

1971-593: The Calvinist rite. The vast majority of his subjects in Brandenburg, including his wife Anna of Prussia , remained deeply Lutheran, however. After the Elector and his Calvinist court officials drew up plans for mass conversion of the population to the new faith in February 1614, as provided for by the rule of Cuius regio, eius religio within the Holy Roman Empire , there were serious protests, with his wife backing

2044-626: The City of Berlin was separated from the Province of Brandenburg. 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 39,039 km (15,073 sq mi) and a population of 2.6 million (1925). Under the Nazi government and during World War II , repressions of Poles , especially autochthones in

2117-749: The Duchy of Prussia were ruled in personal union after 1618 and were called Brandenburg-Prussia. From there, the Kingdom of Prussia was created in 1701, eventually leading to the unification of Germany and the creation of the German Empire in 1871, with the Hohenzollerns as hereditary German Emperors and Kings of Prussia. Germany's defeat in World War I in 1918 led to the German Revolution . The Hohenzollerns were overthrown and

2190-605: The EU average. The GDP per capita was the third lowest of all states in Germany. The unemployment rate stood at 5.6% in November 2022 and was higher than the German average but lower than the average of Eastern Germany. Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg is located in Brandenburg. Berlin Schönefeld Airport (IATA code: SXF) was the largest airport in Brandenburg. It was the second largest international airport of

2263-752: The Federal Republic. Southeastern Brandenburg contains part of the historical Lower Lusatia , and most of these localities have two official languages, German and Lower Sorbian (of the Sorbs/Wends ). Brandenburg takes its name from Brandenburg an der Havel . The name's origin is unclear but it is thought to derive from the Slavic branyi ('marshy/boggy') or Germanic branda ('fire'). Other theories have included West Slavic branný bor ('defensive forest') and brani-bor ('pine forest'). Burg in German means 'castle'. In

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2336-731: The Great annexed neighboring Royal Prussia , i.e., the Polish voivodeships of Pomerania ( Gdańsk Pomerania or Pomerelia ), Malbork , Chełmno and the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia , thereby connecting his Prussian and Farther Pomeranian lands and cutting the rest of Poland from the Baltic coast. The territory of Warmia was incorporated into the lands of former Ducal Prussia, which, by administrative deed of 31 January 1772 were named East Prussia . The former Polish Pomerelian lands beyond

2409-744: The Holy Roman Emperor, theoretically the highest sovereign in the West. From 1701 onwards the titles of Duke of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg were always attached to the title of King in Prussia. The Duke of Prussia adopted the title of king as Frederick I , establishing his status as a monarch whose royal territory lay outside the boundaries of the Holy Roman Empire, with the assent of Emperor Leopold I : Frederick could not be "King of Prussia" because part of Prussia's lands were under

2482-713: The Lutheran and Calvinist (Reformed) confessions to form the United Church of Prussia was highly controversial. Angry responses included a large and well-organized opposition. The crown's aggressive efforts to restructure religion were unprecedented in Prussian history. In a series of proclamations over several years, the Church of the Prussian Union was formed, bringing together the majority group of Lutherans and

2555-453: The Lutherans. This was doubly important as Anna brought with her the duchy of Prussia into the Brandenburg line of the house and the nascent Brandenburg-Prussian state. Resistance was so strong that in 1615, John Sigismund backed down and relinquished all attempts at forcible conversion. Instead, he allowed his subjects to be either Lutheran or Calvinist according to the dictates of their own consciences. Henceforward, Brandenburg-Prussia would be

2628-401: The Margraviate of Brandenburg-Ansbach after 1398. From 1420, he became Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach. From 1411 Frederick VI became governor of Brandenburg and later Elector and Margrave of Brandenburg as Frederick I. Upon his death on 21 September 1440, his territories were divided among his sons: In 1427 Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg sold Nuremberg Castle and his rights as burgrave to

2701-455: The Middle Ages and partly also in the early modern period, became again part of Poland. The entire population of former East Brandenburg was expelled en masse in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement . The remainder of the province became a state in the Soviet Zone of occupation in Germany when Prussia was dissolved in 1947. After the foundation of East Germany in 1949, Brandenburg formed one of its component states. The State of Brandenburg

2774-427: The Oder from Poland ( Lubusz Land and north-western 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 Wittelsbachs of Bavaria , followed by the Luxembourg Dynasties. Under the Luxembourgs, the Margrave of Brandenburg gained

2847-403: The chain of events that led to World War I . As a result of the war, the German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires ceased to exist. In 1918, the German empire was abolished and replaced by the Weimar Republic . After the outbreak of the German revolution in 1918, both Emperor William II and Crown Prince William signed the document of abdication. The official religion of the state

2920-435: 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 government region of Frankfurt and Potsdam. It also included Lower Lusatia , previously ruled at various times by Poland, Bohemia , Hungary and Saxony . In 1881,

2993-416: The daughter of Conrad II , Burgrave of Nuremberg. After the death of Conrad II who left no male heirs, Frederick III was granted Nuremberg as Burgrave Frederick I. In 1218, the burgraviate passed to Frederick's elder son Conrad I , he thereby became the ancestor of the Franconian Hohenzollern branch, which acquired the Electorate of Brandenburg in 1415. After Frederick's death, his sons partitioned

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3066-398: The eastern part of the province, intensified with expulsions of Poles , censorship of Polish newspapers, invigilation, arrests and assassinations of Polish leaders, activists, teachers, entrepreneurs, editors, etc., deportations to concentration camps and closure of Polish organizations, enterprises, schools and libraries. The Sachsenhausen concentration camp with a network of subcamps

3139-401: The empire and ruled in personal union with Prussia, though the two states came to be treated as one de facto. The king was officially Margrave of Brandenburg within the Empire until the Empire's dissolution in 1806. In the age of absolutism , most monarchs were obsessed with the desire to emulate Louis XIV of France with his luxurious palace at Versailles . In 1772, the Duchy of Prussia

3212-420: The extinct local language Polabian , Brandenburg was Branibor . In the modern local languages, Brandenburg and the State of Brandenburg are named: In late medieval and early modern times, Brandenburg was, with varying borders, one of seven electoral states of the Holy Roman Empire , and, along with Prussia , formed the original core of the German Empire , the first unified German state. Governed by

3285-451: The family lands between themselves: The senior Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern was founded by Conrad I, Burgrave of Nuremberg (1186–1261). The family supported the Hohenstaufen and Habsburg rulers of the Holy Roman Empire during the 12th to 15th centuries, being rewarded with several territorial grants. Beginning in the 16th century, this branch of the family became Protestant and decided on expansion through marriage and

3358-479: The finest musical compositions of the Baroque era and are among the composer's best known works. 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 EU as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). They are one of the biggest exports of Brandenburg. House of Hohenzollern The Hohenzollern family split into two branches,

3431-406: The first Duke of Prussia. He belonged to the Ansbach branch of the dynasty. The Duchy of Prussia adopted Protestantism as the official state religion . From 1701, the title of Duke of Prussia was attached to the title of King in and of Prussia. In 1701, the title of King in Prussia was granted, without the Duchy of Prussia being elevated to a Kingdom within Poland but recognized as a kingdom by

3504-414: The fusion by a large margin. 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. Brandenburg is bordered by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the north, Poland in the east, the Freistaat Sachsen in the south, Saxony-Anhalt in the west, and Lower Saxony in the northwest. The Oder river forms

3577-438: The installation of margraves. Their main function was to defend and protect the eastern marches . In 948 Emperor Otto I established margraves to exert imperial control over the pagan Slavs west of the Oder River. Otto founded the Bishoprics of Brandenburg and 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

3650-486: The invasions of the Huns and 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 ( Brandenburg an der Havel ), Budusin ( Bautzen ), and Chośebuz ( Cottbus ) came under imperial control through

3723-423: 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 . Brandenburg remained

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3796-444: The local, regional 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 Archdiocese of Berlin , and a minority in the Diocese of Görlitz ). The majority (79.8%) 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

3869-404: The previous coalition between the Social Democrats and The Left . The next ordinary state election will likely occur in autumn 2024. 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

3942-416: The purchase of surrounding lands. In the first phase, the family gradually added to their lands, at first with many small acquisitions in the Franconian region of Germany : In the second phase, the family expanded their lands further with large acquisitions in the Brandenburg and Prussian regions of Germany and present-day Poland: These acquisitions eventually transformed the Franconian Hohenzollerns from

4015-531: 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. Universities in Brandenburg: The Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach (original title: Six Concerts à plusieurs instruments ) are a collection of six instrumental works presented by Bach to Christian Ludwig , Margrave of Brandenburg- Schwedt , in 1721 (though probably composed earlier). They are widely regarded as among

4088-483: The states of Berlin and Brandenburg was rejected at referendum. 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. Though Berlin voted in favor by a small margin, largely based on support in former West Berlin , Brandenburg voters disapproved of

4161-444: 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

4234-430: The status of Brandenburg's ruler as prince-elector together were instrumental in the rise of that state. Brandenburg is situated in territory known in antiquity as Magna Germania , which reached to the Vistula river. By the 7th century, Slavic peoples 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

4307-435: The status of a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. In the period 1373–1415, Brandenburg was a part of the Bohemian Crown . In 1415, the Electorate of Brandenburg was granted by 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. Brandenburg converted to Protestantism in 1539 in

4380-441: 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. 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

4453-402: The title King of Prussia. In 1871, the Kingdom of Prussia became a constituent member of the German Empire , and the King of Prussia gained the additional title of German Emperor . Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt Auguste von Harrach Hermine Reuss of Greiz In 1871, the German Empire was proclaimed. With the accession of William I to the newly established imperial German throne,

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4526-516: The titles of King of Prussia, Duke of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg were always attached to the title of German Emperor . Prussia's Minister President Otto von Bismarck convinced William that German Emperor instead of Emperor of Germany would be appropriate. He became primus inter pares among other German sovereigns. William II intended to develop a German navy capable of challenging Britain's Royal Navy . The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on 28 June 1914 set off

4599-472: The townspeople. With the monks and bishops, the history of the town of Brandenburg an der Havel , which was the first center of the state of Brandenburg, began. In 1134, in the wake of a German crusade against the Wends , the German magnate, Albert the Bear , was granted the Northern March by the Emperor Lothar III . He formally inherited the town of Brandenburg and the lands of the Hevelli from their last Wendish ruler, Pribislav , in 1150. After crushing

4672-443: 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

4745-416: Was "bi-confessional". John Sigismund's most significant action was his conversion from Lutheranism to Calvinism , after he had earlier equalized the rights of Catholics and Protestants in the Duchy of Prussia under pressure from the King of Poland. He was probably won over to Calvinism during a visit to Heidelberg in 1606, but it was not until 25 December 1613 that he publicly took communion according to

4818-402: Was a province of Prussia . Following the abolition of Prussia after World War II , Brandenburg was established as a state by the Soviet Military Administration in Germany . In 1952, the German Democratic Republic dissolved the state and broke it up into multiple regional districts . After German reunification , Brandenburg was re-established in 1990 as one of the five new states of

4891-401: Was completely dissolved in 1952 by the 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 Bezirke of Cottbus , Frankfurt , or Potsdam , but parts of the former province passed to

4964-416: Was elevated to a kingdom. Sophia Charlotte of Hanover Sophia Louise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Frederick William 's successor, Frederick the Great gained Silesia in the Silesian Wars so that Prussia emerged as a great power . The king was strongly influenced by French culture and civilization and preferred the French language. In the 1772 First Partition of Poland , the Prussian king Frederick

5037-410: 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 , the so-called "Great Elector", who worked tirelessly to rebuild and consolidate the nation. He moved the royal residence to Potsdam . At

5110-418: Was located in Brandenburg, and several 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 , Serbian, Italian , American, Czechoslovak, Soviet, Romanian, Greek, Bulgarian and other Allied POWs with numerous forced labour subcamps. In early 1945,

5183-779: Was purchased in 1523. The duchy of Jägerndorf was confiscated by Emperor Ferdinand III in 1622. In 1411, Frederick VI , Burgrave of the small but wealthy Nuremberg, was appointed governor of Brandenburg in order to restore order and stability. At the Council of Constance in 1415, King Sigismund elevated Frederick to the rank of Elector and Margrave of Brandenburg as Frederick I. In 1417, Elector Frederick purchased Brandenburg from its then-sovereign, Emperor Sigismund, for 400,000 Hungarian guilders. Anna of Saxony Hedwig of Poland Sabina of Brandenburg-Ansbach Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst Eleanor of Prussia personal union with Prussia after 1618 called Brandenburg-Prussia . The short-lived Margraviate of Brandenburg-Küstrin

5256-468: Was re-established on 3 October 1990 upon German reunification . The newly elected Landtag of Brandenburg first met on 26 October 1990. 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 recent years, however, Brandenburg's infrastructure has been modernized and unemployment has slowly declined. The legal basis for

5329-579: Was set up as a secundogeniture of the House of Hohenzollern. Although recognized as a branch of the dynasty since 1688, the Margraviate of Brandenburg-Schwedt remained subordinate to the electors, and was never an independent principality. In 1525, the Duchy of Prussia was established as a fief of the King of Poland . Albert of Prussia was the last Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights and

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