Brandenburg wraps around Berlin and gave birth to the Kingdom of Prussia
The German state that completely encircles Berlin began as a frontier march carved from Slavic lands in the 900s. Under the Hohenzollerns it merged with Prussia, rose to a kingdom in 1701 and formed the core of the first unified Germany. In its southeast, road signs still come in two languages.
Landlocked in the northeast of Germany, Brandenburg borders Poland and five German states, and surrounds the city-state of Berlin; together they make up the country's third-largest metropolitan region. It ranks fifth among German states by area and tenth by population, with 2.5 million residents, and Potsdam is both capital and largest city. A 1996 attempt to merge Brandenburg and Berlin failed, though the two still cooperate closely.
The name comes from the town of Brandenburg an der Havel, and its meaning is disputed: suggestions include a Slavic word for marshy ground, a Germanic word for fire, or Slavic phrases for a defensive or pine forest, with burg meaning castle. Slavic peoples had settled the area by the 7th century, chiefly the Hevelli on the western side and the Sprevane further east. From the early 10th century German rulers pushed toward the Oder; Otto I installed margraves in 948 and founded bishoprics, but a great Wendish uprising in 983 drove imperial forces out. German control returned during the 12th century, while the Sorbs of Lusatia kept their distinct identity.
The Margraviate of Brandenburg became one of the seven electorates of the Holy Roman Empire. From 1415 the Hohenzollerns ruled it, and after 1618 it was combined with the Duchy of Prussia as Brandenburg-Prussia, raised to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701. From 1815 to 1947 Brandenburg was a Prussian province.
After the Second World War, Prussia was abolished, lands east of the Oder–Neisse line went to Poland, and Soviet authorities set Brandenburg up as a state. East Germany dissolved it into districts in 1952. It was re-created in 1990 as one of five new federal states after reunification. In Lower Lusatia, most localities are officially bilingual in German and Lower Sorbian, where the state is called Bramborska.
Source: Brandenburg
