Regions
Cities
Other destinations
Brandenburg is known for its nature. There is one national park, the Lower Oder Valley National Park. Besides, there are three UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, Flusslandschaft Elbe, Schorfheide-Chorin, and Spreewald. In addition, there are 11 nature parks:
Understand
Brandenburg is the countryside around the Berlin metropolitan area. Within less than an hour, you can get out of the city and find yourself in the middle of a forest or a pretty village, at the banks of a lovely lake or in front of a medieval church or castle. The major attraction of Brandenburg is the city of Potsdam with its UNESCO world heritage. However, besides Potsdam, there are plenty of less spectacular attractions that make Brandenburg worth a trip. The grey remainders of 40 years of communist ruling are gone, and now Brandenburg offers lots to discover.
Talk
People in Brandenburg speak German, possibly with the Berlin-Brandenburg dialect. The younger people normally do understand English, the older tend to speak Russian rather than English.
Get in
by plane
Brandenburg is served by the same three airports that serve Berlin. They are Tegel International Airport, Tempelhof International Airport, and Schönefeld International Airport. Schönefeld Airport will eventually become Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport (BBI), while Tempelhof and possibly Tegel will close after BBI is established.
by car
Since Berlin is located in the middle of Brandenburg, there are highways (Autobahn) to all major directions crossing through Brandenburg. Many places in Brandenburg can be reached by car within one or two hours from the center of Berlin.
by public transport
The railway system is oriented towards Berlin. There are frequent regional trains connecting Berlin with all major cities in Brandenburg. However, it is often difficult to get to smaller places via public transport. There are buses, but travelers should check timetables. The Berlin-Brandenburg-Public-Traffic-Network (vbb) co-ordinates public transport in the region. There is also a consistent tariff system, so travelers can by a ticket for the entire journey even if they change from the train to buses. The website of the Traffic Network vbb offers informations on timetables and tariffs.
Get around
The easiest way to get around is by car. There are several highways (Autobahn), that connect Berlin with different German regions - all leading through Brandenburg. In addition, there are well maintained roads.
Public transport to many rural destinations is poor. There are a few railroad connections within Brandenburg and there are public buses, but travelers should check timetables for connections.
See
Do
Brandenburg (; Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of Germany's sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). It lies in the east of the country, and it is one of the new states created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam. Brandenburg surrounds but excludes the national capital Berlin.
Historically Brandenburg was an independent state, the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which grew to become the core of modern Germany. The state of Brandenburg was named after the town of Brandenburg an der Havel.
Geography
Brandenburg is bordered by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the north, Poland in the east, the Free State of Saxony 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 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, where the Sorbs, a Slavic people, still live. These areas are bilingual, i.e., German and Sorbian are both used.
Protected areas
Brandenburg is known for its intact natural environment and its ambitious nature protection policy in the 1990s. After Germany's reunification, 15 large protected areas were founded. Each of them has a state-financed administration and rangers, who guide visitors and work on nature conservation. Most protected areas have visitor centers.
Roman Benson
Biosphere Reserves
Nature Parks
Administration
Brandenburg is divided into fourteen (rural) counties (Landkreise),
Miscellaneous
The coat of arms of Brandenburg is a red eagle on white.
Brandenburg is served by the same three airports that serve Berlin. They are Tegel International Airport, Tempelhof International Airport, and Schönefeld International Airport. Schönefeld Airport will eventually become Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport, while Tegel and Tempelhof will close after BBI is established.
External links
