Brandenburg
—  State of Germany  —
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 52°21′43″N 13°0′29″E / 52.36194°N 13.00806°E / 52.36194; 13.00806
Country	Germany
Capital	Potsdam
Government
• Minister-President	Matthias Platzeck (SPD)
• Governing parties	SPD / The Left
• Votes in Bundesrat	4 (of 69)
Area
• Total	29,478.63 km2 (11,381.76 sq mi)
Population (2010-12-31)[1]
• Total	2,503,273
• Density	85/km2 (220/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
ISO 3166 code	DE-BB
Vehicle registration	formerly: BP (1945–1947), SB (1948–1953)[2]
GDP/ Nominal	€ 48 billion (2005)[citation needed]
NUTS Region	DE4
Website	brandenburg.de

Brandenburg ( listen (help·info); Low German: Brannenborg, Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam. Brandenburg surrounds but does not include the national capital and city-state of Berlin.

Originating in the medieval Northern March, the Margraviate of Brandenburg grew to become the core of the Kingdom of Prussia, which would later become the Free State of Prussia. The eastern third of historic Brandenburg (Ostbrandenburg/Neumark) was ceded to Poland in 1945.

History[link]

History of Brandenburg and Prussia
Northern March pre-12th century		Old Prussians pre-13th century
Margraviate of Brandenburg 1157–1618 (1806)		Ordensstaat 1224–1525
		Duchy of Prussia 1525–1618	Royal (Polish) Prussia 1466–1772
Brandenburg-Prussia 1618–1701
Kingdom in Prussia 1701–1772
Kingdom of Prussia 1772–1918
Free State of Prussia 1918–1947			Klaipėda Region (Lithuania) 1920-39 / 1945-present
Brandenburg (Germany) 1947–1952 / 1990–present	Recovered Territories (Poland) 1918/45-present	Kaliningrad Oblast (Russia) 1945-present

In late medieval and early modern times, Brandenburg was 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 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 the status of Brandenburg's ruler as prince-elector together were instrumental in the rise of that state.

Early Middle Ages[link]

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 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^[3] (Brandenburg an der Havel), Budusin^[4] (Bautzen), and Chośebuz^[5] (Cottbus) came under imperial control through 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 the territory of present-day Brandenburg in 983. The region returned to the control of Slavic leaders.

12th century[link]

Eisenhard Castle in Belzig

During the 12th century the Ottonian German kings and emperors re-established control over the mixed Slav-inhabited lands of present-day Brandenburg, 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 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 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 territory east of the Oder, later known as the Neumark (see also Altmark).

Late Middle Ages[link]

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 dynasty. Under the Luxembourgs, the Margrave of Brandenburg gained the status of a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. 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.

16th and 17th centuries[link]

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

Kingdom of Prussia and united Germany[link]

Sanssouci Palace, the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, today a World Heritage site

When Frederick William died in 1688, he was followed by his son 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.

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. In 1881, 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 km² (15,073 sq mi) and a population of 2.6 million (1925). After World War II, the Neumark, the part of Brandenburg east of the Oder-Neisse Line, was transferred to Poland; and its native German population expelled. The remainder of the province became a state in East Germany when Prussia was dissolved in 1947. The State of Brandenburg was completely dissolved in 1952 by the Socialist government of East Germany.

East Germany and reunified Germany[link]

In 1952, the East German government divided Brandenburg among several Bezirke or districts. (See Administrative division of the German Democratic Republic). Most of Brandenburg lay within the Potsdam, Frankfurt (Oder), or Cottbus districts, but parts of the former province passed to 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 southeastern 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 14 October 1990.^[6] The newly elected Landtag of Brandenburg first met on 26 October 1990.^[7] As in other former parts of East Germany, the lack of modern infrastructure and exposure to West Germany's competitive market economy brought widespread joblessness and economic difficulty. In the recent years, however, Brandenburg's infrastructure has been modernized and joblessness has slowly declined.

In 1995, the governments of Berlin and Brandenburg proposed to merge the states in order to form a new state with the name of "Berlin-Brandenburg", though some suggested calling the proposed new state "Prussia". The merger was rejected in a plebiscite in 1996 – while West Berliners voted for a merger, East Berliners and Brandenburgers voted against it.

Geography[link]

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 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[link]

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 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

• Lower Oder Valley National Park (106 km²)

Biosphere reserves

The Spreewald, a biosphere reserve by UNESCO

• Spreewald Biosphere Reserve (474 km²/183 sq mi)
• Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve (1,291 km²/498.46 sq mi)
• River Landscape Elbe-Brandenburg Biosphere Reserve (533 km²/206 sq mi)

Nature parks

• Barnim Nature Park (750 km²/290 sq mi)
• Dahme-Heideseen Nature Park (594 km²/229 sq mi)
• High Fläming Nature Park (827 km²/319 sq mi)
• Märkische Schweiz Nature Park (204 km²/79 sq mi)
• Niederlausitzer Heidelandschaft Nature Park (490 km²/189 sq mi)
• Niederlausitzer Landrücken Nature Park (580 km²/224 sq mi)
• Nuthe-Nieplitz Nature Park (623 km²/241 sq mi)
• Schlaube Valley Nature Parke (225 km²/87 sq mi)
• Uckermark Lakes Nature Park (895 km²/346 sq mi)
• Westhavelland Nature Park (1,315 km²/507.72 sq mi)
• Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park (1,080 km²/416.99 sq mi)

Religion[link]

Evangelical Church in Germany (mostly: Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia) 17.8 %,^[8] Catholic Church (mostly: Archdiocese of Berlin, minor: Diocese of Görlitz) 3.1 %.^[9]

Political subdivisions[link]

The capital, Potsdam

Brandenburg an der Havel

Viadrina European University in Frankfurt (Oder)

Brandenburg is divided into 14 rural districts (Landkreise):

and 4 urban districts (kreisfreie Städte):

1. Brandenburg an der Havel
2. Cottbus
3. Frankfurt (Oder)
4. Potsdam

Government[link]

Matthias Platzeck

For earlier rulers, see List of rulers of Brandenburg

September 2009 state election[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Germany portal

Wikisource has the text of the 1921 Collier's Encyclopedia article Brandenburg.

• Media related to Brandenburg at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website (German)
• Brandenburg Tourist Board
• Historical Landscape Brandenburg (German)
• Geographic data related to Brandenburg at OpenStreetMap

v t e States of the Federal Republic of Germany States  Baden-Württemberg (since 1952)  Bavaria (since 1949)  Brandenburg (since 1990)  Hesse (since 1949)  Lower Saxony (since 1949)  Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (since 1990)  North Rhine-Westphalia (since 1949)  Rhineland-Palatinate (since 1949)  Saarland (since 1957)  Saxony (since 1990)  Saxony-Anhalt (since 1990)  Schleswig-Holstein (since 1949)  Thuringia (since 1990) City-states  Berlin (since 1990)  Bremen (since 1949)  Hamburg (since 1949) Former states  Baden (south) (1949–1952)  Württemberg-Baden (1949–1952)  Württemberg-Hohenzollern (1949–1952)

v t e Urban and rural districts in the state of Brandenburg in Germany Urban districts Brandenburg an der Havel Cottbus Frankfurt (Oder) Potsdam Rural districts Barnim Dahme-Spreewald Elbe-Elster Havelland Märkisch-Oderland Oberhavel Oberspreewald-Lausitz Oder-Spree Ostprignitz-Ruppin Potsdam-Mittelmark Prignitz Spree-Neiße Teltow-Fläming Uckermark

Jim Brandenburg

Jim Brandenburg (born 1945) is an environmentalist and nature photographer and filmmaker based near Ely, Minnesota. His career includes over 10 years as a newspaper photojournalist, over 30 years as a contract photographer for the National Geographic Society, and commissions from such groups as the United States Postal Service, NHK and the BBC.

Jim Brandenburg is a Fellow^[1] of the International League of Conservation Photographers^[2]

Early life and career[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2011)

Jim Brandenburg was born and raised in Luverne, Minnesota in the farms and prairies of Southwestern Minnesota. After studying at Worthington Community College, he went on to attend the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he majored in art history and worked for the local public television station. Upon graduating, he returned to Worthington, Minnesota and began working as a photojournalist for the Worthington Daily Globe. Within months, he began submitting work to the National Geographic Society as a freelance photographer, and in 1978 he became a contract photographer for National Geographic Magazine. Additionally, his photography has been published in a number of National Geographic Society books including "Journey Into China", "Heart of a Nation" and "Discovering Britain and Ireland", in which his photos of the Highlands in Scotland were featured.

His work has been included in many other magazines, such as Life, Newsweek, The Smithsonian, and GEO and has been featured on all the major television and radio networks including ABC’s Prime Time Live and CBS News Sunday Morning and Dateline NBC as well as National Public Radio's All Things Considered.

Brandenburg was commissioned by the United States Postal Service to create a set of wildlife stamps. They were released on May 14, 1981.

In 1980, Brandenburg learned of a population of wolves on Ellesmere Island who had not yet had the fear of man instilled into them. Brandenburg therefore traveled to Ellesmere and worked to create his bestselling book, “White Wolf”. He later went on to co-produce and direct a documentary of the same name and subject matter, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was produced by National Geographic Society and the BBC. It has since aired in over 120 countries across the globe.

Style and influences[link]

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Jim Brandenburg has established a certain style among nature photographers, notably in technique. In his over 25-year tenure with National Geographic, he traveled the world taking pictures for the magazine. On the projects, he found himself taking up to 300 rolls of film only to have a few dozen selected for the published articles. In 1994, feeling "increasingly dissatisfied" with his art, he undertook a personal project wherein he limited himself to take only one photograph per day between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice. The resulting shots made up his book Chased by the Light, NorthWord Press 1998.

Listed among his influences are environmentalists such as Aldo Leopold and Sigurd F. Olson. Some personal influences include Jim Vance - publisher of the Worthington Daily Globe, Glenn Maxham - a photojournalist at the public television station where Brandenburg worked in college, and Art Aufderheide, who introduced him to the Inuit people of the Northwest Territories, Canada.

Recognition[link]

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Over his career, Jim Brandenburg has been honored by numerous organizations for his works. In 1981 and 1983 he was named the Magazine Photographer of the Year by the Univeristy of Missouri-Colombia School of Journalism, and National Press Photographers Association's, Pictures of the Year awards for his work in National Geographic. He was named Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 1988 at the annual competition owned by BBC Wildlife and The Natural History Museum, then sponsored by Kodak .

In 1991, for his work with the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, his creation of the Concerts for the Environment non-profit organization, his work with the Nature Conservancy, and other numerous achievements, Jim Brandenburg was awarded the Global 500 Environmental World Achievement Award.^[3] This United Nations sponsored recognition was presented to him by the King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf.

The documentary Chased by the Light: A Photographic Journey with Jim Brandenburg was nominated for an Emmy in the 2002-2003 awards.

In 2006, Jim Brandenburg was awarded with an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, by the University of Minnesota.^[4]

Jim Brandenburg was a Hasselblad Master in 2002, a Nikon Legend Behind the Lens in 2001 and a Canon Explorer of Light photographer 2005 - 2008.

Four of Jim Brandenburg’s images were chosen for inclusion in a collection that represents the 40 most important nature photographs of all time. The Top Forty nominations include the work of 25 photographers including the Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and Eliot Porter. Four of Brandenburg¹s images were included in the final selection, more than any other photographer. The four Brandenburg images selected were: Oryx on Namib Desert, Namibia, southwest Africa; Gray Wolf near BWCAW, Ely, Minnesota; Leaping Arctic wolf, Ellesmere Island, Canada; and Bison on Frozen Landscape, Blue Mounds State Park, Luverne, Minnesota. They were chosen by members of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) a fellowship of the world's top professional conservation photographers.

Outdoor Photography Magazine included Brandenburg in "40 Most Influential Nature Photographers."^[5]

Jim Brandenburg's well-known image of the leaping arctic wolf was named one of 100 most important photos in Canadian history and was included in the book "100 Photos that Changed Canada".^[6]

Philanthropy[link]

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Jim and Judy Brandenburg, with the help of dedicated supporters in Luverne, Minnesota, established the Brandenburg Prairie Foundation in 1999.^[7] Its mission is to promote, preserve and expand the native prairie in southwest Minnesota. Through numerous projects, the Brandenburg Prairie Foundation heightens awareness of the prairie’s irreplaceable beauty and significance. Brandenburg’s spirit resides in the prairie - it is his childhood home and is where his career began to bloom. By establishing the Foundation, he has turned his passion for the prairie into a lifetime commitment.

The Brandenburg Prairie Foundation, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,^[8] has purchased over 808 acres (3.27 km²) of untilled prairie land in Rock County, Minnesota creating the “Touch the Sky Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge.” Together, they have developed a 15-year management plan for its restoration. With time and continued effort, hundreds of native species will return – the tall grasses, the songbirds, flora and native wildlife. Their dream is to see the bison roaming “Touch the Sky Prairie” again.

Photographic Books[link]

[edit] Brandenburg's National Geographic work

External links[link]

• Jim Brandenburg's site
• Jim Brandenburg's blog
• Brandenburg Prairie Foundation
• National Public Radio Interview: Jim Brandenburg on "Chased By the Light"
• Minnesota Public Radio Discussion: Jim Brandenburg on Wilderness Preservation

References[link]