The Havel is a river in northeastern Germany, flowing through the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. The 325 kilometres (202 mi) long Havel is a right tributary of the Elbe. However, the direct distance from its source to its mouth is only 94 kilometres (58 mi). For much of its length, the Havel is navigable; it provides an important link in the waterway connections between the east and west of Germany, as well as beyond.
The Havel in Potsdam
The Havel in Blankenförde is navigable to canoes and light craft only
The Havel passing through Schwedtsee
Foot and lift bridge in Zehdenick
Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 square kilometres and a population of 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth-largest German state by area and the tenth-most populous. Potsdam is the state capital and largest city, and other major towns are Cottbus, Brandenburg an der Havel and Frankfurt (Oder).
Eisenhardt Castle in Bad Belzig
Brandenburg's victory over Swedish forces at the Battle of Fehrbellin in 1675
The Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, is today a World Heritage Site.
Glienicke Bridge, which connected East Germany to the American sector of West Berlin, became known for the exchange of captured spies.