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.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ; also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in population; it covers an area of 23,300 km2 (9,000 sq mi), making it the sixth largest German state in area; and it is 16th in population density. Schwerin is the state capital and Rostock is the largest city. Other major cities include Neubrandenburg, Stralsund, Greifswald, Wismar, and Güstrow. It was named after the two regions of Mecklenburg and Vorpommern, and its name means the "nearer part of Pomerania", with the rest now lying in Poland.
One of more than 1000 megalith sites in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Lancken-Granitz dolmen
Slavic ring fortress at Cape Arkona, Rügen Island
Late medieval Brick Gothic architecture in Stralsund, nowadays a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Rostock was the major overseas port of East Germany, and is one of the most important Baltic Sea ports today. Pictured is Hanse Sail, one of the world's largest maritime events.