BRANDENBURG, one of the largest provinces of Prussia, and the division from which that powerful monarchy originally sprung. It lies between 51° and 53° 34' N. lat. and ll o 25' and 16° 10' E. long., and is bounded on the N. by Mecklenburg and the province of Pomerania, E. by Posen and Silesia, S. by Silesia and the kingdom and province of Saxony, and W. by Anhalt and the provinces of Saxony and Hanover. It has an area of 15,403 square miles, and is divided into the two governments of Potsdam and Frankfort, the capital, Berlin, forming a separate jurisdiction. The province is a sandy plain interspersed with numerous fertile districts and considerable stretches of woodland. Its barrenness was formerly much exaggerated, and it was popularly described as the sandbox of the Holy Boman Empire. It is generally well-watered by tributaries of its two principal rivers, the Elbe and the Oder, and is besides remarkable for the number of its lakes, of which no fewer than 600 or 700 great or small are enumerated. The mineral products comprise coal, limestone, gypsum, alum, and potter’s earth; barley and rye are tho usual cereals; fruits and vegetables are abundant; and considerable quantities of hemp, flax, hops, and tobacco are raised. The breeding of sheep receives great attention, and the province furnishes a greater export of wool than any other in the kingdom. Bees are kept in considerable numbers, especially in the neighbourhood of Sorau. The climate is cold and raw in winter, excessively hot in summer, and there are frequently violent storms of wind. The manufacturing industry of the province is both varied and extensive, but is for the most part concentrated in the principal cities. The most important branches are the spinning and weaving of wool and cotton, the ...manufacture of paper, and the distillation of brandy. Educational institutions are very numerous, not only in the capital, but throughout the province. There are in all 135 towns in the province, the most important being— [table]
In 1871 the population was 2,863,229, of whom 2,720,242 were Protestants, 86,047 Boman Catholics, and 47,484 Jews.
Brandenburg, a town of Prussia, capital of the circle of West Havelland, in the government of Potsdam, and province of Brandenburg. It is situated on the River Havel, and on the Magdeburg and Berlin Railway, 37 miles W.S.W. of Berlin. The town is enclosed by walls, and is divided into three parts by the river,—the old town on the right and the new town on the left bank, while on an island between them is the “cathedral town,” also called, from its position, “Venice.” Many of the houses are built on piles, through which the water of the river flows. The cathedral, an ancient structure of the 14th century, the old church of St Katharine, erected in 1410, and the council-house, deserve notice for their antiquity and as works of art. There are also a castle, a gymnasium, a riding academy, a public library, a theatre, and several hospitals. In the market-place stands a Rolandssaüle, a colossal figure 18 feet in height, hewn out of a single block of stone; and a little to the N. of the town is the Marienberg, on which the heathen temple of Triglaff and afterwards the church of St Mary’s were built. The town has a very considerable trade, with manufactures’ of woollens, silks, linens, hosiery, and paper, as well as breweries, tanneries, and boat-building. Population in 1871, 25,822.
Brandenburg, originally Brennabonch, was founded by some Slavonian tribes, from whom it was captured in 928 by the emperor Henry I., who surrounded it with strong fortifications. A bishopric was founded there in 949, subject to Mayence, and subsequently (968) to Magdeburg; but the heathen Wends succeeded in getting possession of the town, and were only expelled by Albert the Bear in 1161.
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