Brandenburg

Brandenburg (Low Sorbian: Bramborska, Low German: Brannenborg) is a state (Bundesland) in Germany. It has been a state since 1990. It is 29,480 km² in area. It has about 2.6 million inhabitants.

Until 1945 it was the biggest province in Prussia, with 38,278 km² and 3 million inhabitants. From 1949 to 1952 it was a state in the German Democratic Republic. In 1952 it became divided into three Bezirke (Potsdam, Frankfurt and Cottbus). The capital of Brandenburg is Potsdam.

Berlin is in the middle of Brandenburg. But it is not part of Brandenburg. It is a city state.

 History 
 1373 Karl IV bought Brandenburg for his sons from the Wittelsbacher
 1539 Protestant Reformation
 1618 United with Prussia
 1815 Brandenburg became a province in Prussia
 1945 Brandenburg lost 32% to Poland
 1949 State in East Germany
 1952 Divided into three Bezirke (Districts)
 1990 State of the reunited Germany

 Administration 
Brandenburg is divided into fourteen Kreise (districts):
 Prignitz
 Ostprignitz-Ruppin
 Oberhavel
 Uckermark
 Havelland
 Barnim
 Märkisch-Oderland
 Potsdam-Mittelmark
 Teltow-Fläming
 Oder-Spree
 Dahme-Spreewald
 Elbe-Elster
 Oberspreewald-Lausitz
 Spree-Neiße

Also Brandenburg has four Kreisfreie Städte (district-free city):
 Brandenburg
 Cottbus
 Frankfurt an der Oder
 Potsdam

 List of Minister-Presidents 
 1945 - 1949: Karl Steinhoff
 1949 - 1952: Rudi Jahn
 1990 - 2002: Manfred Stolpe (SPD)
 2002 - 2013: Matthias Platzeck (SPD)
 since 2013: Dietmar Woidke (SPD)

 Cities and counties 
Brandenburg is divided into fourteen (rural) counties (Landkreise),

File:brandenburg.jpg
 Barnim
 Dahme-Spreewald
 Elbe-Elster
 Havelland
 Märkisch-Oderland
 Oberhavel
 Oberspreewald-Lausitz<li> Oder-Spree
<li> Ostprignitz-Ruppin
<li> Potsdam-Mittelmark
<li> Prignitz
<li> Spree-Neiße
<li> Teltow-Fläming
<li> Uckermark

and four urban districts (kreisfreie Städte),

 Brandenburg an der Havel
 Cottbus
 Frankfurt (Oder)
 Potsdam