Brandenburg an der Havel – Prussian memorial sites

The city that gave the state its name is well over 1,000 years old and played a central role in the spread of Christianity east of the Elbe. The first bishop's see was located here. In addition to the richly decorated cathedral (tip: Dommuseum) and the neighbouring former castle chapel, five other medieval churches bear witness to the city’s former importance; of these, the interior of St. Gotthardtkirche is particularly worth seeing.

Centre between Elbe and Oder

Elector Joachim I bestowed the title of “Spa and Capital” on the city in 1521. As a city involved in long-distance trading with a market square and a court of law, Brandenburg was for a long time a proud centre between the Elbe and Oder rivers. The more than five-metre-high Roland statue in front of the Old Town Hall still bears witness to this today.

Ritterakademie: fitting education and training for the Brandenburg nobles

In 1705, King Frederick I of Prussia had the Ritterakademie (“Knights' Academy”) established in the buildings of the cathedral chapter: it was dedicated to the education of the nobility of Mark Brandenburg – a highly successful foundation which existed up until 1937. Former students are still involved in the restoration of the cathedral complex, as the ceiling paintings in the cloisters show.

The Fouqués: between militarism and romanticism

On the cathedral island (Burghof 5) stands the house where Heinrich August de la Motte Fouqué (1698-1774) lived as cathedral provost. He was a confidant of Frederick II and fought at his side as a Prussian general during the wars. The King was also godfather to Fouqué's grandson, the later Romantic poet Frederick Henry Charles Baron de la Motte-Fouqué.

Free of civil taxes and duties

The last Baroque building in the historic city centre of Brandenburg is located at Ritterstrasse 96. It was built in 1723 for Colonel Ewald von Massow, commander of Prussian Infantry Regiment No. 1. Stones from the Marienkirche on Harlungerberg (now Marienberg) served as building material. This masterpiece of late Romanesque brick architecture was approved for demolition by Frederick William I a year earlier.

In 1751, King Frederick II declared the Massow Palace to be a “Frey-Haus” – a house free of taxes and duties. Today this building houses local history museum, where the sword can be found that was used to execute Hans Hermann von Katte (1704-1730), a friend of Crown Prince Frederick who helped the latter escape.

Prams, bicycles and motor vehicles from Brandenburg

After Berlin, the city was the most important industrial base in the province of Brandenburg. Metalworking was the main industry. The best-known and most important company was the Brennabor-Werke, founded in 1871. It supplied prams, bicycles, cars and tanks. The first steel and rolling mill was built in 1914. The Siemens-Martin furnace used for steel production up until 1993 is the only one still surviving in Europe today! The Technical Monument is the centrepiece of the Industrial Museum Brandenburg.

Further information

Dommuseum

www.dom-brandenburg.de

Stadtmuseum Brandenburg – Museum im Frey-Haus

www.museen-brandenburg.de

Industriemuseum Brandenburg

www.industriemuseum-brandenburg.de

Archäologisches Landesmuseum im Paulikloster

www.landesmuseum-brandenburg.de