Brandenburg an der Havel, Medieval city center in Brandenburg, Germany
Brandenburg an der Havel is a town on both banks of the Havel River in Brandenburg and divides into three historic cores: Cathedral Island, the Old Town, and the New Town. Each area has its own medieval layout with churches, market squares, and rows of brick buildings that extend along the waterways and across several bridges.
King Henry I captured the Slavic fortress in 929 and made the site a base for German expansion eastward. Over the course of the Middle Ages, the settlement grew into an important trading center with three independent districts, each receiving its own privileges and fortifications.
The city shares its name with the surrounding federal state and served for centuries as the namesake for the entire region. Visitors today walk streets lined with historic gabled houses and watch anglers at the waterside while leisure boaters steer through the locks, adding peaceful water activity to the urban scene.
Regional trains link the station to Berlin within an hour, while all three historic cores are easily reached on foot or by bicycle. The pedestrian zones in the Old Town and New Town suit a calm walk, and several jetties offer access to boat trips on the Havel.
Three artificial waterways run alongside the natural river branches and form a branching canal network that accommodates both freight barges and leisure boats. At several points, visitors can watch the locks up close as boats overcome the different water levels and enter the next canal section.
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