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 also on the Magdeburg and Berlin railway, 37 miles W.S.W. of Berlin. It was founded about the seventh century by some Slavonian tribes, who were afterwards driven out by Albert the Bear, and Brandenburg became the capital of the mark of the same name. The town is inclosed 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." The cathedral, an ancient structure of the fourteenth century, the old church
Brandeum
Brandy.
of St Katharine, erected in 1410, and the council-house, deserve notice for their antiquity and works of art. There are also a castle, gymnasium, riding academy, public library, theatre, and several hospitals. In the market-place stands the Rolandszaile, a column 18 feet in height, hewn out of a single block of stone. The town has a very considerable trade, and manufactures of woollens, linens, hosiery, and paper, with breweries, tanneries, and boat-building. Pop. (1849) 18,309.