1. Brandenburg BRANDENBURG Um Berlin herum

2. Bruecke zu Osteuropa  Norddeutsches Tiefland – Forrest, Lakes, Swamps  Capitol – Potsdam (was the Residence of the Prussian Kings) Also sight of the Potsdam conference which decided the division of Germany after WWII  Oder/Neisse Line – the Polish Border  Major Rivers: Elbe, Havel, Spree, Oder Neisse

3. Schloss Sansoucci

4. History  Hohenzollern family of Brandenburg inherited Prussia  The elector of Brandenburg became King of Prussia  Berlin was the capitol of Prussia until it became the capitol of Germany in 1920  Eastern Brandenburg went to Poland after WWI, and Oder/Neisse became the border.

5. Bremen – Freie Hansestadt STADTSTAATEN – CITY STATES  Landschaft – Norddeutsches Tiefland North Sea Shore, and mouth of the River Weser City of Bremen founded in 8 th Century Cathedral from 11 th Century, Rathaus in the Gothic Style  2 nd largest Seaport of Germany  Smallest of the German States State includes city of Bremen and Bremerhaven (60 km apart)

6. History of the Hanse aka Hanseatic League  Medieval confederation of commercial cities of the North and Baltic Seas  Provide mutual protection (military and commercial)  Height of power was reached in the 15 th century as the power of the princes and the federal government increased

7. Hamburg – largest German port  Landschaft – Norddeutsches Tiefland  Shipbuilding and shipping  Second largest city of Germany was founded in the 9 th century – originally to bring Christianity to the northern regions of Germany  The treaty between Hamburg and Luebeck was the beginning of the Hanse (Ostsee und Nordsee)

8. Hamburg Alster

9. Hamburg continued  2 nd smallest Bundesland  Virtually destroyed in WWII and rebuilt in the modern style  Major River confluence of Elbe and Alster  Hamburg was founded by Charlemagne as an outpost against the Saxons who refused to practice Christianity

10. Hessen – In the Heart of Germany  Mittelgebirgszone – forested are  Hauptstadt is Wiesbaden – Kurort (Thermal Spa)

11. Hessen’s Geography  Major Rivers: Lahn, Rhein und Main  Mittelgebirge: Odenwald, Taunus, Vogelsberg, Hessisches Bergland  Many Spas throughout Hessen  Who is Dorothea Viehman?  Frankfurt The largest city Banking capitol of the European Union

12. Frankfurt am Main

13. Hessen history  Hessian mercenaries  Present day Germany is politically descendent from Holy Roman Empire  Frankfurt Election site of the Holy Roman Emperor and German Kings Birthplace of Goethe Limes nearby