Jerking and squeaking, the tram weaves its way through the narrow alleys of Brandenburg's city center. The ride is like a trip through a history full of contradictions. This city used to be the most important center of the East German steel industry. You can still see it in some of the grey and sad-looking corners, which provide a striking visual contrast to the splendid medieval buildings scattered everywhere.

It's exactly this mixture that makes the 1,000-year-old Brandenburg so charming and interesting. You can spend entire days here just exploring the religious buildings and discovering the culture and history. You can visit the Dominsel ("Cathedral Island") with its St. Peter und Paul Cathedral and the Romanesque Nikolaikirche church. Then, there are also the towers on the town gates: Steintorturm in the Neustadt district and the Neustädtischer Mühlentorturm, Rathenower Torturm and Plauer Torturm, which have been preserved together with parts of the original medieval town fortifications. Overall, with its churches, cathedral, towers, cloisters and museums, the city offers plenty of interesting attractions from its past.

An aquatic city

All these things are found within this one small city on the river Havel, which flows around the Neustadt district and turns away from the old town and the Dominsel. Those who are tired from exploring the city or studying can relax in one of the waterside parks, such as Humboldthain or Krugpark, or in a cafe. Whatever the choice, Brandenburg offers a relaxed, feel-good atmosphere.

Sports and recreation

Brandenburg's 72,000 residents have a lot of green areas and water at their disposal. This becomes a particularly appealing feature in the summer months. Interested in a round-the-city paddleboat ride? No problem at all. And what about a canoe ride? Also, not a problem. Brandenburg is a place where you can try out many different water sports, because life in this city largely revolves around them.

Those who prefer to remain on solid ground can simply explore the city on foot, as its small size is ideal for walking. And even if your legs get tired, there's always the tram. Getting lost is not really an issue here, either. Everything is pretty close - even the University of Applied Sciences is only a ten-minute tram ride from the railway station.

Focusing on studies

The relatively new Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences, founded in 1992, is still too small to have much of an influence on the city's character. The university's campus is a true campus, meaning that everything is in one place and not spread out throughout the city. Even the students themselves don't spend much time out on the town. A major reason for this is the fact that Berlin is only 70 kilometers away, so those who crave some real city nightlife go there instead of to Brandenburg.

Author: Christine Watty