Oder-Spree is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the eastern part of

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Neighboring are (from north clockwise) the district

Märkisch-Oderland Märkisch-Oderland is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the eastern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring are (from the north clockwise) the district Barnim, the country Poland, the district-free city Frankfurt (Oder), the district Oder-Spree and ...

, the district-free city Frankfurt (Oder),

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, the districts Spree-Neiße and Dahme-Spreewald, and the ''Bundesland''

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

Geography

The district is named after the two major rivers in the district - the Spree river forms a large bend within the district; the Oder river constitutes the eastern border.

History

The district was created in 1993 by merging the districts Eisenhüttenstadt, Beeskow and Fürstenwalde, and the district-free city Eisenhüttenstadt.

Demography

File:Bevölkerungsentwicklung Landkreis Oder-Spree.pdf, Development of Population since 1875 within the Current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population Development of Brandenburg state) File:Bevölkerungsprognosen Landkreis Oder-Spree.pdf, Recent Population Development and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to the

Census in Germany A national census in Germany (german: Volkszählung) was held every five years from 1875 to 1910. After the World Wars, only a few full population censuses have been held, the last in 1987. The most recent census, though not a national census, wa ...

in 2011 (blue bordered line); Official projections for 2005-2030 (yellow line); for 2014-2030 (red line); for 2017-2030 (scarlet line)

Coat of arms

The coat of arms shows symbols for the three former districts which make up the district. In the top left quarter is the coat of arms of the Bishops of Lebus, who had their seat in Fürstenwalde. The second quarter shows the checkered bar of the

Cistercian Order The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Sain ...

as the symbol of the Abbey of Neuzelle, who until 1817 owned most of the territory which later became the district Eisenhüttenstadt. The two quarters in the bottom symbolize the former district Beeskow. The three knives in the left are the symbol of the Lords of Strehla, the deer antler the symbol of the Lords of Biberstein, who in 1317 succeeded the Lords of Strehla as the Lords of Beeskow and Storkow.

Towns and municipalities

The capital of the district is Beeskow, but

Fürstenwalde Fürstenwalde/Spree (; Lower Sorbian: ''Pśibor pśi Sprjewje'') is the most populous town in the Oder-Spree District of Brandenburg, Germany. Geography The town is situated in the glacial valley (''Urstromtal'') of the Spree river north of the ...

is the biggest town, with a population of 31,000 people.

Geography

History

Demography

Coat of arms

Towns and municipalities

References

External links