Märkisch-Oderland is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the eastern part of
Brandenburg
Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Neighboring this district are (from the north clockwise) the district of
Barnim, the country of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, the district-free city of
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With around 58,000 inh ...
, the district of
Oder-Spree
Oder-Spree is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the eastern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring are (from north clockwise) the district Märkisch-Oderland, the district-free city Frankfurt (Oder), Poland, the districts Spree-Neiße and Dahme-Spreewal ...
and the ''
Bundesland'' of
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. The administrative seat is the town of
Seelow but the largest town is
Strausberg.
Geography
The district extends from the outskirts of
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
in the west to the
Oder
The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...
river and the
Polish border in the east. It includes a swampy area along the Oder known as the ''
Oderbruch The Oderbruch () is a landscape located at the Oder river in eastern Germany on the Polish border, with a small part also in Poland. It extends from the towns Oderberg and Bad Freienwalde in the north to Lebus in the south, in the county of Märkisc ...
'', about 60 km in length and 17 km in width. The Oderbruch was partially drained and populated in the 18th century. The rest of the district is mainly agricultural land.
History
The district dates back to the district of
Lebus and the district of
Oberbarnim, which were both created in 1816. The district of Lebus dates back to the ''Land Lebus'', the region around the town of
Lebus. In 1863 Seelow became the seat of the administration of the district of Lebus, and in 1950 the district was renamed to ''Kreis Seelow''. In 1952 the districts were split into three parts, the districts of Bad Freienwalde, Seelow and Strausberg. In 1993 the three parts were merged to form the current district - the new name refers to
Northmarch lands at the
Oder
The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...
river.
Demography
File:Bevölkerungsentwicklung Landkreis Märkisch-Oderland.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 Märkisch-Oderland.pdf, Recent Population Development and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to the Census in Germany 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 the eagle of Brandenburg in the upper half. The upper half also resembles the coat of arms of the former district of Oberbarnim. In the lower half are two boat-hooks and a star, both taken from the coat of arms of the former district of Seelow. The wavy line in the bottom represents the Oder river.
Towns and municipalities
References
External links
Märkisch-Oderland official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Markisch-Oderland