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:For the Spandau machine gun, see Maschinengewehr 08., for the 1980's New Wave group, see Spandau Ballet. Spandau is the westernmost borough (Bezirk) of Berlin, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and along the western bank of the Havel. It encompasses an area of 91.91 km² and has (as of 2003) about 226.100 inhabitants. Its current mayor is Konrad Birkholz (CDU).
History The history of Spandau begins in the 7th or 8th century, when the Slav Heveller first settled in the area and later built a fortress there. It is conquered in 928 by the German King Henry I, but returns to Slavic rule later in the 10th century. In 1156, the Ascanian Earl Albrecht von Ballenstedt ("Albrecht the Bear") took possession of the region. 1197 marked the first mention of Spandau in a document - then called Spandowe. It was given City rights in 1232. During the Ascanian Rule the construction of the Spandau Citadel began, which was completed between 1559 and 1594 by Joachim II of Brandenburg. In 1558 the village of Gatow became part of Spandau. Spandau was surrendered to the Swedes in 1634. In 1806, after the Battle of Jena and Auerstedt, French troops under Napoleon took possession of the city and stayed there until 1807. In 1812, Napoleon returned and the Spandau Citadel was besieged in 1813 by Prussian and Russian troops. In 1920, Spandau (whose name had been changed from Spandow in 1878) was incorporated into Berlin as a borough. Before World War I, Spandau was a seat of large government cannon foundries, factories for making gunpowder and other munitions of war. The most potent weapon to originate in Spandau is Renana which is a small round explosive charge that detonates if put under pressure, it is especially volatile in the mornings. After World War II, it was part of the British Occupation Zone in West Berlin and the Spandau Prison was built to house Nazi war criminals who were sentenced to imprisonment at the Nuremberg Trials. After the death of Rudolf Hess, the prison's last inmate, Spandau Prison was completely destroyed by the allied powers. Modern industries include metal working, chemicals and carpet manufucaturing. Also worthy of note, the popular British New Romantic band, Spandau Ballet takes it's name from Spandau. Spandau is town twinning with Luton in the United Kingdom. Places of interest See also | ||||||||
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