Coordinates: 53°20′N 8°29′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically); large version (pdf) The geographic (earth-mapping) coordinate system expresses every horizontal position on Earth by two of the three coordinates of a spherical coordinate system which is aligned with the spin axis of the Earth. ...

Brake
Federal state	Lower Saxony
Administrative region	Weser-Ems
District	Wesermarsch
Population	16,275 pop_dens = 426 (31/12/2003)
Area	38.18 km²
Population density	/km²
Elevation	3 m
Coordinates	53°20′ N 8°29′ E
Postal code	26919
Area code	04401
Licence plate code	BRA
Mayor	Uta Maron (Independent)
Website	Stadt Brake

Brake (IPA /'brα:kə/) is the district seat of Wesermarsch district in the administrative region (Regierungsbezirk) of Weser-Ems in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It has 16,275 inhabitants (2003). Germany is a Federal Republic made up of 16 States, known in German as Länder (transliterated as Laender in English, singular Land). ... With an area of 47,618 km and nearly eight million inhabitants, Lower Saxony (German Niedersachsen) lies in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the countrys sixteen Bundesl nder (federal states). ... A Regierungsbezirk is an administrative region of Germany, a subdivision of certain federal states (Bundesländer). ... Weser-Ems is the most westerly of the four Regierungsbezirke of Lower Saxony, Germany, bordering the Dutch provinces of Groningen, Drenthe and Overijssel. ... There are 439 German districts, administrative units in Germany. ... Wesermarsch is a Kreis (district) in the northwestern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... Basic Definition In geography, the elevation of a geographic location is its height above mean sea level (or some other fixed point). ... See Cartesian coordinate system or Coordinates (elementary mathematics) for a more elementary introduction to this topic. ... German Postleitzahl map of the first two digits Postal codes in Germany, known as Postleitzahl (pl. ... see also Telephone numbering plan of Germany for further codes including service numbers, cell phones etc. ... German car number plates show the place where the car carrying them is registered. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger,greater) is the politician who serves as chief executive official of some types of municipalities. ... The front page of the English Wikipedia Website. ... IPA may refer to: The International Phonetic Alphabet or India Pale Ale ... Wesermarsch is a Kreis (district) in the northwestern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. ... A Regierungsbezirk is an administrative region of Germany, a subdivision of certain federal states (Bundesländer). ... Weser-Ems is the most westerly of the four Regierungsbezirke of Lower Saxony, Germany, bordering the Dutch provinces of Groningen, Drenthe and Overijssel. ... With an area of 47,618 km and nearly eight million inhabitants, Lower Saxony (German Niedersachsen) lies in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the countrys sixteen Bundesl nder (federal states). ...

Geography

Brake lies in the centre of the square formed by Bremerhaven, Bremen, Oldenburg and Wilhelmshaven. With its position up from the North Sea on the lower Weser, which can accommodate ocean-going ships, its proximity to Autobahnen A29 and A27 as well as to Bremen Airport, this port city has a favourable infrastructure supporting land, sea, and air travel. Moreover, railway lines leading to Nordenham and Oldenburg/Bremen fill out the city's transport connections. Watershed of the River Weser Bremerhaven is a city in the federal state of Bremen, Germany. ... Bremen may mean: Bremen (city), the city in Germany itself Bremen Airport Bremen (state), which comprises the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven Archbishopric of Bremen, a historical state to the north of the city Duchy of Bremen, a historical state created on the secularization of the archbishopric in 1648 Bremen... Oldenburg (Low Saxon: Ollnborg) is an Independent City in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... Wilhelmshaven is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... Weser watershed Orthographic projection centred over Bremen The Weser is a river of north-western Germany. ... The German and Austrian autobahn sign The Swiss autobahn sign Autobahn (pronounced in IPA) is the German word for a major high-speed road confined to motor vehicles and having full control of access, similar to a motorway or freeway in English-speaking countries. ... Bundesautobahn 27 (abbreviated BAB 27) branches off the A 7 at Autobahndreieck Walsrode to the northwest, crossing A 1 at the Bremer Kreuz and continuing eastwards of Bremen, toward Cuxhaven. ... Bremen Airport or Flughafen Bremen (IATA: BRE, ICAO: EDDW) serves the city of Bremen, Germany. ... Categories: Stub | Commercial item transport and distribution | Transportation ... Weser watershed Nordenham is a town of about 28. ...

With the Weser tunnel to the north, which was opened to road traffic in January 2004, Brake was given even better connections to the region's Autobahn network. However, since cyclists and pedestrians may not use the tunnel, and since the ferry service across the river Weser was cut back after the tunnel's opening, those on bicycles or on foot suffer a distinct disadvantage to their mobility in the region. Cycling is a recreation, a sport and a means of transport across land. ... A pedestrian at the intersection of Alinga Street and Northbourne Avenue, Canberra, Australia Look up Pedestrian on Wiktionary, the free dictionary A pedestrian is a person travelling on foot, whether walking or running. ... A disused railway tunnel now converted to pedestrian and bicycle use, near Houyet, Belgium A tunnel is an underground passage. ... The Pride of Burgundy, a P&O Ferries car ferry on the Dover-Calais route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on scheduled services. ... This racing bicycle is built using lightweight, shaped aluminium tubing and carbon fiber stays and forks. ...

History

The term "Brake" first cropped up in the 14th century when an unsealed break in a dike led to flooding in the Harrier area. The actual documentary mention, dating from 25-30 May 1384, says "brake to Harghen (Harrien)". By the 17th century, "Brake" was ever more often being used not simply as the word for the old dikeburst, but as the community's name. From that time come the names Braksiel and Harrierbrake. This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

In 1731, the old Fischerhaus, Brake's oldest maintained house, was built. In 1756 came Brake's first documentary mention as a port city. During the 19th century, Brake became an important industrial centre for shipping, and the port facilities along the Weser were further expanded. In 1814, Brake set up its first council, Amt Brake. In 1835, Brake was declared a free port. In 1846, the telegraph was set up to relay shipping news between Bremen and Bremerhaven. In 1848-52 Brake was a German Imperial Fleet base under Admiral Karl Rudolf Brommy, the first ever commander of the German fleet. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Damaged package The Panama canal. ... A free port (porto franco) or free zone (US: Foreign-Trade Zone) is a port or area with relaxed jurisdiction with respect to the country of location. ... Telegraphy (from the Greek words tele = far away and grapho = write) is the long distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters, originally over wire. ... Rear Admiral Karl Rudolf Brommy (born September 10, 1804 in Anger near Leipzig, Saxony; died January 9, 1860 in St. ...

On 1 May 1856, Brake was raised to city, and furthermore Golzwarden and Hammelwarden were becoming established as communities (from 1913 onwards becoming parts of the City of Brake). In 1861, the river port was brought into operation. In 1873 came Brake's connection to the railway network. In 1892, the pier was built. In 1936 – the National Socialists had taken power in Germany by this time – the Admiral Brommy Barracks were built. May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The term National Socialism has been used in self-description by a number of different political groups and ideologies, some of which have no connection with the Nazis; see National socialism (disambiguation). ...

In 1960, the Shipping Museum was dedicated. In 1972 the Culture and Sport Centre with its city swimming pool and great sports hall came into service. In 1974, building began on the District Professional School Centre (Kreisberufsschulzentrum), and the communities of Golzwarden and Schmalenfleth were amalgamated into Brake. 50 meter indoor swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, or wading pool is an artificially enclosed body of water intended for recreational or competitive swimming, diving, or for other bathing activities that do not involve swimming, e. ...

In 1996, the Admiral Brommy Barracks were closed.

In 2006, Brake celebrated 150 years as a city.

Politics

Three groupings are represented on Brake City Council, the Social Democratic Party of Germany/Unabhängige Wählergemeinschaft (non-aligned citizens' coalition) or SDP/UWG, the Christian Democratic Union/Free Democratic Party or CDU/FDP, and a WGB (Wählergemeinschaft Brake or Brake Voters' Community) faction. The SDP/UWG grouping currently holds the majority of seats. Mayor Uta Maron, herself an independent, became Brake's first woman mayor in May 2000. SPD redirects here. ... The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU - Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands) is the largest conservative political party in Germany. ... The Free Democratic Party (Freie Demokratische Partei - FDP) is a liberal political party in Germany. ...

Seat distribution

• SPD: 17 – Factional chairman Dieter Lohstroh
• CDU: 9 – Factional chairman Claus Plachetka
• FDP: 2 – Factional chairman Gustav Hellmers
• WGB: 3 – Factional chairman Walter Erfmann
• UWG: 1 – Tede Tedsen
• Mayor: 1

SPD redirects here. ... The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU - Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands) is the largest conservative political party in Germany. ... The Free Democratic Party (Freie Demokratische Partei - FDP) is a liberal political party in Germany. ...

Sightseeing

Brake's landmark is the "Telegraph", built in 1846 under the Oldenburg Grand Duke Paul Friedrich August as an integral part of an optical telegraph line between Bremen and Bremerhaven.

Since 1960 the headquarters of the Shipping Museum of the Oldenburg Weser ports has housed exhibition pieces of the "Telegraph" on seven floors in all, which stand as a valuable document in the shipping history of Oldenburg's Lower Weser area.

Ship portraits, ship models, figureheads, sea charts, nautical instruments, and souvenirs brought from overseas are interesting witnesses to a long bygone time, and bring the epoch of the windjammer captains back to life. Bits of the Pamir shipwreck recall the time when that ship capsized and sank in a hurricane. A windjammer is a type of sailing ship with a large iron hull, usually used for cargo in the nineteenth century. ... The Pamir on a 5p stamp of the Falkland Islands The Pamir was one of the Flying P-Liners, the famous sailing ships of the German shipping company F. Laeisz. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ...

In an old salesman's and shipowner's house built in 1808, right near the "Telegraph", the second part of the Shipping Museum's collection has been housed. Here the visitor will find a complete shipping supply shop from the turn of the 20th century, a sailmaker's workshop, an old shipping company branch office, and Admiral Rudolf Brommy's livingroom. Those interested in shipping and nautical history will find in these two buildings a collection such as is seldom brought together.

Navy

Brake was for a long time an important centre for training the Navy's sailors. At the Admiral Brommy Barracks built in 1936, seamen and junior officers were readied for duty on board ship. After the war, it was primarily here that conscripts in the so-called "Heizerberufen" ("fireman conscripts") underwent basic training. This applied to Verwendungsreihen (≈occupational specialities) 42 (drive system technicians), 43 (electrical technicians), and 44 (ship's operation technicians). Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

In 1996, the whole training operation moved to the newly built Navy Technical School in Parow, which since then has come to include all the Navy's technical units up to ship's safety technicians (Neustadt/Holst) and the Navy Operations School (Bremerhaven). The Admiral Brommy Barracks were torn down in 2000.

Economy

Brake's location on a deepwater waterway such as the Weser was the deciding factor in the town's development and its harbour's competitiveness.

The harbour was shaped by its function as a trade centre for traditional bulk cargoes such as cereals, feed and manure, sulphur, as well as general goods such as wood, paper, iron and steel. Furthermore, trade was further bolstered by project loading, packaged goods and heavy cargo as well as containerized freight, giving the port a further focus of activity. This article is about grains in general. ... Animal manure is often a mixture of animals faeces and bedding straw, as in this example from a stable. ... For the chemical element see: sulfur. ... A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood derives from woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. ... Piece of paper Paper is a thin, flat material produced by the compression of fibers (or fibres). ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ... The old steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... Containerization is a system of intermodal cargo transport using standard ISO containers (also known as isotainers) that can be loaded sealed and intact onto container ships, railroad cars and trucks. ...

Today, Brake Harbour can handle ships with an 11.90 m draught and up to 45,000 tonnes deadweight. In the tideless inner harbour, LASH barges, coasters and inland-going barges are readied for European traffic. Barges regularly undertake extensive cargo runs on all Europe's waterways, to and from Brake. In nautical parlance, draft is the depth below waters surface of the lowest part of a ship or boat. ... Tonnage is a measure of the size or cargo capacity of a ship. ... The tide is the regular rising and falling of the oceans surface caused by changes in gravitational forces external to the Earth. ... Coastal trading vessels, also known as coasters, are shallow-hulled ships used for trade between locations on the same island or continent. ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to some dispute as to Europes actual borders. ...

In 2003, roughly 5.27 million tonnes of goods were handled. When barge traffic is counted, this reaches 6.28 million tonnes.

In 2004, the harbour, which up to this time had been freely accessible, was completely fenced in owing to international agreements. The north strait was closed to public traffic, and together with the old Navy school lands, added to the harbour area, which may now be entered only by authorized persons.

The district seat of Brake, with its roughly 16,300 inhabitants is a lively regional centre and the seat of many authorities.

For about 50,000 inhabitants in the commuter area (of 90,000 all together in Wesermarsch district) Brake moreover fulfils all service functions. These include a broad array of healthcare services, many public institutions and manifold cultural offerings. Health care or healthcare is one of the worlds largest and fastest growing professions. ...

As the Wesermarsch education hub, Brake has at its disposal all schools of higher learning. These opportunities are fulfilled by the nearby universities and technical colleges in Bremerhaven, Bremen, Oldenburg and Wilhelmshaven. A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctor) in a variety of subjects. ... A technical college focuses on teaching work skills. ... Watershed of the River Weser Bremerhaven is a city in the federal state of Bremen, Germany. ... Bremen may mean: Bremen (city), the city in Germany itself Bremen Airport Bremen (state), which comprises the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven Archbishopric of Bremen, a historical state to the north of the city Duchy of Bremen, a historical state created on the secularization of the archbishopric in 1648 Bremen... Oldenburg (Low Saxon: Ollnborg) is an Independent City in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... Wilhelmshaven is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. ...

For those interested in sports, there are indoor and outdoor swimming pools and tennis courts.

Personalities

• Karl Rudolf Bromme, known as Brommy: Admiral of the first German fleet (Reichsflotte in Brake, 1848-1852); born in Anger (today part of Leipzig).
• Arp Schnitger: born 2 July 1648 in Schmalenfleth (Brake); one of the best known organ builders; received a patent as royally privileged organ builder.
• Georg von der Vring: born 30 December 1889 in Brake; painter and drawing teacher; wrote poems and tales; since 1960 an honorary citizen of Brake; described Brake in his autobiography; last lived in Munich; died 28 February 1968, gravesite in Brake/Hammelwarden.
• Eduard Scheve, born 1836 in Vomarstein, founder of Evangelical Free Church Deaconry and Foreign Mission, was temporarily pastor in Brake.
• Helmut Debus: Low German songwriter.
• Lutz Ackermann: Moderator at Norddeutscher Rundfunk.

Rear Admiral Karl Rudolf Brommy (born September 10, 1804 in Anger near Leipzig, Saxony; died January 9, 1860 in St. ... Admiral is a word from the Arabic term Amir-al-bahr (commander of the sea). ... (help· info) [] (Sorbian/Lusatian: Lipsk) is the largest city in the Federal State (Bundesland) of Saxony in Germany. ... A Schnitger Pipe Organ Arp Schnitger (1648-1719) was a highly skilled and influential German organ builder. ... The Casavant pipe organ at Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica, Montreal The organ is a keyboard instrument with one or more manuals, and usually a pedalboard. ... Poetry (ancient Greek: poieo = create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... Munich (German: München, (pronounced listen)German Federal State of Bavaria. ... Wetter (Ruhr) is a town in western Germany and belongs to the area of Ruhrgebiet and the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. ... Low German (also called Plattdeutsch, Plattdüütsch or Low Saxon) is a name for the regional language varieties of the Low Germanic languages spoken mainly in northern Germany, southern Denmark and eastern Netherlands. ... Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) covers the 5 northernmost states of Germany. ...

External links

• Brake's official website