Braunschweig

Brunswick Braunschweig (German) Bronswiek (Low German)
City
Clockwise from top: Castle Square with Brunswick Cathedral, Dankwarderode Castle and the Brunswick Lion, Happy Rizzi House, Town Hall, Brunswick Palace, Old Town market with the Church of Saint Martin and the Alte Waage with the Church of Saint Andrew
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Brunswick within Lower Saxony
Brunswick Show map of Germany Brunswick Show map of Lower Saxony
Coordinates: 52°16′N 10°31′E / 52.267°N 10.517°E / 52.267; 10.517
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Urban district
Founded	9th century
Subdivisions	19 boroughs
Government
• Lord mayor (2021–26)	Thorsten Kornblum[1] (SPD)
Area
• City	192.13 km2 (74.18 sq mi)
Elevation	75 m (246 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)[4]
• City	251,804
• Density	1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
• Urban	551,000[3]
• Metro	1,582,740[2]
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	38100–38126
Dialling codes	0531, 05307, 05309, 05300
Vehicle registration	BS
Website	Braunschweig.de

Braunschweig (German: [ˈbʁaʊnʃvaɪk] ^ⓘ) or Brunswick^[5] (English: /ˈbrʌnzwɪk/ BRUN-zwik; from Low German Brunswiek, local dialect: Bronswiek [ˈbrɔˑnsviːk]) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser. In 2024, it had a population of 272,417. The urban agglomeration of Braunschweig had an estimated population of 551,000 during the year 2024.^[6] Braunschweig is considered a regiopolis and is one of the largest ones in Northern Germany and the largest regiopolis in Lower Saxony. The city is seen as a major hub within the region due to it having multiple characteristics of a metropolitan city in a smaller scale or in a comparative amount to other metropolitan cities in Germany.

The urban agglomeration of Braunschweig is the most diverse in Lower Saxony and one of the most in Germany, with a bit over 40% of its residents having a migration background; over 75% of the Germans residing in Braunschweig come from different parts of Germany particularly the Eastern states.

56% or 101.82 km2 of the city's area is made up of green spaces such as parks and forests. Braunschweig has a population density of 2,676 per square kilometer excluding the green areas, making it a relatively dense city. Many districts of the city have a density over 3,300 people per square kilometer such as Weststadt, Innenstadt, Westliches Ringgebiet, Nordstadt, or Östliches Ringgebiet. Due to the city's limited urban core and efforts in preserving green spaces, 73% of the residents live in multi-storey apartments. ^{[7][8] [9]}

A powerful and influential centre of commerce in medieval Germany, Brunswick was a member of the Hanseatic League from the 13th until the 17th century. It was the capital city of three successive states: the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1269–1432, 1754–1807, and 1813–1814), the Duchy of Brunswick (1814–1918), and the Free State of Brunswick (1918–1946).

Today, Brunswick is the second-largest city in Lower Saxony and a major centre of scientific research and development.^[10]