Brandenburg Hohenzollern dynasty from 1415, it contained the future German capital Berlin. After 1618 the Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Prussia were combined to form Brandenburg-Prussia, which was ruled by the same branch of the House of Hohenzollern. In 1701 the state was elevated as the Kingdom of Prussia. Franconian Nuremberg and Ansbach, Swabian Hohenzollern, the eastern European connections of Berlin, and the status of Brandenburg's ruler as prince-elector together were instrumental in the rise of that state. Brandenburg is situated in territory known in antiquity as Magna Germania, which reached to the Vistula river. By the 7th century,
Brandenburg Gate (Kaliningrad) Brandenburg Gate (Kaliningrad) The Brandenburg Gate (Russian: "Бранденбургские ворота", tr.: "Brandenburgskie vorota", German: "Brandenburger Tor") is one of seven surviving city gates in Kaliningrad, the former German city of Königsberg. The gate is located on Bagration Street and is the only gate of Kaliningrad still in use for the intended purpose. The Brandenburg Gate was built in the south-western part of Königsberg in 1657, with the strengthening of the city walls at the intersection with the road leading to the castle of Brandenburg (now the village of Ushakovo). Due to lack of funds a mere wooden gate was erected. Some