Barnim District

Barnim District is a district in Brandenburg, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) Poland, the district of Märkisch-Oderland, the city state of Berlin and the districts of Oberhavel and Uckermark.

History
The name "Barnim" emerged in the 13th century and was applied to a large forest region east of the Havel and north of the Spree, where noblemen used to hunt. The present district is roughly identical with, but somewhat smaller than this historical region.

The district was established in 1993 by merging the former districts of Bernau and Eberswalde.

Geography
Barnim extends from the Oder River to the outskirts of Berlin. The Oder River forms the eastern border. From here the Oder Havel Canal (connecting Oder and Havel) and the historical Finow Canal lead westwards to Eberswalde and beyond. The portions north of these artificial waterways are called Schorfheide. This is a forest region with several large lakes, e.g. Werbellinsee (8 km²), Grimnitzsee (8 km²) and Parsteiner See (10 km²). The Schorfheide is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and houses several rare animals like White-tailed Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Osprey, Black Stork, European Beaver and otter.