Barnim Plateau

The Barnim Plateau is a plateau which is occupied by the northeastern parts of Berlin and the surrounding federal state of Brandenburg in Germany.

The limits of the plateau are easily definable. The southern boundary is marked by the Berlin Valley, through which the River Spree flows. To the west, the boundary between Barnim and the Glien Plateau is marked by a north-south glacial valley. To the north and north east is the boundary with the Eberswald Valley, and in the east, Lubusz Land.

Traditionally the plateau is divided into the Upper and Lower Barnim, separated by a line running between Strausberg and Eberswalde. Typically, Lower Barnim does not reach higher than 80 metres above mean sea level (AMSL) whereas Upper Barnim is generally more than 100 metres AMSL. The highest point of the plateau is Semmelberg which stands at 157 metres AMSL.

Until the growth of Berlin in the 19th century, Barnim was only sparsely populated; in the eastern portion this continues to be the case. Excluding Berlin, only Bernau and Strausberg are the only settlements with more than 10,000 inhabitants. Werneuchen, Altlandsberg and Biesenthal are among the smaller towns in the area. Several once-independent towns such as Oranienburg and Wriezen, which were once independent towns, were incorporated into Berlin as a result of urban sprawl in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The southern edge of Barnim in the vicinity of Rüdersdorf unusually contains widespread deposits of limestone, Buntsandstein and Muschelkalk. The relatively high position of the limestone in the bedrock is explained by the presence of a salt dome; the migrating salt pushed the overlying sedimentary rock closer to the surface. The limestone deposits gave birth to an expansive quarry which provided building materials for the expanding Berlin, an example of which being the tower of St. Mary's Church.

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