Brake (Unterweser)

Brake
"Telegraph" in Brake
Coat of arms
Brake
Location of Brake within Wesermarsch district
Coordinates: 53°20′N 8°29′E / 53.333°N 8.483°E / 53.333; 8.483Coordinates: 53°20′N 8°29′E / 53.333°N 8.483°E / 53.333; 8.483
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Wesermarsch
Government
• Mayor	Michael Kurz (SPD) (Ind.)
Area
• Total	38.18 km2 (14.74 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	15,129
• Density	400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	26919
Dialling codes	04401
Vehicle registration	BRA
Website	www.brake.de

Brake (German pronunciation: [ˈbʁaːkə]) is the district seat of Wesermarsch district in northern Germany.

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.

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.

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.