Braunschweig (German pronunciation: [ˈbʁaʊnʃvaɪk] (listen)) or Brunswick ( BRUNZ-wik, from Low German Brunswiek [ˈbrɔˑnsviːk], Braunschweig dialect: Bronswiek) 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 2016, it had a population of 250,704.
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.