Braunschweig or Brunswick is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker River, which connects it to the North Sea via the Aller and Weser Rivers. 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, the Duchy of Brunswick, and the Free State of Brunswick.
Today, Brunswick is the second-largest city in Lower Saxony and a major centre of scientific research and development.