SPANDAU

district of Berlin, Germany, on the Havel River at the mouth of the Spree. Originally the site of a Sorbian (Wendish) fortress, Spandau became German c. 1230 and was granted civic rights in 1232. It was incorporated into Berlin in 1920. The citadel (156094, including the 12th-century Julius Tower) is one of the oldest well-preserved Italian-style Renaissance fortifications in northern Germany, and the 14th-century St. Nicholas' Church is the oldest Gothic church in Berlin. After 1946 the Spandau prison, on the Wilhelmstrasse, housed the Nazi war criminals sentenced by the Allies. Spandau is the chief industrial district of Berlin, with the electrotechnical firm of Siemens in the Siemensstadt section and an airport at Gatow. It also has a number of parks and forests, notably the large Spandauerforst, which makes it a favourite weekend resort for Berliners. Pop. (1986 est.) 192,895.