The Fläming Heath is a region and a hill chain that reaches over 100 km from the Elbe

Elbe

The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...

 river to the Dahme River

Dahme River

The Dahme is a river that flows through the Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany. It is a left bank tributary of the River Spree and is approximately in length.-Course:The source of the Dahme is near the eponymous town Dahme....

 in the German states Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...

 and Brandenburg

Brandenburg

Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...

. Its highest elevation is the Hagelberg (201 m). The name Fläming originates from the 12th century, when Flemish colonists

Flemish people

The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...

 came to settle in the region from the overcrowded cities of Flanders

Flanders

Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

.

Today, the Fläming Heath is a rural area, which benefits from its vicinity to the Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

 metropolitan area. Tourism became an important economic sector. With its three nature parks (High Fläming Nature Park

High Fläming Nature Park

High Fläming Nature Park is a 827 km² nature park in Potsdam-Mittelmark district in the German state Brandenburg. It is the third largest of 11 nature parks in the state of Brandenburg...

, Fläming Nature Park

Fläming Nature Park

The Fläming Nature Park is a nature park with 824 km² in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, opened in 2005. It is one of six nature parks in the state Saxony-Anhalt....

, and Nuthe-Nieplitz Nature Park), the focus is on walking, cycling and recreation in nature. Another tourist attraction is FlaemingSkate, which is one of the longest inline-skating tracks in Europe (190 km).

The towns Ziesar

Ziesar

Ziesar is a town in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 25 km southwest of the town of Brandenburg....

, Bad Belzig, Niemegk

Niemegk

Niemegk is a town in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 10 km southeast of Belzig, and 23 km north of Wittenberg. It is located in the High Fläming Nature Park....

, Treuenbrietzen

Treuenbrietzen

Treuenbrietzen is a town in the Bundesland of Brandenburg, Germany.-History:The town has existed since the Middle Ages and the first written evidence about it is from 1217. During the Reformation, Martin Luther came in 1537 to preach in the town, but his way to the church was blocked...

, Jüterbog

Jüterbog

Jüterbog is a historic town in north-eastern Germany, located in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg. It is located on the Nuthe river at the northern slope of the Fläming hill range, about southwest of Berlin.-History:...

, Baruth/Mark, Dahme/Mark, Wittenberg

Wittenberg

Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....

, Loburg

Loburg

Loburg is a town and former municipality in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Ehle, north of Zerbst. Since 1 January 2009, it is part of the town Möckern....

, Möckern

Möckern

Möckern is a town in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated east of Magdeburg. It is part of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Möckern-Loburg-Fläming. The Battle of Möckern took place south of the town in 1813.-History:Möckern was originally called "Mokrianici" by the...

, and Zerbst

Zerbst

Zerbst is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until the administrative reform of 2007, Zerbst was the capital of the Anhalt-Zerbst district. Since the 1 January 2010 local government reform, Zerbst has about 24,000 inhabitants.It is not clear when was it founded;...

, as well as the municipalities Wiesenburg (Mark)

Wiesenburg (Mark)

Wiesenburg is a municipality in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 11 km west of Belzig, and 46 km southwest of Brandenburg...

 and Rabenstein/Fläming, are situated in or at the border of the Fläming Heath.