The Brandenburg district of Barnim, with Eberswalde as its administrative centre, is situated north-east of Berlin and borders on Poland in the Lunow-Stolzenhagen municipality. Its largest city though is Bernau, near Berlin. Barnim is famous for its forests and lakes and many parts of the district have been declared nature reserves. Alongside tourism and forestry, the health sector and energy and metalworking firms are important employers in the region. In addition, many people commute to work outside the district every day, in particular to Berlin. Unlike many regions in north-eastern Germany, Barnim’s population has increased since 1993, by roughly 28 %.