Tangermünde is situated in the historic Altmark region of the North German Plain, on a glacial terminal moraine, above the left shore of the Elbe.

Since the administrative restructuring effective January 1, 2010, the area of Tangermünde comprises the former municipalities of Bölsdorf, Buch, Grobleben, Hämerten, Langensalzwedel, Miltern, and Storkau.

[4] Tangermünde can look back at a thousand-year-long history as already in 1009 the medieval chronicler Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg referred to a local lowland castle, which probably had been erected in the early 10th century during the rule of King Henry the Fowler at the border with the lands of the Polabian Slavs incorporated into the Saxon Marca Geronis.

Due to its favourable location, it soon became a point where tolls were charged on boats sailing along the Elbe River as well as a residence of the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg.

Margrave John II hid his treasure under the parish church, and passed the secret to his brother Otto with the arrow.

From 1415 onwards, it became the residence of the Hohenzollern electors, after the Nuremberg burgrave Frederick VI was enfeoffed with Brandenburg by Charles' son Emperor Sigismund.

The 15th century marked the "Golden Age" of Tangermünde, an affluent member of the Hanseatic League, when numerous Brick Gothic buildings including the town hall and St. Stephen's parish church arose, surrounded by an almost entirely preserved city wall with well-fortified gates and the castle complex.

However, after a 1488 revolt of the Tangermünde citizens against an excise tax on beer, the town lost the grace of Elector John Cicero, and the residence was relocated to Berlin-Cölln.

On 13 September 1617 Tangermünde was almost completely destroyed by a fire, allegedly started as an act of revenge by a townswoman who had vainly sued at the local court for her inheritance.

In 1826 a sugar refinery was established as the town's main employer, which from 1910 manufactured the popular Feodora chocolate, today part of the Hachez company.

[5] As an effect of Tangermünde's decreasing importance, its historic centre and the city walls were largely preserved in its original appearance.

Between 4 May and 7 May 1945, as many as 100,000 German soldiers and civilians crossed the rickety ruins of the bridge on foot until Soviet forces reached the east bank of the Elbe.

The building performs a secular purpose, as a town hall for the community, but its exterior is evocative of a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic features.

The castle overlooking the inland harbour and the valley of river Elbe was founded around 925 and enlarged by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor in 1373.