The Fläming Heath is a region and a hill chain that reaches over 100 km from the Elbe river to the Dahme River in the German states Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg. Its highest elevation is the Hagelberg (201 m). The name Fläming originates from the 12th century, when Flemish colonists came to settle in the region from the overcrowded cities of Flanders.Today, the Fläming Heath is a rural area, which benefits from its vicinity to the Berlin metropolitan area.