States of Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany has sixteen states, called Länder in German. Most of these states have their own governments, separate from the towns and cities inside them. Two states, Berlin and Hamburg, are special because they are city-states. This means the city and the state government are the same. Bremen is also unique, as it has two cities with different local governments.

Germany today started as "West Germany" in 1949, after World War II. At first, it had several states, but some changed over time. In 1957, Saarland joined as a new state. The biggest change happened in 1990 when Germany reunited. The states from what was called "East Germany" joined, including Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. Berlin also became one city-state again after this reunification.

States

The Federal Republic of Germany was formed in 1949 when individual states joined together. This is different from Austria, where the country was set up first and then the states were created inside it.

Germany has special names for its states called Länder. This name comes from an old rule book called the Weimar Constitution from 1919. Today, people sometimes use the word Bundesland, but this word is not in the old rule books. Three states call themselves Freistaaten, which means "free states". These are Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia.

Out of the 17 states that existed at the end of the Weimar Republic, only six still exist today, though some have new borders. These are Bavaria, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Saxony, and Thuringia.

The other 11 states either joined together or split into smaller parts. For example, Anhalt is now part of Saxony-Anhalt, and Baden is now part of Baden-Württemberg. Some areas of Prussia were given to nearby states, and some parts went to Poland and Russia after World War II.

People in Germany sometimes talk about changing the borders between states, but so far, no big changes have been made.

History

Further information: List of historic states of Germany, States of the German Empire, and States of the Weimar Republic

Federalism has always been important in Germany. Long ago, the land that is now Germany was split into many small areas ruled by different leaders. After the Napoleonic Wars, these areas were grouped into larger ones.

After World War I, Germany had many states. But during the time of the Nazi leaders, these states lost their powers. After World War II, Germany was split into two parts, and new states were created in each part.

When Germany reunited in 1990, the states in the eastern part were brought back, and today Germany has 16 states. Each state has its own government but works together as part of the country.

During the time when Germany was split after World War II, new states were made in each part. In the western part, called West Germany, there were states like Bremen, Hesse, and Bavaria. In the eastern part, called East Germany, states were also set up again after changes during the war.

In the western part of Germany, three smaller states joined together to form the state of Baden-Württemberg in 1952. The leaders of these states thought it would be better to work together.

Reunited Germany, 1990–present

When Germany came back together in 1990, the states in the eastern part were made again, similar to how they were before. This brought the total number of states to 16, including the new state of Berlin formed from both East and West Berlin.

The states in Germany can make agreements with other countries on some matters, but they need approval from the national government. Some states call themselves "free states," but this is just a traditional name and does not give them any special powers. All states are represented together at the national level.

Politics

Further information: Federalism in Germany

Germany is divided into states, and each state has its own government. These states work together with the national government. For some matters, like foreign policy, only the national government can make laws. In other areas, both the states and the national government can make laws, but national laws are stronger if there is a disagreement. The states also have their own powers, such as managing schools and police.

Each state has its own government led by a minister-president and a group of elected representatives called a Landtag. The minister-president picks a team to help run the state. In some cities like Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, the government is called a senate. These states have different names for their leaders, such as mayor or governing mayor.

Subdivisions

The cities of Berlin and Hamburg are split into districts. Bremen has two parts called urban districts: Bremen and Bremerhaven, which are far apart. In other states, there are more smaller areas.

The largest state, North Rhine-Westphalia, has two special areas called area associations. One is for Rhineland and the other for Westphalia-Lippe. This was set up after World War II. These area associations don’t have much power now.

Some bigger states like Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia are split into special areas called governmental districts.

Every state except Berlin, Hamburg, and Bremen is made up of rural districts or special towns called district-free cities. These help manage things like roads and hospitals.

There are also smaller groups called offices in some states.

Every area is made up of small places called municipalities. These are the smallest parts of local government. Some have many people, like Berlin, and others have very few.

Municipalities help with things like schools and public health. They also take care of local projects and services.

There are also some places in Germany that are not part of any municipality. These are usually forests or lakes.