States of Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany is made up of sixteen states, called Länder in German. Most of these states are area-states, where the state government is separate from local town and city governments. Two states, Berlin and Hamburg, are special because they are city-states, meaning the city and the state government are the same. Bremen is also unique, as it includes two cities with different types of local government.

Germany today began 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 came 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 by individual states coming together. This is different from what happened in 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 been an important part of German history. Before the 1800s, the land that is now Germany was made up of many small areas ruled by different leaders. After the Napoleonic Wars, the number of these areas was reduced, and later they joined together to form larger countries.

After World War I, Germany had many states, but during the time of the Nazi leaders, these states were changed and their powers were taken away. After World War II, the country was split, 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 with its own government but also working 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 being changed during the war years.

In the western part of Germany, three smaller states joined together to form the state of Baden-Württemberg in 1952. This happened because the leaders of these states agreed 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 certain matters, but they need the approval of the national government. Some states call themselves "free states," but this 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 organized into states, each with its own government. These states share power with the national government. In some areas, 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 conflict. The states have their own powers too, like 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 chooses a team to help run the state. In some cities like Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, the government is called a senate instead. These states have slightly 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 not next to each other. 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 to help bring together two different regions. 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.