German States in the 19th Century
Key to Abbreviations
EH = Erzherzogtum (archduchy);
F = Fürstentum (principality);
FS = Freie Stadt (free city);
G = Grafschaft (county);
GH = Großherzogtum (grand duchy);
H = Herzogtum (duchy);
K = Königreich (kingdom);
Kais. = Kaiserreich (empire).
* = member state of the German Empire (1871-1918)
§ = postage stamp issuing state.
Numbered states were members of the Germanic Confederation (1815-1866)
- 1. Anhalt [H] * (1863-)
1. Anhalt-Dessau [H] (-1863, renamed Anhalt)
- 2. Anhalt-Bernburg [H] (-1863, to Anhalt-Dessau)
- 3. Anhalt-Köthen [H] (-1847, to Anhalt-Dessau)
- 4. Baden [GH] * §
- 5. Bayern (Bavaria) [K] * §
- Bayern
- Niederbayern (Lower Bavaria)
- Oberbayern (Upper Bavaria)
- Franken (Franconia)
- Mittelfranken (Middle Franconia)
- Oberfranken (Upper Franconia)
- Unterfranken (Lower Franconia)
- Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate)
- Rheinpfalz (Rhenish Palatinate)
- Schwaben (Swabia)
- 6. Braunschweig (Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel/Brunswick) [H] * § (Prussian regency 1884-1913, claim by Hanover heir recognized 1913)
- Elsaß-Lothringen (Alsace-Lorraine) [Reichsland] * (annexed from France 1871-)
- 7. Frankfurt am Main [FS] (-1866, annexed to Prussia, province of Hessen-Nassau)
- 8. Hannover (Braunschweig-Lüneburg/Hanover) [K] § [personal union with Great Britain until 1837]
(-1866, annexed to Prussia, province of Hannover. Heir inherited Brunswick 1913)
- Hansestädte (Hanseatic Cities)
- 9. Bremen [FS] * §
- 10. Hamburg [FS] * §
- 11. Lübeck [FS] * §
- Bergedorf [joint property of Hamburg and Lübeck] § (-1867, annexed to Hamburg)
- Helgoland (Heligoland) [British possession] § (1807-1890, ceded to Germany)
- Hessen (Hesse)
- 12. Hessen-Darmstadt (Hesse-Darmstadt, Hesse and By the Rhine) [GH] *
- 13. Hessen-Homburg (Hesse-Homburg) [Landgraviate] (-1866, to Hesse-Darmstadt, 1866- to Prussia, divided between Hessen-Nassau and Rheinprovinz)
- 14. Hessen-Kassel/Kurhessen (Hesse-Kassel) [Electorate] (-1866, annexed to Prussia, province of Hessen-Nassau)
- Hohenzollern
- 15. Hohenzollern-Hechingen [F] (-1849, to Prussia, administered from Rheinprovinz)
- 16. Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen [F] (-1849, to Prussia, administered from Rheinprovinz)
- 17. Liechtenstein [F] §
- 18. Limburg [H] [personal union with Netherlands] (1839-1866, to Netherlands)
- 19. Lippe-Detmold [F] *
- 20. Luxembourg [GH] §
[personal union with Netherlands until 1890] [1839 large part annexed to Belgium]
- Mecklenburg
- 21. Mecklenburg-Schwerin [GH] * §
- 22. Mecklenburg-Strelitz [GH] * §
- 23. Nassau [H] (-1866, annexed to Prussia, province of Hessen-Nassau. Heir inherited Luxembourg 1890)
- 24. Oldenburg [GH] * §
- Birkenfeld [Fürstentum]
- Lübeck [Fürstentum]
- Oldenburg in Oldenburg [H]
- Knyphausen (Kniphausen) [Herrschaft] (-1854 to Oldenburg)
- 25. Österreich (Austria) [Kais.] §
[there were many other Austrian provinces outside the Germanic confederation]
- Böhmen (Bohemia) [K]
- Carniola (Illyria) [H]
- Gorizia-Gradisca [G] (1861-)
- Kärnten (Carinthia) [H]
- Küstenland (Littoral) [H] (-1861, modified and renamed Gorizia-Gradisca)
- Mähren (Moravia) [Markgrafschaft]
- Neiderösterreich (Lower Austria) [EH]
- Oberösterreich (Upper Austria) [EH]
- Salzburg [H]
- Schlesien (Austrian Silesia) [H]
- Steiermark (Styria) [H]
- Tirol [G]
- Vorarlberg [G]
- 26. Preußen (Prussia) [K] * §
[personal union with Neuenburg (Neuchâtel) [F] -1857, ceded to Switzerland] [Emperor of Germany 1871-1918]
- Brandenburg
- Hannover (Hanover) (1866-)
- Hessen-Nassau (1866-)
[Prussian province formed 1866 from the electorate of
Hessen-Kassel, the duchy of
Nassau, part of the landgraviate of
Hessen-Homburg, and the free city of
Frankfurt am Main]
- Hohenzollern (1849-)
[ceded to Prussia in 1849, administered as part of the
Rheinprovinz]
- Pommern (Pomerania)
- Hinterpommern (Hither Pomerania)
- Vorpommern (Further Pomerania)
- Posen
- Provinz Preußen (Prussia) (-1824, 1878-)
- Ostpreußen
(East Prussia) (1824-1878)
- Westpreußen
(West Prussia) (1824-1878)
- Rheinprovinz (Rhineland) (1824-)
[Includes, from 1866, part of the landgraviate of Hessen-Homburg]
- Jülich-Kleve-Berg (Juelich-Cleves-Berg) (1815-1824, to Rheinprovinz)
- (Lower Rhine) (1815-1824, to Rheinprovinz)
- Provinz Sachsen (Province of Saxony)
- Schlesien (Silesia)
- Niederschlesien (Lower Silesia)
- Oberschlesien (Upper Silesia)
- Westfalen (Westphalia)
- 27. Sachsen (Saxony) [K] * §
- 28. Schaumburg-Lippe (Lippe-Bückeberg) [F] *
- Schleswig-Holstein & Lauenburg
[personal union with Denmark until 1864]
- 29. Holstein [H] § (-1864. 1864-1865 condominium administration by Austria and Prussia. 1865-1866 administration by Austria. 1866 annexed to Prussia)
- Lauenburg [H] (1865 severed from Holstein and annexed to Prussia)
- Schleswig [H] § (1864-1865 condominium administration by Austria and Prussia. 1865 annexed to Prussia)
- Thüringen (Thuringia)
- Reuß (Reuss)
- 30. Reuß-Greiz [F] (ältere Linie) *
- 31. Reuß-Lobenstein [F] (-1824) (jüngere Linie)
- 32. Reuß-Ebersdorf [F] (-1848) (jüngere Linie)
- 33. Reuß-Schleiz [F] (jüngere Linie)
33. Reuß-Gera-Schleiz-Lobenstein-Ebersdorf [F] (jüngere Linie) *
- Saxon Duchies
- 34. Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld (Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld) [H] (-1825, renamed Sachse-Coburg-Gotha)
34. Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha (Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) [H] * (1825-)
- Lichtenberg [F] (-1834, sold to Prussia)
- 35. Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg (Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg) [H] (-1825, divided between Sachse-Coburg, Sachse-Meiningen, and Sachse-Hildburghausen)
- 36. Sachsen-Hildburghausen (Saxe-Hildburghausen) [H] (-1825, renamed Sachse-Altenburg)
36. Sachsen-Altenburg (Saxe-Altenburg) [H] * (1825-)
- 37. Sachsen-Meiningen (Saxe-Meiningen) [H] (-1825, renamed Sachse-Meiningen-Hildburghausen)
37. Sachsen-Meiningen-Hildburghausen [H] * (1825-)
- 38. Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (Saxe-Weimar) [GH] *
- Schwarzburg (two principalities united 1909)
- 39. Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt [F] *
- 40. Schwarzburg-Sondershausen [F] *
- 41. Waldeck [F] *
- 42. Württemberg (Wurtemberg) [K] * §
The mediatized Prince of Thurn und Taxis (Thurn and Taxis) held concessions from
most of the smaller states to operate postal services. Due to currency differences
they were grouped into Northern and Southern districts.
- Northern District §:
9. Bremen (until 1855),
10. Hamburg (until 1859),
11. Lübeck (until 1859),
14. Hesse-Kassel,
19. Lippe-Detmold,
28. Lippe-Schaumburg,
30. Reuss-Greiz,
33. Reuss-Gera,
Gotha in 34. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,
Camburg in 37. Saxe-Meiningen,
38. Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach,
and
40. Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.
- Southern District §:
7. Frankfurt am Main,
12. Hesse-Darmstadt,
13. Hesse-Homburg,
15. Hohenzollern-Heckingen,
16. Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen,
17. Liechtenstein (until 1866),
23. Nassau,
Coburg in 34. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,
37. Saxe-Meiningen,
and
41. Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.
The postal service of Prussia operated in 1. Anhalt, 41. Waldeck and Birkenfeld principality in 24. Oldenburg.