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- Historically, Alsace and Lorraine are two different regions. Lorraine (the
former Duchy of Lothringen) became a French province in 1766. After the Franco-German War
of 1870-1871, the German-speaking parts of Lorraine and Elsaß
(Bas Rhin and Haut Rhin) were annexed and joined to become Elsaß-Lothringen of the
German Empire. As a result of WW I, Elsaß-Lorraine was
returned to France until 1940 at which time Germany again claimed the area. It
has been part of France since 1945.
The reference place names are Germany, Elsaß, Lothringen and
Germany, Alsace-Lorraine.
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- Anhalt has been known as the Kingdom of Anhalt and the Province of Saxony (Provinz
Sachsen). It was located in East Germany after WW II. The new State of Saxony-Anhalt
was created shortly before the reunification of Germany, consisting of the former
Anhalt, the former Prussian Province of Saxony and a small portion of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
Saxony Anhalt is presently one of the sixteen states in the Federal Republic of
Germany.
The reference place names are Germany, Anhalt; Germany, Preußen,
Schlesien, Anhalt; and Germany, Sachsen, Anhalt.
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- Baden was known as the Kingdom of Baden and became a part of the German Empire. It
was in West Germany after WW II and since 1990 has been part of the State of Baden-Württemberg
in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place name is Germany, Baden. Also see Württemberg below.
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- Bavaria was known as Bayern and became a part of the German Empire. It was part of
West Germany after WW II, and since 1990 has been the State of Bavaria, one of sixteen
states in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place names are Germany, Bayern and Germany, Bavaria.
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- Berlin was founded around 1200 A.D. as two cities, Berlin and Cölln, that united
in 1307. It served as the residence of the Prussian kings and became the capital
of the German Empire in 1871. After WW II it was separated into East Berlin (under the
German Democratic Republic) and West Berlin (under the Federal Republic
of Germany). Beginning in 1961 the Berlin Wall kept the two apart until the fall of the
Wall in 1989. The two were united in 1991 with Berlin the capital of the Federal
Republic of Germany, but it took until 1999 for the move from Bonn to be completed.
Berlin is included in this listing because it is one of the sixteen states in the Federal
Republic of Germany.
The reference place name for Berlin is Germany, Preußen, Brandenburg, Berlin.
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- Recorded history dating to 98 A.D. shows that the area was alternately
conquered by Slav and Germanic armies. It became part of the German Empire and was
known as Mark Brandenburg. Later it was part of Prussia and East Prussia, and after
WW II it was in East Germany and Poland. Since German Reunification in 1990 it has
been one of the sixteen states in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place names are Germany, Preußen, Brandenburg and
Germany, Preußen, Ostpreußen, Brandenburg.
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- The State of Bremen is composed of the cities of Bremen and
Bremerhaven with Bremen serving as its capital. After WW II it was part of
West Germany. The state is completely surrounded by Lower Saxony. Bremen is included in this
listing because it is one of the sixteen states in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place names are Germany, Bremen and Preußen, Westfalen,
Bremen.
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- The German name for Brunswick is Braunschweig. In 1807 it became
part of the Kingdom of Westphalia until 1813 when it was returned to
the Braunschweig rulers. It was a member of the North German Confederation
from 1866 and of the German Empire from 1871 until 1918 when it became a
republic and joined the Weimar Republic. The states of Schaumburg-Lippe,
Brunswick-Lüneburg, Oldenburg and Hannover were merged in 1946 by
the British administration to be the West German State of Lower Saxony. It is now
one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place names are Germany, Braunschweig and Germany,
Brunswick.
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- The German name for East Prussia is Ostpreußen. In 1815 Prussia was
divided into West and East Prussia. After WW I the northernmost
region became part of Lithuania and the southernmost portion of East
Prussia became part of Poland. In 1945 East Prussia was divided between
Poland and Russia.
The reference place names are Germany, Ostpreußen (East
Prussia) and Germany, Preußen, Ostpreußen.
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- During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Hamburg was a state in the
German Empire and the Weimar Republic. In 1937 Greater Hamburg incorporated
Wandsbek, Harbur-Wilhelmsburg and Altona. The city suffered tremendous losses
during WW II, including more than 50,000 citizens. There are few
buildings remaining from before 1945. After WW II it was a part of West Germany.
Hamburg is included in this listing because it is one of the sixteen states in
the Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place name is Germany, Hamburg.
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- Hannover was in West Germany after WW II. In 1946 the states of
Schaumburg-Lippe, Brunswick-Lüneburg, Oldenburg and Hannover were merged
by the British administration to be Lower Saxony, now one of the sixteen
states of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place name is Germany, Preußen, Hannover.
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- Hesse (Hessen) was a part of Thuringia in the early Middle Ages and
was an earldom within the Holy Roman Empire until 1567. In 1622 it was
divided into Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Marburg, Hesse-Rheinfels and Hesse-Darmstadt.
Hesse-Rheinfels was annexed by Hesse-Darmstadt in 1583. Hesse-Marburg was
annexed by Hesse-Kassel in 1604. In 1622, Hesse-Darmstadt split into
Hesse-Darmstadt and Hesse-Homburg. Thus, in the 17th century, there
were three Hessian states. In 1806 Hesse-Darmstadt became the
Grand Duchy of Hesse. In 1866 Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Homburg, along
with the Duchy of Nassau, were annexed by Prussia to become the Province
of Hesse-Nassau. The Grand Duchy of Hesse and Hesse-Nassau were two separate
administrative regions during the Weimar Republic. In 1945 they were combined
into a single Hesse in West Germany except for some parts near the Rhine which
then became part of Rhineland-Palatinate. Hesse is one of the sixteen states
of the Federated Republic of Germany.
The reference place names are Germany, Hessen;
Germany, Hessen, Darmstadt; Germany, Braunschweig, Hessen and Germany, Elsaß-Lothringen,
Hessen.
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- See Hesse-Nassau in the prior question.
After WW II part of the area was in West Germany and part in East
Germany. It is now part of Hesse, one of the sixteen states of the
Federated Republic of Germany.
The reference place names are Germany, Hessen-Nassau and
Germany, Preußen, Hessen-Nassau.
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There were two Hohenzollern principalities: Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
and Hohenzollern-Hechingen. They became a province of the Kingdom of
Prussia in 1849 and were included in West Germany after WW II. Today
they are in Baden-Württemberg.
The reference place name is Germany, Preußen,
Hohenzollern.
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The former State of Lippe was originally in the Duchy of Saxony.
In 1613 it was divided into two divisions: Lippe (also known as Lippe-Detmold)
and Schaumburg-Lippe. It became a principality in 1720, joined
the German Empire in 1871 and the Weimar Republic in 1918. Lippe
was in West Germany after WW II and in 1947 was included in North
Rhineland-Westphalia, one of the sixteen states of the Federated
Republic of Germany.
The reference place name is Germany, Lippe.
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The old Pomerania (Pommern), which was made up of Stettin and the land
east of the Oder River, is presently in Poland. Vorpommern (Western Pomerania)
was part of Sweden from 1648 until 1720 when it was annexed by Prussia,
and again annexed in 1815 by means of the German Confederation after Napoleon's defeat.
Mecklenburg, west of Vorpommern, was a duchy as early as 1348 but was
divided into two grand duchies in the 17th centuries: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
and Mecklenburg-Strelitz. From 1947 to 1952 they were combined with
Vorpommern as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in East Germany. Since 1990
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has been one of the sixteen states in the
Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place names are Germany, Mecklenburg
and Germany, Mecklenburg, Vorpommern.
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See Westphalia below.
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Oldenburg was in West Germany after WW II. In 1946 Schaumburg-Lippe,
Brunswick-Lüneburg, Oldenburg and Hannover were merged by the British administration
and given the name of Lower Saxony. It is one of the sixteen states in the
Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place names are Germany, Oldenburg and Germany, Preußen,
Schleswig-Holstein, Oldenburg.
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The German name for Palatinate is Pfalz. Until 1620 the area was
divided into Upper Palatinate and Lower or Rhenish Palatinate. It was
in West Germany after WW II. The area that was Upper Palatinate is now
part of Bavaria (Bayern). The formerly Lower Palatinate is now known as
Rheinland Pfalz (Rhineland Palatinate) and is one of the sixteen states
of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place names are Germany, Bayern, Pfalz and
Germany, Palatinate.
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See Mecklenburg above.
The German name for Pomerania is Pommern. The old Pomerania was made up
of Szezecin (the former Stettin) and the land east of the Oder River. Western
Pomerania (Vorpommern) was annexed to Prussia in 1815. After WW II it was part
of East Germany and Poland. Today it remains in Poland.
The reference place names are Germany, Preußen, Pommern and
Germany, Pomerania.
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- Aside from the far western side which remained with Germany, Posen was returned
to Poland after WW I. Along with some districts of the former West Prussia, it was
part of a new province called Grenzmark, Posen-Westpreußen and included parts of
Silesia. In 1938 it was added to the nearby Prussian provinces. After WW II Grenzmark
became part of Poland and Germans living there were forced to leave. Posen has also been
known as South Prussia and Wielkopolska.
The reference place name is Germany, Preußen, Posen.
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- See Palatinate above.
The German spelling for Rhineland is Rheinland. After WW II it was
in West Germany and Belgium and was established as Rhineland-Palatinate by merging
Rhenish-Palatinate with parts of the Prussian Rhine province and parts of the
former Hesse. It is one of the sixteen states in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place names are Germany, Palatinate; Germany, Rhineland;
Germany, Preußen, Rheinland; Germany, Rheinland, Pfalz and Germany, Bayern, Pfalz.
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- The German spellings for Saarland are Zahrland and/or Sahrland. It is also known as Saar
Territory and Saar Basin. Before WW I it was part of the German Empire
but the treaty of Versailles gave France control of the area. It
included portions of the Prussian Rhine province and the Rhine Palatinate. In 1935
the people voted to again become part of Germany. The area was known as Westmark
by the Nazis. After WW II Saarland again came under French administration until 1957 when
it was returned to Germany.
The reference place name is Germany, Saarland.
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- When the Congress of Vienna determined that the Province of Saxony (the northern
territories, now known as Saxony-Anhalt) was to be joined to Prussia, the
remaining area was similar in size and location to the present federal State of
Saxony. It became the Kingdom of Saxony in 1831 (Königreich Sachsen). After WW II it
was under Soviet occupation and was dissolved in 1952 but again established during
reunification in 1990 as one of sixteen states in the Federal Republic of Germany. It
includes a very small part of Silesia around the town of Görlitz.
The reference place names are Germany, Preußen, Sachsen and
Germany, Sachsen.
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- The Province of Saxony (Provinz Sachsen) was a Prussian province from the time
of the Napoleonic wars until 1947. After WW II it was in East Germany and is now
part of the State of Saxony-Anhalt, one of the sixteen states in the Federal Republic
of Germany.
The reference place name is Germany, Preußen, Rheinland.
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- At the time of the Thirty Years War, Schaumburg was divided into Schaumburg and
Schaumburg-Lippe. Schaumburg became known as Hesse-Kassel and Schaumburg-Lippe
became a democratic republic until it was suppressed by the Nazis. After WW II, in 1946,
the British administration united Schaumburg-Lippe, Hannover, Braunschweig and Oldenburg
to form a new state of Lower Saxony. In 1977 Schaumburg and Schaumburg-Lippe again were
merged. Since unification in 1990 Lower Saxony is one of the sixteen states
in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place name is Germany, Schaumburg-Lippe.
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- In 1863 Christian IX of Denmark annexed Schleswig and Holstein. Shortly
thereafter Prussia gained control over Schleswig and Austria overtook Holstein.
In 1865 Prussia took control of Holstein, therby forming the State of Schleswig-
Holstein. It was in West Germany after WW II. Since 1990 Schleswig-Holstein is
one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place names are Germany, Preußen, Schleswig-Holstein
and Germany, Schleswig-Holstein.
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- The German name for Silesia is Schlesien. The area was Polish from 900 A.D. until 1526
when it was taken over by Austria. In 1742 Northern Silesia was seized by Prussia. In 1919
that area was divided between Germany and Poland, and Southern Silesia became part of
Czechoslovakia.In 1945 Poland gained the entire northern part and in 1993 the part in
Czechoslovakia became part of the Czech Republic. A very small area in Silesia, around the
town of Görlitz, remained part of Germany after WWII and was combined
with Saxony.
The reference place names are Germany, Preußen,
Schlesien; Austria, Schlesien and Germany, Silesia.
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- In the German Empire, Thuringia (Thüringen) was composed of the
following states: Saxe-Weimar, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the two principalities of
Reuß. Following WW I these states were dissolved. In 1920 they were again
merged to reestablish Thuringia except for Saxe-Coburg-Gotha which joined Bavaria.
The city of Erfurt, although surrounded by Thuringia territory, remained part
of Prussia. Thuringia was in East Germany after WW II and was restored in 1990
during Germany's reunification. It is one of the sixteen states in the
Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place name is Germany, Preußen,
Sachsen, Mühlhausen, Thüringen.
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- Waldeck was a former principality. Waldeck-Pyrmont became a republic
in 1918, joined Prussia in 1922 and became part of the Province of Hannover. In
1929 it became part of the Hesse-Nassau province of Prussia. After WW II it
was in West Germany and then became part of Hesse.
The reference place name is Germany, Waldeck.
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- In the first "Partition of Poland" in 1772, all of Royal Prussia was annexed
by Prussia and named West Prussia. After WW I much of West Prussia reverted to
Poland except for two western districts that formed the new Province of
Grenzmark Posen-West Preußen and the area east of the Vistula River that joined
East Prussia. After WW II all of West Prussia reverted to Poland and all
German residents were replaced by Polish refugees from other states.
The reference place names are Germany, West Prussia and
Germany, Preußen, Westpreußen.
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Westphalia was part of the Duchy of Saxony until the year 1180 when it
became its own duchy. (Another Westphalia, the Kingdom of Westphalia, was
founded by Napoleon as a French vassal state and existed from 1807 to 1813. It was
mainly composed of Hessian and Eastphalian regions and a small part of the
original Westphalia.) The Duchy of Westphalia became a province of Prussia but
the northern parts were ceded to the states of Hannover and Oldenburg. In 1946
the state of North Rhine-Westphalia was administered by the British military
as part of West Germany. North Rhine-Westphalia today consists of most of the
former Province of Prussia, the northern half of the former Prussian
Rhine province and the former State of Lippe. A small southwest corner
of the original Westphalia is now part of Lower Saxony. North Rhine-Westphalia is
one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The reference place names are Germany, Westphalia and Germany,
Preußen, Westfalen.
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- Württemberg was a kingdom and later became part of Germany. After WW II allied
forces in Germany specified three states: Württemberg-Baden (administered by the
United States); Württemberg-Hohenzollern (administered by France) and Baden (also
administered by France). These three states were later combined to form
Baden-Württemberg, one of the sixteen states in the Federal Republic
of Germany.
The reference place names are Germany, Baden-Württemberg and Germany,
Württemberg.
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