Province of Brandenburg
Province of Brandenburg Provinz Brandenburg | |||||||||||||||
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Province of Prussia | |||||||||||||||
1815–1945 | |||||||||||||||
Anthem | |||||||||||||||
Brandenburglied | |||||||||||||||
Capital | Potsdam (1815–1827) Berlin (1827–1843) Potsdam (1843–1918) Charlottenburg (1918–1920) Berlin (1920–1945) | ||||||||||||||
Area | |||||||||||||||
• 1939 | 38,275 km2 (14,778 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Population | |||||||||||||||
• 1939 | 3,023,443 | ||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||
• Established | 1815 | ||||||||||||||
• Greater Berlin Act | 1 October 1920 | ||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1945 | ||||||||||||||
Political subdivisions | Frankfurt | ||||||||||||||
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Today part of |
The Province of Brandenburg (
Brandenburg's provincial capital alternated between Potsdam, Berlin, and Charlottenburg during its existence.
Geography
The province comprised large parts of the
Beside the Elbe and Oder river areas, the province covered large parts of the Spree and Havel basin. The largest cities were Berlin, located in the centre together with the growing suburbs of Spandau, Charlottenburg, Schöneberg and Neukölln. Larger towns were the royal residence Potsdam and the regional capital Frankfurt (Oder), furthermore Landsberg (present-day Gorzów Wielkopolski) in the east, the historic capital Brandenburg an der Havel as well as Cottbus, Forst and Guben (Gubin) in Lower Lusatia.
History
The first people who are known to have inhabited Brandenburg were the Germanic
The
In 1415 Brandenburg was acquired by Burgrave
Establishment
The margraviate remained a constituent part of Prussia, until after the Napoleonic Wars and the 1815 Congress of Vienna the kingdom's administration was divided into ten provinces. Most of the Margraviate's territory was incorporated into the new Province of Brandenburg, most notably the Mittelmark between the rivers Elbe and Oder and the Neumark region east of the Oder River. However, the Altmark on the western bank of the Elbe was incorporated into the Prussian Province of Saxony. The Province of Brandenburg also encompassed the territory of Lower Lusatia (where Cottbus had been a Brandenburgian exclave since the 15th century) as well as the area around Belzig and Jüterbog, all annexed from the Kingdom of Saxony for her alliance with Napoleon.
The Province headed by an Oberpräsident was subdivided into two governorates (Regierungsbezirke) named after their respective capitals, Potsdam in the northwest (Mittelmark, Prignitz and Uckermark) and Frankfurt (Oder) in the southeast (Neumark and Lower Lusatia). The provincial government was at first situated at the Potsdam royal residence. In 1827, it moved to Berlin, returned to Potsdam in 1843 and in 1918 finally settled in Charlottenburg. The Prussian capital Berlin originally formed part of the Province, but in the course of the Industrial Revolution from the 1830s onwards quickly developed to a metropolis, from 1871 as capital of the German Empire, and on 1 April 1881 was made an autonomous city district (Stadtkreis Berlin).
In contrast, the rural outer regions, though
Free State of Prussia
After
Under the
During the German invasion of Poland, which started World War II in September 1939, persecution further intensified with mass arrests of Polish leaders, activists, editors, entrepreneurs, etc., who were deported to concentration camps, expulsions and closure of remaining Polish organizations, schools and enterprises.[4]
During the war, Germany operated several
In the late days of World War II it was the site of the bloody encounters of the Seelow Heights, at Halbe and finally the Battle of Berlin, won by the Soviet and Polish armies.
In 1945, after the war, the
Administration
The Prussian central government appointed for every province an Oberpräsident ("Upper President") carrying out central prerogatives on the provincial level and supervising the implementation of central policy on the lower levels of administration.
Since 1875, with the strengthening of self-rule within the provinces, the urban and rural districts (Kreise) elected representatives for the provincial Landtage diets. These parliaments legislated within the competences transferred to the provinces. The provincial diet of Brandenburg elected a provincial executive body (government), the provincial committee (Provinzialausschuss), and a head of province, the Landesdirektor ("Land Director").[8]
Upper Presidents of Brandenburg
- 1815–1824: Georg Friedrich Christian von Heydebreck (1765–1828)
- 1825–1840: Friedrich Magnus von Bassewitz (1773–1858)
- 1840–1842: vacancy
- 1842–1848: August Werner von Meding (1792–1871)
- 1848–1849: Robert von Patow (1804–1890), per pro
- 1849–1850: vacancy
- 1849–1850: August Hermann Klemens Freiherr Wolff von Metternich (1803–1872), per pro
- 1850–1858: Eduard Heinrich von Flottwell (1786–1865)
- 1859–1862: Eduard Heinrich von Flottwell (1786–1865)
- 1862: Werner Ludolph Erdmann von Selchow (1806–1884)
- 1862–1879: Gustav Wilhelm von Jagow (1813–1879)
- 1879–1899: Heinrich von Achenbach (1829–1899)
- 1899–1905: Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg (1856–1921)
- 1905–1909: August von Trott zu Solz (1855–1938)
- 1909–1910: Friedrich Wilhelm von Loebell (1855–1931)
- 1910–1914: Alfred von Conrad (1852–1914)
- 1914–1917: Rudolf von der Schulenburg (1860–1930)
- 1917–1919: Friedrich Wilhelm von Loebell (1855–1931)
- 1919–1933: Adolf Maier (1871–1963), DDP
- 1933–1936: Wilhelm Kube (1887–1943), NSDAP
- 1937–1945: Emil Stürtz (1892–1945), NSDAP, since 1936 per pro
Land Directors of Brandenburg
- 1876–1896: Albert Erdmann Karl Gerhard von Levetzow (1827–1903), German Conservative Party
- 1896–1912: Otto Karl Gottlob von Manteuffel (1844–1913), German Conservative Party
- 1912–1930: Joachim von Winterfeldt-Menkin (1865–1945)
- 1930–1933: Hugo Swart (1885–1952)
- 1933–1944: Dietloff von Arnim (1876–1945), NSDAP
Subdivisions
From 1822 the province of Brandenburg was divided into two
Regierungsbezirk Berlin
Established in 1816 this governorate, an enclave in the Potsdam region, merged into the latter in 1822.
Regierungsbezirk Frankfurt
Urban districts (
- Cottbus (1886–1950, and from 1954; 1947–1952, and from 1990 part of Brandenburg state)
- Forst (Lusatia) (1897–1950; quarters west of the Oder merged in Cottbus district; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Frankfurt (Oder) (until 1827, 1877–1950, and from 1952; 1947–1952, and from 1990 part of Brandenburg state)
- Guben (1884–1950; quarters west of the Oder merged in Cottbus district; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Landsberg (Warthe) (1892–1945)
Rural districts (
- Arnswalde (1818–1945; from 1938 part of Pomerania province)
- Calau (1818–1950; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Cottbus (1818–1952; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Crossen (Oder) (1818–1945)
- Cüstrin (until 1836; merged into Königsberg district)
- New March; 1816–1945; from 1938 part of Pomerania province)
- Guben (1818–1950; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Königsberg Nm. (i.e. in the New March; 1816–15 March 1946, remainder west of the Oder merged into Angermünde, Lebus and Oberbarnim districts)
- Landsberg (Warthe) (1818–1945)
- Lebus (1816–1950; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Luckau (1816–1952; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Lübben (Spreewald) (1816–1952; in 1835 Beeskow area ceded to Beeskow-Storkow; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Meseritz (1818–1945; until 1938 part of Posen-West Prussia)
- Oststernberg (1873–1945; partitioned from Sternberg district)
- Schwerin (Warthe)(1887–1945; until 1938 part of Posen-West Prussia)
- Soldin (1818–1945)
- Sorau (Lusatia) (1816–1 April 1946, remainder west of the Oder merged into Cottbus, Forst and Spremberg districts)
- Spremberg (Lusatia) (1818–1993; 1947–1952, and from 1990 part of Brandenburg state)
- Sternberg (1816–1873; partitioned into Ost- and Weststernberg)
- Weststernberg (1873–1945; partitioned from Sternberg district)
- Züllichau-Schwiebus (1818–1945)
Regierungsbezirk Potsdam
Urban districts (Stadtkreise)
- Berlin (1822–1881; on 1 April 1881 the city was disentangled from the Province of Brandenburg.[10])
- Brandenburg (Havel)(from 1881; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Charlottenburg (1877–1920; merged in Greater Berlin)
- Eberswalde (1911–1950; merged in Oberbarnim district; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Lichtenberg (1908–1920; from 1912: known as Berlin-Lichtenberg; merged in Greater Berlin)
- Potsdam (from 1809; 1947–1952, and from 1990 part of Brandenburg state)
- Rathenow (1925–1950; merged in Westhavelland district; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Rixdorf (1899–1920; from 1912: known as Berlin-Neukölln; merged in Greater Berlin)
- Schöneberg (1899–1920; from 1912: known as Berlin-Schöneberg; merged in Greater Berlin)
- Spandau (1886–1920; merged in Greater Berlin)
- Wilmersdorf (1907–1920; from 1912: known as Berlin-Wilmersdorf; merged in Greater Berlin)
- Wittenberge (1922–1950; merged in Westprignitz district; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
Rural districts (Landkreise)
- Angermünde (1818–1952; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Beeskow-Storkow (1836–1950; combined from partitioned parts of Teltow-Storkow and Lübben; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Jüterbog-Luckenwalde (renamed as Luckenwalde district in 1946; 1818–1952; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Niederbarnim (i.e. Lower Barnim; 1818–1952; widely merged in Greater Berlin in 1920; from 1947 remainder part of Brandenburg state)
- Oberbarnim (i.e. Upper Barnim; 1818–1952; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Osthavelland (i.e. Eastern Havelland; 1816–1952; widely merged in Greater Berlin in 1920; from 1947 remainder part of Brandenburg state)
- Ostprignitz (i.e. Eastern Prignitz; 1818–1952; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Prenzlau (1818–1952; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Ruppin (1818–1952; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Teltow (1836–1952; partitioned from Teltow-Storkow; widely merged in Greater Berlin in 1920; from 1947 remainder part of Brandenburg state)
- Teltow-Storkow (1816–1835; partitioned into Teltow and Storkow, which merged with northern Lübben to Beeskow-Storkow)
- Templin (1818–1952; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Westhavelland (i.e. Western Havelland; 1816–1952; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Westprignitz (i.e. Western Prignitz; 1818–1952; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
- Zauch-Belzig (1817–1952; from 1947 part of Brandenburg state)
References
- ^ a b c Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). Encyclopedia Americana. .
- ^ Cygański, Mirosław (1984). "Hitlerowskie prześladowania przywódców i aktywu Związków Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1939-1945". Przegląd Zachodni (in Polish) (4): 45–46, 51.
- ^ Cygański, p. 53
- ^ Cygański, pp. 49–50, 53–54
- ISBN 978-0-253-06089-1.
- ^ "Świecko (Lager Schwetig): Odnaleziono szczątki 21 osób". Instytut Pamięci Narodowej (in Polish). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "Ewakuacja piesza". Muzeum Martyrologiczne w Żabikowie (in Polish). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ In other Prussian provinces the same office used to be called Landeshauptmann (about in English: land captain). Cf. article: "Landesdirektor", in: Der Große Brockhaus: Handbuch des Wissens in zwanzig Bänden: 21 vols.; Leipzig: Brockhaus, 151928–1935; Bd. 11 (1932), p. 71.
- ^ Friedrich Heidemann, Handbuch der Post-Geographie der Königlich Preußischen Staaten, Weimar: Geographisches Institut Weimar, 1819, pp. 165seqq., retrieved on 1 August 2014.
- ^ Consisting of the mere one city of Berlin its lord mayor (German: Oberbürgermeister) fulfilled in personal union the task of the Landeshauptmann and the city council the role of the provincial committee. While the role of the upper president was taken by the Prussian government-appointed chief of police (German: Polizeipräsident in Berlin). Cf. Meyers großes Konversations-Lexikon: 20 vols. – completely new ed. and ext. ed., Leipzig and Vienna: Bibliographisches Institut, 1903-1908, here vol. 2, article 'Berlin', p. 700. No ISBN
External links
- Further information (in German)
- Population breakdown of Brandenburg province, 1910 (in German)