The Province of Hanover (german: Provinz Hannover) was a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

and the

Free State of Prussia The Free State of Prussia (german: Freistaat Preußen, ) was one of the constituent states of Germany from 1918 to 1947. The successor to the Kingdom of Prussia after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, it continued to be the domina ...

from 1868 to 1946. During the Austro-Prussian War, the

Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Ha ...

had attempted to maintain a neutral position, along with some other member states of the

German Confederation The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...

. After Hanover voted in favour of mobilising confederation troops against Prussia on 14 June 1866, Prussia saw this as a just cause for declaring war; the Kingdom of Hanover was soon dissolved and annexed by Prussia. The private wealth of the dethroned

House of Hanover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house or ...

was then used by Otto von Bismarck to finance his continuing efforts against

Ludwig II of Bavaria Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886) was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He is sometimes called the Swan King or ('the Fairy Tale King'). He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the ...

. In 1946, the British military administration recreated the State of Hanover based on the former Kingdom of Hanover; but within the year, at the instigation of the German leadership, it was merged into the new

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

() of

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

—along with the states of Oldenburg, Brunswick, and

Schaumburg-Lippe Schaumburg-Lippe, also Lippe-Schaumburg, was created as a county in 1647, became a principality in 1807, a free state in 1918, and was until 1946 a small state in Germany, located in the present day state of Lower Saxony, with its capital at Bück ...

—with the city of

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

as the capital of this new state.

Hanoverian regions

Hanover was subdivided into six regions first called ''Landdrostei n' (High-Bailiwick , which were reorganised into Prussian standard

Regierungsbezirk A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts. Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...

e (governorates) on 1 April 1885. #

Aurich Aurich (; East Frisian Low Saxon: ''Auerk'', West Frisian: ''Auwerk'', stq, Aurk) is a town in the East Frisian region of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Aurich and is the second largest City in East Frisia, both i ...

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

# Stade #

Lüneburg Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also called ...

(''Lunenburg'') #

Hildesheim Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the L ...

Administrative divisions from 1885

On 1 April 1885 the six '' Landdrosteien'' were turned into regional administrative districts called ''

e'': The ''Regierungsbezirke'' were subdivided into new urban and rural counties (''Stadtkreise'' and ''Landkreise''), the old '' Amt'' structure being disbanded. Where the name of the county town differs from that of the county, it is shown in brackets: Provinz Hannover 1905

Regierungsbezirk Aurich

Stadtkreise

* Emden *

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsh ...

(1919–1937, then ceded to Oldenburg)

Landkreise

* Emden (to 1932, then divided between the town of Emden, Landkreis Norden and Landkreis Leer) * Leer *

Norden Norden is a Scandinavian and German word, directly translated as "the North". It may refer to: Places England * Norden, Basingstoke, a ward of Basingstoke and Deane * Norden, Dorset, a hamlet near Corfe Castle * Norden, Greater Manchester, a vi ...

Weener Weener () is a town in the district of Leer, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Ems. The towns population is at 15,654, making it the largest town of the region Rheiderland. It has a railw ...

(to 1932, then to Landkreis Leer) *

Wittmund Wittmund is a town and capital of the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Geography Wittmund is a town of 21,000 inhabitants located in Germany's historic coastal district of East Frisia, between the towns of Aurich and Jever. The ...

Regierungsbezirk Hannover

Stadtkreise

* Hamelin (from 1923) *

* Linden (1886–1920, then to the city of Hanover)

Landkreise

* Grafschaft Diepholz (county offices in

Diepholz Diepholz (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Deefholt'') is a town and capital of the district of Diepholz in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the rivers Hunte and Lohne, approximately 45 km northeast of Osnabrück, and 60 km southwest of ...

, to 1932 Kreis Diepholz) * Grafschaft Hoya (county offices in Syke, before 1932 Kreis Hoya) * Grafschaft Schaumburg (county offices in

Rinteln Rinteln () is a small town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the banks of the Weser river above the Porta Westfalica. The town of Rinteln is in the broad valley between the hills of the Weserbergland and the North Lippe Bergland. In rela ...

, before 1932

Province of Hesse-Nassau The Province of Hesse-Nassau () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1868 to 1918, then a province of the Free State of Prussia until 1944. Hesse-Nassau was created as a consequence of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 by combining the p ...

) *

Hameln-Pyrmont Hameln-Pyrmont is a districts of Germany, district (''Landkreis'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Schaumburg, Hanover (district), Hanover, Hildesheim (district), Hildesheim and Holzminde ...

(county offices in Hamelin, before 1922 Kreis Hameln) *

* Linden (to 1932, then to Landkreis Hannover) *

Neustadt am Rübenberge Neustadt am Rübenberge ( nds, Niestadt) is a town in the district of Hannover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. At , it is the 9th largest settlement in Germany by area (following Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne), though only about 45,000 inhabitants ...

* Nienburg/Weser *

Springe Springe is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the Deister hills, southwest of Hanover. Town structure * Springe (core settlement, seat of the mayor), population 13,184 * Bennigsen, population 4, ...

* Stolzenau (to 1932, then to Landkreis Nienburg/Weser) * Sulingen (to 1932, then to Landkreis Grafschaft Diepholz) * Syke (to 1932, then to Landkreis Grafschaft Hoya)

Regierungsbezirk Hildesheim

Stadtkreise

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines ...

(to 1941, then to Brunswick) *

Landkreise

Alfeld Alfeld is a town in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany. Located on the Leine river, it is the second biggest city in the district of Hildesheim in southern Lower Saxony and part of the Metropolitan region Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsbur ...

Duderstadt Duderstadt () is a city in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district of Göttingen. It is the center and capital of the northern part of the Eichsfeld ("Untereichsfeld"). In earlier times it was the private wealth of the Roman Cat ...

* Einbeck *

(to 1941, then to Brunswick) * Gronau *

Holzminden Holzminden (; nds, Holtsminne) is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Holzminden. It is located on the river Weser, which at this point forms the border with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Histor ...

(from 1941, previously Brunswick) *

Ilfeld Ilfeld is a village and a former municipality in the district of Nordhausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated at the south foot of the Harz, at the entrance to the Bährethal, north from Nordhausen by the railway to Wernigerode. Since 1 J ...

(to 1932, then to Province of Saxony) * Marienburg i. Hann. (county offices in

) * Münden *

Northeim Northeim (; nds, Nuurten) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, seat of the district of Northeim, with, in 2011, a population of 29,000. It lies on the German Half-Timbered House Road. History Northeim is first mentioned in 800 in a document ...

Osterode am Harz Osterode am Harz, often simply called Osterode (; Eastphalian: ''Ostroe''), is a town in south-eastern Niedersachsen on the south-western edge of the Harz mountains. It was the seat of government of the district of Osterode. Osterode is locat ...

Peine Peine (; Eastphalian: ''Paane'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, capital of the district Peine. It is situated on the river Fuhse and the Mittellandkanal, approximately west of Braunschweig, and east of Hanover. History A deed from 11 ...

Uslar Uslar (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Üsseler'') is a town and a municipality in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, in the south-western part of the district of Northeim (district), Northeim, and in the south of the hills of Solling forest whi ...

(to 1932, then to Landkreis Northeim) * Zellerfeld (county offices in Clausthal-Zellerfeld)

Regierungsbezirk Lüneburg

Stadtkreise

* Celle * Harburg (1927 to Harburg-Wilhelmsburg) * Harburg-Wilhelmsburg (1927–1937, then to

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

) *

* Wilhelmsburg (1925–1927, then to Harburg-Wilhelmsburg)

Landkreise

Bleckede Bleckede (, Polabian ''Bleketsa'') is a town in the district of Lüneburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated mostly on the left bank of the Elbe, approx. 20 km east of Lüneburg. Bleckede is located on the German Timber-Frame Road. H ...

(to 1932, then to Landkreis Lüneburg) * Burgdorf * Celle *

Fallingbostel Bad Fallingbostel (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bad Fambossel'') is the district town (''Kreisstadt'') of the Heidekreis district in the German state of Lower Saxony. Since 1976 the town has had a state-recognised Kneipp spa and has held the title of ...

Gifhorn Gifhorn () is a town and capital of the district of Gifhorn (district), Gifhorn in the east of Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of about 42,000 and is mainly influenced by the small distance to the more industrial and commercially import ...

* Harburg (county offices in Hamburg-Harburg) * Isenhagen (to 1932, then to Landkreis Gifhorn) *

Lüchow-Dannenberg Lüchow-Dannenberg is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany, which is usually referred to as Hanoverian Wendland (''Hannoversches Wendland'') or Wendland. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the districts of Uelzen and Lüneburg and the s ...

(county offices in

Lüchow Lüchow (Wendland) () is a city in northeastern Lower Saxony, in Germany. It is the seat of the ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Lüchow (Wendland), and is the capital of the district Lüchow-Dannenberg. Situated approximately 13&nb ...

, formed in 1932 from the counties of

and

Danneberg Danneberg is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Robert Danneberg (1882-1942), Austrian politician *Thomas Danneberg (born 1942), German actor Sports * Jochen Danneberg (born 1953), East German ski jumper *Rolf Danneberg ...

) *

* Soltau *

Uelzen Uelzen (; officially the ''Hanseatic Town of Uelzen'', German: ''Hansestadt Uelzen'', , Low German ''Ülz’n'') is a town in northeast Lower Saxony, Germany, and capital of the county of Uelzen. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, a ...

(county offices to 1974 in Oldenstadt) * Winsen

Regierungsbezirk Osnabrück

Stadtkreise

Landkreise

* Aschendorf-Hümmling (county offices in Aschendorf/Ems, formed in 1932 from the counties of Aschendorf and

Hümmling The Hümmling (''Homelinghen'', from ''hömil'' = small stone) is a ground moraine landscape, up to , in the Emsland region on the North German Plain in the western part of the German state of Lower Saxony. Location The wooded Hümmling, whic ...

) * Landkreis Bersenbrück *

Grafschaft Bentheim County of Bentheim (german: Grafschaft Bentheim) is a district (''Landkreis'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the Dutch provinces of Overijssel and Drenthe, the district of Emsland, and the districts o ...

(county offices in Bentheim) *

Iburg Bad Iburg (; Westphalian: ''Bad Ibig'') is a spa town in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Teutoburg Forest, 16 km south of Osnabrück. Bad Iburg is also the name of a municipality which includes ...

(to 1932, then to Landkreis Osnabrück) *

Lingen Lingen (), officially Lingen (Ems), is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. In 2008, its population was 52,353, and in addition there were about 5,000 people who registered the city as their secondary residence. Lingen, specifically "Lingen (Ems)" is ...

Melle Melle may refer to: People * Basil Melle (1891–1966), South African cricketer * Gil Mellé (1931–2004), American artist, jazz musician and film composer * John van Melle (1887–1953), Dutch-born South African author * Melle Mel (born 19 ...

Meppen Meppen (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Möppen'') is a town in and the seat of the Emsland district of Lower Saxony, Germany, at the confluence of the Ems, Hase, and Nordradde rivers and the Dortmund–Ems Canal (DEK). The name stems from the word ''M ...

* Wittlage

Regierungsbezirk Stade

Stadtkreise

Cuxhaven Cuxhaven (; ) is an independent town and seat of the Cuxhaven district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town includes the northernmost point of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the shore of the North Sea at the mouth of the Elbe River. Cuxhaven has ...

(from 1937, previously part of

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

) * Geestemünde (1912–1924, then to Stadtkreis Wesermünde) * Lehe (1920–1924, then to Stadtkreis Wesermünde) *

Wesermünde Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the ...

(formed in 1924 from the counties of Geestemünde and Lehe)

Landkreise

Achim Achim (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Achem''), commonly Achim bei Bremen, is a municipality and the largest town (population 30,059 in December 2006) in the district of Verden, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Weser, a ...

(to 1932, then to Landkreis Verden) * Blumenthal (to 1932, then to Landkreis Osterholz) *

Bremervörde Bremervörde () is a town in the north of the district (''Landkreis'') of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the Oste river near the centre of the "triangle" formed by the rivers Weser and Elbe, roughly equidistant from the cit ...

Hadeln Hadeln is a former ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was situated in the Land of Hadeln near the mouth of the river Elbe, approximately 15 km east of Cuxhaven Cuxhaven (; ) is ...

(county offices in

Otterndorf Otterndorf () is a town on the coast of the North Sea in the federal state of Lower Saxony, Germany, and is part of the collective municipality (''Samtgemeinde'') of Land Hadeln. The town, located in the administrative district (''Landkreis'') of ...

, 1932 to Landkreis Land Hadeln) * Jork (to 1932, then to counties of Stade and Harburg) * Kehdingen (to 1932, then to Landkreis Stade) *

Land Hadeln Land Hadeln is a historic landscape and former administrative district in Northern Germany with its seat in Otterndorf on the Lower Elbe, the lower reaches of the River Elbe, in the Elbe-Weser Triangle between the estuaries of the Elbe and W ...

(county offices in

, formed in 1932 from the counties of Hadeln and Neuhaus an der Oste) * Neuhaus an der Oste (to 1932, then to Landkreis Land Hadeln) *

Osterholz Osterholz is a district (''Landkreis'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the districts of Wesermarsch, Cuxhaven, Rotenburg and Verden, and by the city of Bremen. History Originally the prince-archbisho ...

(county offices in

Osterholz-Scharmbeck Osterholz-Scharmbeck (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Oosterholt-Scharmbeek'') is a town and the capital of the district of Osterholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Osterholz-Scharmbeck is situated in between the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven. Geography ...

) * Rotenburg i. Hann. * Stade * Verden *

(formed in 1932 from the counties of Geestemünde and Lehe) *

Zeven Zeven [] is a town in the Rotenburg (district), district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of around 14,000. The nearest large towns are Bremerhaven, Bremen (city), Bremen and Hamburg. It is situated approximately 22 ...

(to 1932, then to Landkreis Bremervörde)

Presidents of the Province of Hanover

The heads of the provinces, appointed by the central Prussian government, were called

Oberpräsident The ''german: Oberpräsident, label=none'' (Supreme President) was the highest administrative official in the Prussian provinces. History The Oberpräsident of a Prussian province was the supreme representative of the Prussian crown, until its ...

(Upper President). The provincial executive, the Landesdirektor (provincial director), was elected by the provincial parliament (Provinziallandtag). *

Otto Graf zu Stolberg-Wernigerode Otto Graf (From 1890, Fürst) zu Stolberg-Wernigerode (30 October 1837 – 19 November 1896) was an Imperial German politician and the vice-chancellor of the German Empire. Life He was born at Gedern Castle, Hesse, the third and last child ...

1867–1873 * Botho Wendt August Graf zu Eulenburg 1873–1878 * Adolf Hilmar von Leipziger 1878–1888 * Rudolf von Bennigsen 1888–1897 * Konstantin Graf zu Stolberg-Wernigerode 1898–1902 * Richard von Wentzel 1902–1914 * Ludwig Hubert von Windheim 1914–1917 * Ernst von Richter (

DVP DVP may refer to: * ''decessit vita patris'', "died in the lifetime of his father", term used by genealogists to denote a child who pre-deceased his or her father and did not live long enough to inherit the father's title or estate. * Delivery versu ...

) 1917–1920 *

Gustav Noske Gustav Noske (9 July 1868 – 30 November 1946) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He served as the first Minister of Defence (''Reichswehrminister'') of the Weimar Republic between 1919 and 1920. Noske has been a cont ...

(

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been t ...

) 1920–1933 *

Viktor Lutze Viktor Lutze (28 December 1890 – 2 May 1943) was a German Nazi Party functionary and the commander of the '' Sturmabteilung'' ("SA") who succeeded Ernst Röhm as '' Stabschef'' and '' Reichsleiter''. He died from injuries received in a c ...

(

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

) 1933–1941 * Hartmann Lauterbacher (NSDAP) 1941–1945 *

Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf 1948 Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf (6 May 1893 – 21 December 1961) was a German politician (SPD). He joined the SPD in 1919. Kopf worked from 1939 to 1943 on behalf of the Nazi government as an asset manager in occupied Poland, ...

(SPD) 1946

Hanoverian regions

Administrative divisions from 1885

Regierungsbezirk Aurich

Stadtkreise

Landkreise

Regierungsbezirk Hannover

Stadtkreise

Landkreise

Regierungsbezirk Hildesheim

Stadtkreise

Landkreise

Regierungsbezirk Lüneburg

Stadtkreise

Landkreise

Regierungsbezirk Osnabrück

Stadtkreise

Landkreise

Regierungsbezirk Stade

Stadtkreise

Landkreise

Presidents of the Province of Hanover

See also