List of German license plates (historical)

The issuing of license plates in Germany goes back to the year 1906. (The Free City of Lübeck already prescribed police license plates on motor vehicles by ordinance of October 1, 1903). From 1906 to 1956, in the course of political changes, several systems of motor vehicles - used until the system in use today was introduced. From 1953 to 1990 the GDR also had its own registration system.

License plate in the German Empire 1906–1945

License plate of the province of Schleswig-Holstein in the German Empire

In 1906, the Federal Council passed a resolution on the principles of motor vehicle engineering, which were implemented by ordinances of the individual states. Police license plates and right-hand driving with left-hand overtaking were thus introduced in general throughout the German Reich.

Prussia

IA	State police district of Berlin
IB	Grenzmark Posen-West Prussia (1922–1938)
IC	East Prussia Province
ID	West Prussia Province (until 1922)
IE	Brandenburg Province
IH	Pomeranian Province
IK	Province of Silesia (1906–1919, 1938–1941) Provinces of Upper and Lower Silesia (1919–1938, 1941–1945)
IL	Hohenzollernsche Lande ("Administrative Region Sigmaringen")
IN THE	Province of Saxony
IP	Schleswig-Holstein Province
IS	Hanover Province
IT	Hesse-Nassau Province
IX	Province of Westphalia
IY	Poznan Province (1906–1922) Düsseldorf District (1928–1945)
IZ	Rhine Province (from 1928 without Düsseldorf administrative district)

Bavaria

Front two-wheel license plate from Nuremberg

II A	Munich district
II B	District of Upper Bavaria
II C	District of Lower Bavaria
II D	Palatinate district
II E	District of Upper Palatinate
II H	District of Upper Franconia
II M	Bavarian military (1910-1919)
II N	Nuremberg district
II P	Post (1910-1923)
II p	Middle Franconia district
II U	District of Lower Franconia
II Z	Swabia district

Saxony

I.	District Headquarters Bautzen (1906–1932) District Headquarters Dresden-Bautzen (1932–1945)
II	District Headquarters Dresden (1906–1932) District Headquarters Dresden -Bautzen (1932–1945) and Police Headquarters Dresden
III	District Headquarters Leipzig and Police Headquarters Leipzig
IV	District Headquarters Chemnitz and Police Headquarters Chemnitz
V	District Headquarters Zwickau and Police Offices Zwickau and Plauen

Württemberg

III A	Neckar District	( Police Department Stuttgart )
III C	Neckar District	(Head offices of Backnang , Besigheim , Brackenheim , Cannstatt (1906–1923) and Esslingen )
III D	Neckar District	(Oberämter Heilbronn , Leonberg , Ludwigsburg , Marbach and Maulbronn )
III E	Neckar District	(Oberämter Neckarsulm , Amtsoberamt Stuttgart , Vaihingen , Waiblingen and Weinsberg (1906–1926) )
III H	Black Forest District	(Oberämter Balingen , Calw , Freudenstadt , Herrenberg , Horb and Nagold )
III K	Black Forest District	(Oberämter Neuenbürg , Nürtingen , Oberndorf , Reutlingen and Rottenburg )
III M	Black Forest District	(Oberämter Rottweil , Spaichingen , Sulz , Tübingen , Tuttlingen and Urach )
III P	Jagstkreis	( Aalen , Crailsheim , Ellwangen , Gaildorf and Gerabronn authorities )
III p	Jagstkreis	(Oberämter Gmünd , Hall , Heidenheim and Künzelsau )
III T	Jagstkreis	(Oberämter Mergentheim , Neresheim , Öhringen , Schorndorf and Welzheim )
III X	Danube district	(Oberämter Biberach , Blaubeuren , Ehingen , Geislingen , Göppingen and Kirchheim )
III Y	Danube district	(Oberämter Laupheim , Leutkirch , Münsingen , Ravensburg and Riedlingen )
III Z	Danube district	(Oberämter Saulgau , Tettnang , Ulm , Waldsee and Wangen )
III WP	post Office	(1912-1923)

Remaining states

Front two-wheel license plate from the district of Büdingen (Hessen) with the special feature of an official seal instead of a stamp that was otherwise common

Thuringian license plate (1930s)

IV B	to bathe
VH	Hesse (1937–1945)
VO	Hesse, Province of Upper Hesse (1906–1937)
VR	Hesse, Province of Rheinhessen (1906–1937)
VS	Hesse, Starkenburg Province (1906–1937)
VI A	Alsace-Lorraine , District of Lower Alsace (1906–1918)
VI B	Alsace-Lorraine, Upper Rhine District (1906–1918)
VI C	Alsace-Lorraine, Lorraine District (1906–1918)
A.	Stop
B.	Braunschweig
CG	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1906–1918) Saxe-Gotha and Coburg (1918–1920)
HB	Hanseatic City of Bremen
HH	Hanseatic City of Hamburg
HL	Hanseatic City of Lübeck (1906–1937)
L.	Hanseatic City of Lübeck (1903-1906)
L.	Lippe (1906-1945)
M.	Mecklenburg (1934-1945)
MI	Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1906-1934)
M II	Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1906-1934)
OI	Oldenburg
O II	Oldenburg, Lübeck region (1906–1937)
O III	Oldenburg, Birkenfeld region (1906–1937)
RA	Reuss older line (1906–1920)
RJ	Reuss younger line (1906–1920)
S.	Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach (1906–1920)
SA	Saxony-Altenburg (1906–1920)
SAAR	Saar area (1920-1935)
Saar	Saarland (1935–1945)
SL	Schaumburg-Lippe
SM	Saxony-Meiningen (1906–1920)
SR	Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1906–1920)
SS	Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1906–1920)
T	Thuringia (1920–1922)
Th	Thuringia (1922–1945)
W.	Waldeck (1906–1929)

Non-private motor vehicles

MK	Military vehicle of the German Army (1914-1919)
RP	Reichspost (1923–1945)
RW	Reichswehr (1923–1935)

German Empire 1933 to 1945

Organization Todt mark (imperial eagle visible in the enlargement)

Wehrmacht license plate

Non-private vehicles were given the following license plates, regardless of their territory:

DR	Deutsche Reichsbahn (1933–1945)
FG	Feldgendarmerie (1944)
Fp.-No.	Field Post Number (1940; temporary number)
LC	Legion Condor (1936–1939; German troops in Spain)
OT	Organization Todt (1943–1945)
pole	Police , technical emergency aid (1935–1945)
WHEEL	Reich Labor Service (1941–1945)
RK	German Red Cross (1943–1945)
RP	Reichspost (1923–1945)
RW	Reichswehr (1923–1935)
SP	Security Police (from 1941)
SS	Schutzstaffel (1936-1945; abbreviation was shown as Siegrune )
WH	Wehrmacht , Army (1935–1945)
WL	Wehrmacht, Air Force (1935–1945)
WM	Wehrmacht, Navy (1935–1945)
WP	Wehrmacht, Police (1944; Military Police )
WT	Wehrmacht, Road Transport Service East (1943–1945)

With the annexation of Austria on March 13, 1938, the regulations applicable there ( see historical license plates (Austria) ) for the identification of motor vehicles were adopted, although there was a clear difference in appearance to the German license plates. The license plates were made in white letters on a black background and from 1939 onwards had the following groups of letters to identify the parts of the country:

K	Carinthia
Nd	Niederdonau (Lower Austria)
Od	Upper Danube (Upper Austria)
Sb	Salzburg
St.	Styria
TV	Tyrol-Vorarlberg
W.	Vienna

The Burgenland lost its independence. It was divided into the Reichsgaue Steiermark and Niederdonau and therefore did not have its own group of letters.

With the cession of the Sudetenland forced by Czechoslovakia in the autumn of 1938, the code S was introduced for the area of ​​the administrative districts of Karlsbad , Aussig and Troppau . Those areas that were annexed to the surrounding Gaue of the German Empire (Niederdonau, Oberdonau, Bavaria) were given the respective license plates. After the forcible annexation of the so-called “rest of Czechia” on March 15, 1939, the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was created with its own license plates.

PA	Bohemia
PB	Moravia
Pc	Railway and postal administration
PD	Prague
PS	Security organs
PV	administration
S.	Sudetenland

In October 1939, parts of occupied Poland were annexed by the German Reich . Areas assigned to the provinces of East Prussia and Silesia were given the license plates there. The rest of the annexed territory was divided into two Reichsgaue. The area of ​​the Free City of Danzig (1920–1939: registration DZ , oval nationality mark DA ) became part of the Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia .

The so-called Generalgouvernement was formed from the territories of occupied Poland that were not attached to the Reich , which from 1939 to 1942 had its own distinctive mark; after that, their own license plates were used in its districts:

DW	Gdansk West Prussia
P	Poznan (1939–1940) Wartheland (1940–1945)
east	General Government (1939–1942)
I east	General Government, Krakow District
II east	General Government, Radom District
III East	General Government, Lublin District
IV East	General Government, Warsaw District
V east	Government General, District of Galicia

After the conquest of France and the Benelux countries, Alsace , Lorraine and Luxembourg were annexed. The Alsatian areas received the number IV analogous to Baden , with which they were to be united to form a district. Lorraine was to be united with the Palatinate and Saarland to form Westmark .

IV ST	Strasbourg county
IV T	Districts of Altkirch , Mulhouse and Thann
IV U	Districts of Erstein, Molsheim , Schlettstadt
IV X	Districts of Gebweiler , Colmar and Rappoltsweiler
IV Z	Districts of Haguenau , Weißenburg and Zabern
lux	Luxembourg
Wm	Westmark

During the war against the Soviet Union , the following license plates had to be used in the occupied territories:

LT	Lithuania (1941–1942)
LS	Latvia (1941–1942)
Est	Estonia (1941–1942)
RO	Reichskommissariat Ostland (1942–1945)
RKU	Reichskommissariat Ukraine (1941-1942)
RU	Reichskommissariat Ukraine (1942–1945)

In the area of military commanders in occupied and friendly countries, the following marks were used.

From 1941

MB	Military Commander of Belgium and Northern France
MD	Military Commander of Denmark
MF	Military Commander of France
MG	Military Commander of the General Government
MH	Military Commander of Holland ( Netherlands )
MN	Military Commander of Norway
MO	Military Commander of the Ostland
MR	Military Commander of Romania
MS	Military Commander Southeast ( Serbia and Greece )
MU	Military Commander of Ukraine

From 1942

RK	Reich Commissioners of the occupied Norwegian and Dutch territories
E.g.	Military Commander of Belgium and Northern France (non-armed forces vehicles)
ZF	Military Commander of France (non-armed forces vehicles)

From 1943

ZO	Military Commander of the Eastern Operations Area (vehicles not owned by the Armed Forces)

Germany 1945–1956

Front motorcycle license plate from the French occupation zone (BD 32: Stadtkreis Konstanz , Baden, 1945–1949), painted over

License plate from the British zone of occupation : Pinneberg district , Schleswig-Holstein

Motorcycle registration number from the British zone of occupation: Siegkreis , North Rhine-Westphalia

License plate of the Soviet occupation zone: City of Dresden , Saxony

Ford Taunus with license plates from the British occupied North Rhine-Westphalia in front of the SMAD Thuringia in Weimar , around 1954

After the Second World War , Germany was divided into four zones of occupation . The four powers each carried out their own registrations and labeling of motor vehicles . The first uniform number plates were introduced at the end of 1945. In the British occupation zone , a procedure similar to today's principle was initially common. The first three letters were used to identify the approval district (as in DUS for Düsseldorf).

In 1947 the British joined the system that had been introduced in the American and French zones of occupation in 1946 , the Soviet followed in 1948. The identification system only became uniform in 1949, after the French zone also introduced the zone letter in the identification (A = American zone of occupation, B = British occupation zone, F = French occupation zone, S = Soviet occupation zone). The letters were not arranged next to each other, but on top of each other in small letters ( for Hesse). ${\displaystyle _{\mathbf {H} }^{\mathbf {A} }}$

Registration in the occupation zones:

• All indicators for the area of ​​the American zone of occupation , including the numbers, see under [1]
• All indicators for the territory of the British zone of occupation , including the numbers, see under [2]
• All identifiers for the territory of the French zone of occupation , including the numbers, see under [3]
• All characteristics for the area of ​​the Soviet Occupation Zone (SBZ), including the numbers, see under [4]

Berlin remained a special area with its own provisions; the first license plates there in 1945 only contained numbers. The Saarland was spun off as a "sovereign state" in 1948.

Mark	Zone	Admission location	Period
BY		Bavaria	1946-1947
FROM		Bavaria	1948-1956
B.		Bavaria	1950-1956
HB		Bremen	1945-1947
BM		Bremen	1947
AE		Bremen, "American exclave"	1948-1956
HE		Hesse	1946-1947
AH		Hesse	1948-1956
H		Hesse	1950-1956
AW		Württemberg-Baden	1948-1956
W.		Württemberg-Baden	1950-1956
WB		Württemberg-Baden	1950-1956
БM (= BM)		Berlin	1945-1946
ГФ (= GF)		Berlin	1945-1946
БГ (= BG)		Berlin	1945-1947
ГM (= GM)		Berlin	1945-1947
KB		Berlin	1947-1948
GB		East Berlin	1948-1953
KB		West Berlin	1948-1956
MGH		Hamburg	1945
H		Hamburg	1945-1947
HG		Hamburg	1947
bra		Hamburg	1948-1956
AUR		Lower Saxony , Reg.-Bez. Aurich	1945-1947
BRA		Lower Saxony , State of Braunschweig	1945-1947
HAN		Lower Saxony , Reg.-Bez. Hanover	1945-1947
HIL		Lower Saxony , Reg.-Bez. Hildesheim	1945-1947
LUN		Lower Saxony , Reg.-Bez. Luneburg	1945-1947
OLD		Lower Saxony , State of Oldenburg	1945-1947
OSN		Lower Saxony , Reg.-Bez. Osnabrück	1945-1947
STA		Lower Saxony , Reg.-Bez. Stade	1945-1947
HA		Lower Saxony	1947
BN		Lower Saxony	1948-1956
N		Lower Saxony	1950-1956
AAC		North Rhine-Westphalia , Reg.-Bez. Aachen	1945-1947
ARN		North Rhine-Westphalia , Reg.-Bez. Arnsberg	1945-1947
DUS		North Rhine-Westphalia , Reg.-Bez. Dusseldorf	1945-1947
COL		North Rhine-Westphalia , Reg.-Bez. Cologne	1945-1947
LIP		North Rhine-Westphalia , Land Lippe	1945-1947
MIN		North Rhine-Westphalia , Reg.-Bez. Minden	1945-1947
MUN		North Rhine-Westphalia , Reg.-Bez. Muenster	1945-1947
NO		North Rhine-Westphalia , North Rhine	1947
WF		North Rhine-Westphalia , Westphalia	1947
BR		North Rhine-Westphalia	1948-1956
R.		North Rhine-Westphalia	1950-1956
S.		Schleswig-Holstein	1945-1947
SH		Schleswig-Holstein	1947
BS		Schleswig-Holstein	1948-1956
BD		to bathe	1945-1949
FB		to bathe	1949-1956
X		Lindau (Lake Constance) , city and district	1947 (?) - 1949
FBY		Lindau (Lake Constance), city and district	1948-1950
By		Lindau (Lake Constance), city and district	1950-1956
RL		Rhineland-Palatinate , Rhineland	1945-1949
PF		Rhineland-Palatinate , Palatinate	1945-1949
FR		Rhineland-Palatinate	1949-1956
SA		Saarland	1945-1948
FS		Saarland	Planned in 1948
OE		Saarland	1949-1956
WT		Württemberg-Hohenzollern	1945-1949
FW		Württemberg-Hohenzollern	1949-1956
BP		Brandenburg , Province	1945-1947
SB		Brandenburg	1948-1953
MP		Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania	1945-1947
SM		Mecklenburg	1948-1953
SB		Saxony	1945-1947
SC		Saxony	1945-1947
SF		Saxony	1945-1947
SH		Saxony	1945-1947
SK		Saxony	1945-1947
SM		Saxony	1945-1947
SL		Saxony ("Leipzig")	1948-1953
SP		Saxony, province	1945-1947
SN		Saxony-Anhalt	1947-1953
TF		Thuringia	1945-1947
TH		Thuringia	1945-1947
IN THE		Thuringia	1946 (?) - 1947
ST		Thuringia	1948-1953
A.	/	Trailer (British and American Zone)	1946-1947
EGR		Agricultural vehicles	1945-1947
BT		SBZ central administration and subordinate institutions	1947– (?)
DR		Government of the GDR	1949
GDR		Government of the GDR	1949-1951
DR		German Reichsbahn	1945
RP		Reichspost	1945
TEM		temporarily, together with the license plate	1945-1947

License plate in the GDR from 1953 to 1990

See also : List of license plates of the GDR (1953–1990)

Wartburg 311 with DDR tag: Kreis Eisenach , Erfurt district , 1962

Labels of the form "XXX 0-01" circle Stollberg , district Karl-Marx-Stadt , some already with federal German inspection tag

In the GDR, all vehicles with a cubic capacity larger than 50 cm³ were subject to registration . The license plates had the general form "XX 00–01". Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the following, the license plate had black writing (a GDR development of the Prussian pattern drawing IV 44 from 1906) on a white background. With the increase in the number of vehicles, the form "XXX 0–01" was also introduced from October 1974. The first letter of the license plate indicated the district in which the vehicle was registered. The letters were assigned from A to Z in a north-south direction. Some districts had two different possible letters as identification.

A.	Rostock district
B.	Schwerin district
C.	Neubrandenburg district
D , P	Potsdam district
E.	Frankfurt (Oder) district
H , M	Magdeburg district
I.	Berlin, capital of the GDR ( East Berlin )
K , V	Halle district
L , F	District of Erfurt
N	Gera district
O	District of Suhl
R , Y	Dresden district
S , U	Leipzig district
T , X	Karl-Marx-Stadt district ( Chemnitz )
Z	Cottbus district

The letters G , J , Q and W were not used for the district codes. The number combination “00–00” or “0–00” was not assigned. However, there were Suhl license plates with the letters OO , which looked like 00 due to the similarity to the number glyphs.

The second letter indicated the allowable circle (in alphabetical order) for license plates with three letters and three digits. This type of license plate was not allowed for motorcycles.

The assignment of identification numbers for license plates with two letters and four digits was very complex. On the basis of allocation lists from the Ministry of the Interior of the GDR, each license plate could be specifically assigned to a city or district. However, these lists were not available to the public.

The second letter was assigned to different vehicle types, but these were assigned differently in each district. The system was subdivided again with the series of numbers. The letter combinations with the rows of numbers could be distributed over several circles, whereby license plates were assigned twice, but only on different types of vehicle (cars, trucks, etc.). For example, a motorcycle in circle A could have the same license plate number as a trailer in circle B.

Identification of the GST

The vehicle license plates of the Society for Sport and Technology consisted of just one letter for the district, followed by the usual number combination. Yellow license plates with black lettering were used.

License plate of the People's Police in the Potsdam district

The combination VA was reserved for the National People's Army , GT for border troops and 1990 GS for border guards . The German People's Police used from 1949 in a superimposed form. An exclusive combination of numbers followed for all of them. Certain combinations of the normal license plates were reserved for camouflage for civilian vehicles of the Criminal Police and the Ministry of State Security . ${\displaystyle _{\mathbf {P} }^{\mathbf {V} }}$

In the Neubrandenburg district , the combinations CC , CD , CY were also not assigned because of the abbreviations for the consular and diplomatic corps. The abbreviations " HJ ", " KZ ", " SA ", and " SS " were not given either. The letter Q was not used as a second or third letter in the GDR license plate system.

Vehicle with diplomatic license plates at Checkpoint Charlie 1982, 57 = Federal Republic of Germany

Diplomatic missions and consulates used two-letter symbols beginning with a C in white letters on a red background. Other foreigners, on the other hand, used two-letter marks beginning with a Q with white letters on a blue background. This is followed by a maximum of three digits that indicate the country of origin and, after a hyphen, another two serial digits. There was the following key:

CC	Service vehicles of consular posts and consular officials
CD	Diplomatic missions and their staff
CY	Vehicles of technical and administrative staff
QA	Foreign correspondents
QB , QX	Foreign trade branches, industrial agencies and commercial offices
QC	Travel agencies, airlines and cultural and information centers
QD	Others

The last registration number "DDR 2-10" registered in the GDR
from September 30, 1990 for a Trabant

The customs license plate used from 1966 onwards consisted of a number indicating the customs district, a hyphen and four other numbers. Green characters were used on these signs.

In the course of reunification , Federal German license plates were assigned from 1991. License plates according to the GDR scheme were still issued until December 31, 1990, but had to be exchanged by December 31, 1993. Even before reunification, however, the font type and size began to be used as in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990.

Federal Republic of Germany after 1956

In 1956, the labeling system that is still in use today was introduced. The most important feature of the system is an allocation of up to three-letter distinctive signs for each registration area. Urban districts and districts of the same name had the same distinguishing mark. In an annex to the road traffic regulations it was determined which letter and number combinations the municipal registration office and which those of the district were allowed to issue. The distinctive sign of the districts was also strictly from the seat of the district administration, not from a u. U. deviating district names derived (e.g. "FH" for the Main-Taunus district, because the district administration had its seat in Frankfurt-Höchst, "GM" for the Oberbergischen district after the seat of the district administration in Gummersbach). With the territorial reforms in the 1970s, this principle was increasingly deviated from; Newly formed great districts were now often given a distinctive sign derived from the district name, no longer from the seat of the district administration (e.g. "MKK" for the Main-Kinzig district instead of initially "HU" for the seat of the district administration in Hanau).

Originally, the distinguishing signs for the administrative district were set out in an appendix to the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations , since 2007 to the Vehicle Licensing Regulations . Since the so-called. Mark liberalization distinguishing marks, at the request of the country concerned by the new Minister of Transport set or canceled and only in the Federal Official Gazette published.

An overview of the currently established distinctive signs can be found in the list of vehicle license plates in Germany . For all distinctive signs issued so far in Germany with information on the periods of time, see the list of all vehicle registration numbers in the Federal Republic of Germany .

After 1956, only five distinctive signs have completely disappeared from road traffic. These were the distinguishing signs DB of the Deutsche Bundesbahn and BP of the Deutsche Bundespost . Since June 2006, BP has been used again for the Federal Police , replacing the old BG mark of the Federal Border Police . The license plate ROH for the former district of Rotenburg in Hanover was completely replaced by ROW ( district of Rotenburg (Wümme) ). On May 12, 1995, the last woman driver who still wore ROH signs on her vehicle was given two new license plates with the letters ROW.

See also

• Drafts for the license plates in Germany
• Eastern zone directory of German license plates

literature

• License plate map of Germany. Edition Jungbluth, Freiburg 2001, ISBN 3-932172-00-0 .
• Andreas Herzfeld: The history of the German license plate. 4th edition. German Flag Society V. 2010, ISBN 978-3-935131-11-7 .
• Directory of owners of motor vehicles in Württemberg and Hohenzollern. 1913.
• Directory of owners of motor vehicles in Württemberg and Hohenzollern. 1921.
• The motor vehicle owners in Württemberg and Hohenzollern. Stuttgart, 1926.

Web links

• Detailed presentation of the GDR license plate history including many illustrations
• Handbook of German license plates
• International Museum of License Plates, Traffic and Registration History (Großolbersdorf)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Martin Isaac: The law of the automobile according to the police regulations at home and abroad . Comparative representation for police officers, lawyers and motorists in the form of explanations on the German automobile ordinances (main features of the Federal Council of May 3, 1906). 2nd edition, Berlin 1907.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d German} vehicle registration number (before 1945) (Russian).
3. ↑ SS license plate ( memento from July 22, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
4. ↑ ^{a b} www.kennzeichengeschichte.de
5. ↑ www.dr-herzfeld.de (PDF; 198 kB).
6. ↑ Annual press report 2002 ( Memento from July 9, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 615 kB), Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, p. 17, accessed on June 7, 2011.