List of the largest cities in the GDR
This list contains all cities in the GDR that had more than 30,000 inhabitants in one of the censuses (1950, 1960, 1971, 1981) or in 1988.
city | district | Country (after 1990) |
Residents | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1950 | 1960 | 1971 | 1981 | 1988 | 2007 | 2013 | |||
Berlin 1st | Capital | Berlin | 1,189,074 | 1,071,775 | 1,086,374 | 1,162,305 | 1,284,535 | 3,416,255 | 3,421,829 |
Leipzig | Leipzig | Saxony | 617,574 | 589,632 | 583,885 | 559,574 | 545.307 | 510.512 | 531,582 |
Dresden | Dresden | Saxony | 494.187 | 493,603 | 502,432 | 521.060 | 518.057 | 507.513 | 530.754 |
Hall 2 | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 289.119 | 277.855 | 292,551 | 324,431 | 329,490 | 234.295 | 231,565 |
Chemnitz 3 | Karl Marx City | Saxony | 293,373 | 286,329 | 299.411 | 318,578 | 311.765 | 244,951 | 242.022 |
Magdeburg | Magdeburg | Saxony-Anhalt | 260.305 | 261,594 | 272.237 | 287,362 | 290,579 | 230.140 | 231.021 |
Rostock | Rostock | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 133.109 | 158,630 | 198,636 | 236.011 | 253,990 | 200,413 | 203.431 |
Erfurt | Erfurt | Thuringia | 188,650 | 186,448 | 196,528 | 212.012 | 220.016 | 202.929 | 204,880 |
Potsdam | Potsdam | Brandenburg | 118.180 | 115.004 | 111,336 | 132,543 | 142,862 | 150,833 | 161,468 |
Gera | Gera | Thuringia | 98,576 | 101,373 | 111,535 | 126,792 | 134,834 | 101,618 | 94,977 |
Schwerin | Schwerin | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 93,576 | 92.508 | 97,389 | 122.264 | 130,685 | 95,855 | 91,583 |
cottbus | cottbus | Brandenburg | 60,874 | 66,813 | 83,444 | 116.092 | 128,639 | 102,811 | 99,595 |
Zwickau | Karl Marx City | Saxony | 138,844 | 129,138 | 126,988 | 121.283 | 121,749 | 95,841 | 91,564 |
Jena | Gera | Thuringia | 80,309 | 81,190 | 88,130 | 104,946 | 108.010 | 102,752 | 107,679 |
Dessau 4 | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 91,973 | 93,459 | 98,402 | 103.194 | 103,867 | 89,934 | 83,616 |
Brandenburg | Potsdam | Brandenburg | 82,215 | 86,722 | 93,983 | 94,680 | 94,872 | 72,954 | 71,032 |
Neubrandenburg | Neubrandenburg | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 22,412 | 33,369 | 46,087 | 79,813 | 90,471 | 66,735 | 63,437 |
Frankfurt (Oder) | Frankfurt | Brandenburg | 52,822 | 56,638 | 62,433 | 81.009 | 87,863 | 61,969 | 58,018 |
Goerlitz | Dresden | Saxony | 100.147 | 89.909 | 87,492 | 80.831 | 77,609 | 56,724 | 54,042 |
Plauen | Karl Marx City | Saxony | 84,438 | 79.056 | 82.026 | 78,800 | 77,593 | 67,613 | 63,967 |
Stralsund | Rostock | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 58,303 | 65,758 | 71,489 | 74,421 | 75,498 | 58,027 | 57,301 |
Hoyerswerda | cottbus | Saxony | 7,365 | 24,549 | 59,144 | 71,124 | 69,361 | 40.294 | 34,317 |
Greifswald | Rostock | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 44,468 | 46,728 | 47,017 | 61,388 | 68,597 | 53,845 | 56,445 |
Weimar | Erfurt | Thuringia | 64,452 | 63,943 | 63,634 | 63,725 | 63,412 | 64,720 | 63,315 |
Wismar | Rostock | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 47,786 | 55,400 | 56,287 | 57,718 | 58,058 | 45,012 | 42,219 |
Gotha | Erfurt | Thuringia | 57,414 | 56,278 | 57.010 | 57,573 | 57,365 | 46,247 | 44,325 |
Suhl | Suhl | Thuringia | 24,020 | 25,497 | 31,661 | 49,849 | 56,345 | 41,015 | 35,665 |
Eberswalde 5 | Frankfurt | Brandenburg | 30,895 | 32.012 | 46,299 | 53,183 | 54,822 | 41,396 | 38,844 |
Wittenberg | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 49,852 | 47,323 | 53,874 | 53,358 | 48.176 | 46,729 | |
Altenburg | Leipzig | Thuringia | 49,413 | 46,791 | 46,799 | 55,827 | 53,288 | 36,703 | 32,992 |
Eisenhüttenstadt 6 | Frankfurt | Brandenburg | 31,121 | 45.410 | 47,842 | 53,048 | 33.091 | 27.205 | |
Schwedt | Frankfurt | Brandenburg | 6,506 | 34,292 | 52.291 | 52,419 | 35,881 | 30,539 | |
Bautzen | Dresden | Saxony | 41,592 | 41,613 | 43,818 | 49,341 | 52,394 | 41,364 | 39,607 |
Freiberg | Karl Marx City | Saxony | 44,491 | 47,065 | 50,362 | 51,377 | 51,341 | 42,364 | 40,268 |
Stendal | Magdeburg | Saxony-Anhalt | 40,618 | 36,786 | 45.013 | 49.906 | 36,306 | 40,028 | |
Nordhausen | Erfurt | Thuringia | 39,452 | 39,768 | 44,547 | 47.121 | 48,734 | 44,057 | 41,839 |
Riesa | Dresden | Saxony | 36,150 | 36,769 | 49,960 | 51,857 | 48,366 | 35,508 | 31,423 |
Eisenach | Erfurt | Thuringia | 51,777 | 48.109 | 50,918 | 50,674 | 48,361 | 43,308 | 41,567 |
Halberstadt | Magdeburg | Saxony-Anhalt | 45,326 | 44,973 | 46,724 | 47,266 | 47,492 | 38,964 | 40,323 |
Wolfen 7 | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 11,750 | 12,687 | 26,953 | 39.131 | 45,867 | 46,295 | 41,259 |
Pirna | Dresden | Saxony | 38,676 | 41,111 | 47,533 | 48,387 | 45.224 | 39,438 | 37,645 |
Merseburg | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 38,441 | 47.199 | 55,857 | 50,932 | 45,050 | 35,045 | 33,432 |
Schönebeck | Magdeburg | Saxony-Anhalt | 46,426 | 46.234 | 44,779 | 44,930 | 35,238 | 31,582 | |
Mulhouse | Erfurt | Thuringia | 48,769 | 45.154 | 45,190 | 43,348 | 42,994 | 36,560 | 33.007 |
Time | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 46,762 | 45.142 | 46,864 | 44,031 | 42,520 | 27,444 | 29,557 |
Freital | Dresden | Saxony | 40,048 | 37,565 | 42.103 | 45,805 | 42,372 | 39.176 | 39,276 |
Bernburg | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 49,000 | 44,464 | 45,367 | 41,232 | 41,356 | 30,923 | 33,879 |
Weissenfels | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 47,967 | 45,856 | 46.223 | 39,125 | 38,881 | 29,140 | 39.909 |
Guestrow | Schwerin | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 35,237 | 37,428 | 38,153 | 38,854 | 30,799 | 28,540 | |
Zittau | Dresden | Saxony | 46,692 | 43,241 | 43,321 | 41,122 | 38.144 | 29,361 | 25,950 |
White water | cottbus | Saxony | 13,844 | 14,028 | 19,292 | 32,799 | 37,343 | 20,298 | 17,288 |
Wernigerode | Magdeburg | Saxony-Anhalt | 33,890 | 32,730 | 35,572 | 36,909 | 33,700 | 33,479 | |
Meissen | Dresden | Saxony | 49,455 | 48.214 | 45,609 | 39,276 | 36,767 | 27,856 | 27,135 |
Fürstenwalde | Frankfurt | Brandenburg | 30,388 | 30,841 | 35,132 | 35,973 | 33,104 | 30,967 | |
Saalfeld | Gera | Thuringia | 27,673 | 26,876 | 33,643 | 34,256 | 34,684 | 27,488 | 25,098 |
Guben | cottbus | Brandenburg | 25,929 | 29,607 | 36,708 | 34,481 | 20,415 | 17,655 | |
Koethen | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 39,365 | 36,624 | 34,748 | 34,289 | 29,213 | 26,889 | |
Greiz | Gera | Thuringia | 42,520 | 39.097 | 39,247 | 36,684 | 34,260 | 22,936 | 21,284 |
Aschersleben | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 39,012 | 37.163 | 34,730 | 34,167 | 31,717 | 27,995 | |
Sangerhausen | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 16,753 | 23,778 | 32,303 | 33,822 | 34,025 | 31,153 | 27,830 |
Radebeul | Dresden | Saxony | 44,293 | 40,349 | 39,626 | 34,129 | 33,109 | 33,300 | 33,434 |
Rudolstadt | Gera | Thuringia | 28,234 | 27,678 | 31,683 | 31,547 | 32,109 | 24,650 | 22,739 |
Naumburg | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 40,595 | 37,377 | 37,900 | 33,585 | 31,554 | 29,025 | 32,804 |
Rathenow | Potsdam | Brandenburg | 29,353 | 29,836 | 32,126 | 31,257 | 26,265 | 24.164 | |
Arnstadt | Erfurt | Thuringia | 28.195 | 26,444 | 28,990 | 30,024 | 30,482 | 25,256 | 23,539 |
Wittenberg | Schwerin | Brandenburg | 31,343 | 33,160 | 31,765 | 30,240 | 19,297 | 17,297 | |
Quedlinburg | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 35,555 | 30,965 | 30,758 | 28,453 | 28,790 | 21,909 | 25,055 |
Apolda | Erfurt | Thuringia | 32,736 | 29,292 | 29.003 | 28,949 | 28,244 | 23,774 | 21,738 |
Castle | Magdeburg | Saxony-Anhalt | 30,314 | 29,990 | 28,229 | 28,056 | 24,107 | 22,828 | |
Chub | Leipzig | Saxony | 31,037 | 28,904 | 27,855 | 26,812 | 28,000 | 20,726 | 20,699 |
Sonneberg | Suhl | Thuringia | 30,182 | 29,936 | 29,794 | 28,733 | 27,649 | 23,252 | 23,796 |
Glauchau | Karl Marx City | Saxony | 35,387 | 33,653 | 32,168 | 30,029 | 27,648 | 25,357 | 23,131 |
Luckenwalde | Potsdam | Brandenburg | 30,725 | 28,610 | 29,000 | 27,348 | 27,067 | 20,902 | 20.185 |
Eisleben | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 28,477 | 30,482 | 27,623 | 26,852 | 25,500 | 24,284 | |
Forest | cottbus | Brandenburg | 30,475 | 28,695 | 29,134 | 27,013 | 26,676 | 21,674 | 19,053 |
Aue | Karl Marx City | Saxony | 35,785 | 31,182 | 30,960 | 28,914 | 26,660 | 17,895 | 16,614 |
Reichenbach | Karl Marx City | Saxony | 32,320 | 29,598 | 28,870 | 25,458 | 26,211 | 21,210 | 18,879 |
Annaberg-Buchholz | Karl Marx City | Saxony | 36,660 | 29,012 | 27,846 | 26,664 | 25,953 | 22,514 | 20,510 |
Crimmitschau | Karl Marx City | Saxony | 34,541 | 31,279 | 29,949 | 26,229 | 21,684 | 19,396 | |
Schneeberg | Karl Marx City | Saxony | 32,992 | 21,595 | 21,228 | 21,174 | 21,966 | 16,042 | 14,353 |
Bitterfeld 7 | Hall | Saxony-Anhalt | 32,814 | 31,687 | 29,232 | 22,199 | 20,513 | 46,295 | 41,259 |
Johanngeorgenstadt | Karl Marx City | Saxony | 32,870 | 10,646 | 10,797 | 5,073 | 4,257 |
1 Berlin: 2007: including the western districts; only area of East Berlin: 1,300,941
2 Halle: 1971, 1981 and 1988: including the independent city of Halle-Neustadt
3 Chemnitz: 1950 and 2007: Chemnitz, otherwise: Karl-Marx-Stadt
4 Dessau: 2007: Dessau-Roßlau
5 Eberswalde: 1971, 1981 and 1988: Eberswalde-Finow
6 Eisenhüttenstadt: 1961 formed from Stalinstadt and Fürstenberg (Oder) (with Schönfließ); 1960: Stalinstadt 24,372 people, Fürstenberg (Oder) 6,749 people.
7 Bitterfeld and Wolfen: 2007: Bitterfeld-Wolfen