List of the largest German cities
The list of the largest German cities provides an overview of the most populous cities that were in contemporary German territory at the time of the individual statistics.
The industrialization in the 19th century, especially since the early days and the unification in 1871 , brought in Germany increased urbanization up to the largely urbanized society.
The following tables show historical population figures of German cities from 1700 to 2000 according to the respective territorial area . The higher-level administrative unit (state, country, kingdom, province, district) to which the city belonged in the corresponding year is also listed. The following historical and current German state structures were taken into account:
- Holy Roman Empire (962–1806)
- German Confederation (1815–1866)
- German Empire (1871–1949)
- German Democratic Republic (1949–1990)
- Federal Republic of Germany (from 1949)
The list of major cities in Germany contains current information .
Antiquity
The Roman city developed in the Imperium Romanum from 200 BC. In the following years it spread from Italy to northern Italy, North Africa (Tunisia) and Central Europe. The heyday of the ancient city can be seen in the 1st to 3rd centuries AD, many ancient ruins date from this time.
Roman cities in Germany mainly emerged on the Rhine and Danube:
- augsburg
- Bonn
- Koblenz
- Cologne
- Mainz
- Neuss
- Nida
- Passau
- regensburg
- Straubing
- Trier , already in the 3rd and 4th centuries with an estimated 80,000 inhabitants, the largest city north of the Alps
- Xanten
Middle Ages to modern times
With the migration of peoples in the 5th century, the ancient cities in what is now Germany largely fell into disrepair. Only in Augsburg, Regensburg, Trier and Cologne is the continuous existence as a city secured. The number of cities in Central Europe remained very low at a few hundred until around 1100. By far the largest part was created in the following 250 years, when numerous founding cities emerged from 1120, mostly through a founding act and city design. Around the beginning of the modern era , at the beginning of the 16th century, the most important cities (in addition to others today, mainly Dutch, French and Belgian) were the free and imperial cities as well as the residential cities :
- Cologne and Prague with around 40,000 inhabitants,
- Augsburg , Lübeck , Magdeburg and Nuremberg with around 20,000 to 30,000 inhabitants,
- Aachen , Basel , Braunschweig , Bremen , Wroclaw , Erfurt , Geneva , Hamburg , Lüneburg , Metz , Mühlhausen , Munich , Münster , Regensburg , Rostock , Schwaz , Soest , Stralsund , Strasbourg , Trier , Ulm and Vienna with around 10,000–20,000 inhabitants.
The largest German cities 1500
The population figures for the year 1500 are estimates.
| rank | city | population | Ruling territory |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Prague | 70,000 | Bohemia |
| 2. | Cologne | 45,000 | Cologne |
| 3. | Nuremberg | 38,000 | Nuremberg |
| 4th | augsburg | 30,000 | augsburg |
| Danzig | 30,000 | Prussia Royal Share as part of Poland | |
| 6th | Lübeck | 25,000 | Lübeck |
| Wroclaw | 25,000 | Silesia | |
| 8th. | regensburg | 22,000 | regensburg |
| 9. | Vienna | 20,000 | Austria |
| Strasbourg | 20,000 | Strasbourg |
The largest German cities in 1700
The population figures for the year 1700 are estimates.
| rank | city | population | Ruling territory |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Vienna | 114,000 | Austria |
| 2. | Hamburg | 70,000 | Hamburg |
| 3. | Antwerp | 66,000 | Brabant |
| 4th | Brussels | 65,000 | Brabant |
| 5. | Ghent | 52,000 | Flanders |
| 6th | Liege | 45,000 | Liege |
| 7th | Wroclaw | 40,000 | Silesia |
| 8th. | Cologne | 39,000 | Cologne |
| 9. | Prague | 39,000 | Bohemia |
| 10. | Bruges | 36,000 | Flanders |
| 11. | Nuremberg | 35,000 | Nuremberg |
| 12. | Berlin | 30,000 | Brandenburg |
| 13. | Frankfurt am Main | 28,000 | Frankfurt am Main |
| 14th | Bremen | 27,000 | Bremen |
| 15th | augsburg | 26,000 | augsburg |
| 16. | Munich | 24,000 | Bavaria |
| 17th | Lübeck | 23,000 | Lübeck |
| 18th | Dresden | 22,000 | Saxony |
| 19th | Mainz | 20,000 | Mainz |
| 20th | regensburg | 20,000 | regensburg |
The largest German cities in 1750
The population figures for 1750 are estimates.
| rank | city | population | Ruling territory |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Vienna | 175,000 | Austria |
| 2. | Berlin | 113,000 | Prussia |
| 3. | Hamburg | 75,000 | Hamburg |
| 4th | Prague | 59,000 | Bohemia |
| 5. | Brussels | 57,000 | Austrian Netherlands |
| 6th | Liege | 57,000 | Liege |
| 7th | Wroclaw | 55,000 | Prussia |
| 8th. | Dresden | 52,000 | Saxony |
| 9. | Antwerp | 43,000 | Austrian Netherlands |
| 10. | Cologne | 43,000 | Cologne |
| 11. | Ghent | 39,000 | Austrian Netherlands |
| 12. | Leipzig | 35,000 | Saxony |
| 13. | Frankfurt am Main | 32,000 | Frankfurt am Main |
| 14th | Munich | 32,000 | Bavaria |
| 15th | augsburg | 32,000 | augsburg |
| 16. | Bruges | 30,000 | Austrian Netherlands |
| 17th | Nuremberg | 30,000 | Nuremberg |
| 18th | Bremen | 28,000 | Bremen |
| 19th | Braunschweig | 25,000 | Braunschweig-Lüneburg |
| 20th | Mainz | 24,000 | Mainz |
The largest German cities in 1800
The population figures for 1800 are estimates.
| rank | city | population | Ruling territory |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Vienna | 231,000 | Austria |
| 2. | Berlin | 172,000 | Prussia |
| 3. | Hamburg | 130,000 | Hamburg |
| 4th | Prague | 75,000 | Bohemia |
| 5. | Dresden | 61,000 | Saxony |
| 6th | Koenigsberg | 60,000 | Prussia |
| 7th | Wroclaw | 54,000 | Prussia |
| 8th. | Cologne | 41,000 | Cologne |
| 9. | Danzig | 40,000 | Prussia |
| 10. | Munich | 40,000 | Bavaria |
| 11. | Bremen | 36,000 | Bremen |
| 12. | Frankfurt am Main | 35,000 | Frankfurt am Main |
| 13. | augsburg | 32,000 | augsburg |
| 14th | Leipzig | 32,000 | Saxony |
| 15th | Braunschweig | 31,000 | Braunschweig-Lüneburg |
| 16. | Graz | 31,000 | Austria |
| 17th | Nuremberg | 25,000 | Nuremberg |
| 18th | Aachen | 24,000 | Aachen |
| 19th | Lübeck | 24,000 | Lübeck |
| 20th | Altona | 23,000 | Holstein |
The largest German cities in 1849
The population and the area are based on the census of December 3, 1849.
| rank | city | population | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Vienna | 426.415 | Empire of Austria |
| 2. | Berlin | 423.902 | Kingdom of Prussia |
| 3. | Hamburg | 157,450 | Imperial city of Hamburg |
| 4th | Prague | 124.181 | Empire of Austria |
| 5. | Wroclaw | 110,702 | Kingdom of Prussia |
| 6th | Munich | 96,396 | Kingdom of Bavaria |
| 7th | Cologne | 94,789 | Kingdom of Prussia |
| 8th. | Dresden | 94.092 | Kingdom of Saxony |
| 9. | Koenigsberg | 75,240 | Kingdom of Prussia |
| 10. | Graz | 65,788 | Empire of Austria |
| 11. | Trieste | 63,931 | Empire of Austria |
| 12. | Danzig | 63.910 | Kingdom of Prussia |
| 13. | Leipzig | 62,374 | Kingdom of Saxony |
| 14th | Frankfurt am Main | 59,316 | Free City of Frankfurt |
| 15th | Magdeburg | 56,181 | Kingdom of Prussia |
| 16. | Bremen | 53,478 | Bremen |
| 17th | Nuremberg | 50,828 | Kingdom of Bavaria |
| 18th | Aachen | 50,533 | Kingdom of Prussia |
| 19th | Brno | 49,460 | Empire of Austria |
| 20th | Stuttgart | 47,837 | Kingdom of Württemberg |
The largest German cities in 1880
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The population and the area are based on the census of December 1, 1880.
| rank | city | population | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Berlin | 1,122,330 | Prussia |
| 2. | Hamburg | 289,859 | Hamburg |
| 3. | Wroclaw | 272.912 | Prussia |
| 4th | Munich | 230.023 | Bavaria |
| 5. | Dresden | 220,818 | Saxony |
| 6th | Leipzig | 149.081 | Saxony |
| 7th | Cologne | 144,772 | Prussia |
| 8th. | Koenigsberg | 140.909 | Prussia |
| 9. | Frankfurt am Main | 136,819 | Prussia |
| 10. | Hanover | 122,843 | Prussia |
| 11. | Stuttgart | 117,303 | Württemberg |
| 12. | Bremen | 112,453 | Bremen |
| 13. | Danzig | 108,551 | Prussia |
| 14th | Strasbourg | 104,471 | Alsace-Lorraine |
| 15th | Nuremberg | 99,519 | Bavaria |
| 16. | Magdeburg | 97,539 | Prussia |
| 17th | Barmen | 95,941 | Prussia |
| 18th | Dusseldorf | 95,458 | Prussia |
| 19th | Chemnitz | 95.123 | Saxony |
| 20th | Elberfeld | 93,538 | Prussia |
The largest German cities in 1910
The number of inhabitants and the area are based on the census of December 1, 1910.
| rank | city | population | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Berlin | 2,071,257 | Prussia |
| 2. | Hamburg | 931.035 | Hamburg |
| 3. | Munich | 596,467 | Bavaria |
| 4th | Leipzig | 589,850 | Saxony |
| 5. | Dresden | 548.308 | Saxony |
| 6th | Cologne | 516,527 | Prussia |
| 7th | Wroclaw | 512.105 | Prussia |
| 8th. | Frankfurt am Main | 414,576 | Prussia |
| 9. | Dusseldorf | 358.728 | Prussia |
| 10. | Nuremberg | 333.142 | Bavaria |
| 11. | Charlottenburg | 305.978 | Prussia |
| 12. | Hanover | 302.375 | Prussia |
| 13. | eat | 294,653 | Prussia |
| 14th | Chemnitz | 287,807 | Saxony |
| 15th | Stuttgart | 286.218 | Württemberg |
| 16. | Magdeburg | 279,629 | Prussia |
| 17th | Bremen | 247,437 | Bremen |
| 18th | Koenigsberg | 245.994 | Prussia |
| 19th | Rixdorf | 237.289 | Prussia |
| 20th | Szczecin | 236.113 | Prussia |
The largest German cities in 1919
The number of inhabitants and the area are based on the census of October 8, 1919.
| rank | city | population | country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Berlin | 1,902,509 | Prussia |
| 2. | Hamburg | 985.779 | Hamburg |
| 3. | Cologne | 633.904 | Prussia |
| 4th | Munich | 630.711 | Bavaria |
| 5. | Leipzig | 604.380 | Saxony |
| 6th | Dresden | 529.326 | Saxony |
| 7th | Wroclaw | 528.260 | Prussia |
| 8th. | eat | 439.257 | Prussia |
| 9. | Frankfurt am Main | 433.002 | Prussia |
| 10. | Dusseldorf | 407,338 | Prussia |
| 11. | Nuremberg | 352,675 | Bavaria |
| 12. | Charlottenburg | 322,766 | Prussia |
| 13. | Hanover | 310.431 | Prussia |
| 14th | Stuttgart | 309.197 | Württemberg |
| 15th | Chemnitz | 303.775 | Saxony |
| 16. | Dortmund | 295.026 | Prussia |
| 17th | Magdeburg | 285,856 | Prussia |
| 18th | Neukölln | 262.127 | Prussia |
| 19th | Koenigsberg | 260,895 | Prussia |
| 20th | Bremen | 257.923 | Bremen |
The largest German cities in 1939
The population and the area are based on the census of May 17, 1939.
| rank | city | population | country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Berlin | 4,338,756 | Prussia |
| 2. | Vienna | 1,929,976 | Ostmark |
| 3. | Hamburg | 1,711,877 | Hamburg |
| 4th | Munich | 829.318 | Bavaria |
| 5. | Cologne | 772.221 | Prussia |
| 6th | Leipzig | 707.365 | Saxony |
| 7th | eat | 666.743 | Prussia |
| 8th. | Dresden | 630.216 | Saxony |
| 9. | Wroclaw | 629,565 | Prussia |
| 10. | Frankfurt am Main | 553.464 | Prussia |
| 11. | Dortmund | 542.261 | Prussia |
| 12. | Dusseldorf | 541.410 | Prussia |
| 13. | Hanover | 470,950 | Prussia |
| 14th | Stuttgart | 458.429 | Württemberg |
| 15th | Duisburg | 434,646 | Prussia |
| 16. | Nuremberg | 423.383 | Bavaria |
| 17th | Wuppertal | 401,672 | Prussia |
| 18th | Koenigsberg | 372.164 | Prussia |
| 19th | Bremen | 354.109 | Bremen |
| 20th | Chemnitz | 337,645 | Saxony |
The largest German cities in 1946
The population and area are based on the census of October 29, 1946.
| rank | city | population | country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Berlin | 3,187,470 | Berlin |
| 2. | Hamburg | 1,403,300 | Hamburg |
| 3. | Munich | 751.967 | Bavaria |
| 4th | Leipzig | 607,655 | Saxony |
| 5. | eat | 524,728 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 6th | Cologne | 491.380 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 7th | Dresden | 467.966 | Saxony |
| 8th. | Dortmund | 436.491 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 9. | Frankfurt am Main | 424.065 | Greater Hessen |
| 10. | Dusseldorf | 420.909 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 11. | Stuttgart | 413,528 | Württemberg-Baden |
| 12. | Bremen | 385.266 | Bremen |
| 13. | Duisburg | 356,408 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 14th | Hanover | 354.955 | Hanover |
| 15th | Wuppertal | 325,846 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 16. | Nuremberg | 312,338 | Bavaria |
| 17th | Gelsenkirchen | 265,793 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 18th | Chemnitz | 250.188 | Saxony |
| 19th | Bochum | 246,477 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 20th | Magdeburg | 236.326 | Saxony-Anhalt |
The largest German cities in 1975
The population figures and the territorial status refer to December 31, 1975 (resident population according to updates by the state statistical offices and the state central administration for statistics).
| rank | city | population | Country / District |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Berlin 1st | 3,083,011 | Berlin |
| 2. | Hamburg | 1,717,383 | Hamburg |
| 3. | Munich | 1,314,865 | Bavaria |
| 4th | Cologne | 1,013,771 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 5. | eat | 677,568 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 6th | Dusseldorf | 664,336 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 7th | Frankfurt am Main | 636.157 | Hesse |
| 8th. | Dortmund | 630.609 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 9. | Stuttgart | 600.421 | Baden-Württemberg |
| 10. | Duisburg | 591,635 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 11. | Bremen | 572,969 | Bremen |
| 12. | Leipzig | 566.630 | Leipzig |
| 13. | Hanover | 552.955 | Lower Saxony |
| 14th | Dresden | 509.331 | Dresden |
| 15th | Nuremberg | 499.060 | Bavaria |
| 16. | Bochum | 414,842 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 17th | Wuppertal | 405.369 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 18th | Gelsenkirchen | 322,584 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 19th | Bielefeld | 316.058 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 20th | Mannheim | 314.086 | Baden-Württemberg |
1 : East Berlin (1,098,174 inhabitants) and West Berlin (1,984,837 inhabitants)
The largest German cities in 2000
The population figures and the territorial status relate to December 31, 2000 (population at the place of the main residence according to updates by the state statistical offices).
| rank | city | population | country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Berlin | 3,382,169 | Berlin |
| 2. | Hamburg | 1,715,392 | Hamburg |
| 3. | Munich | 1.210.223 | Bavaria |
| 4th | Cologne | 962.884 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 5. | Frankfurt am Main | 646,550 | Hesse |
| 6th | eat | 595.243 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 7th | Dortmund | 588.994 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 8th. | Stuttgart | 583,874 | Baden-Württemberg |
| 9. | Dusseldorf | 569.364 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 10. | Bremen | 539.403 | Bremen |
| 11. | Hanover | 515.001 | Lower Saxony |
| 12. | Duisburg | 514.915 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 13. | Leipzig | 493.208 | Saxony |
| 14th | Nuremberg | 488,400 | Bavaria |
| 15th | Dresden | 477,807 | Saxony |
| 16. | Bochum | 391.147 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 17th | Wuppertal | 366.434 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 18th | Bielefeld | 321,758 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 19th | Mannheim | 306.729 | Baden-Württemberg |
| 20th | Bonn | 302.247 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
The largest German cities in 2015
The population figures and territorial status refer to December 31, 2015 (population at the place of main residence according to the 2011 census of the Federal Statistical Office and the State Statistical Offices).
| rank | city | population | country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Berlin | 3,520,031 | Berlin |
| 2. | Hamburg | 1,787,408 | Hamburg |
| 3. | Munich | 1,450,381 | Bavaria |
| 4th | Cologne | 1,060,582 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 5. | Frankfurt am Main | 732.688 | Hesse |
| 6th | Stuttgart | 623.738 | Baden-Württemberg |
| 7th | Dusseldorf | 612.178 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 8th. | Dortmund | 586.181 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 9. | eat | 582,624 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 10. | Leipzig | 560.472 | Saxony |
| 11. | Bremen | 557.464 | Bremen |
| 12. | Dresden | 543.825 | Saxony |
| 13. | Hanover | 532.163 | Lower Saxony |
| 14th | Nuremberg | 509.975 | Bavaria |
| 15th | Duisburg | 491.231 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 16. | Bochum | 364,742 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 17th | Wuppertal | 350.046 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 18th | Bielefeld | 333.090 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 19th | Bonn | 318,809 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 20th | Muenster | 310.039 | North Rhine-Westphalia |
See also
- List of cities in Germany
- List of major cities in Germany
- List of former cities in Germany
- List of the 100 largest municipalities in Germany
- List of German municipalities, sorted according to population density
- List of the largest agglomerations in Germany
- List of the largest cities in the European Union
- List of the largest metropolitan areas in the world
- List of the largest cities in the world (historical)
- List of city lists by country
literature
- Eberhard Isenmann : The German city in the late Middle Ages, 1250–1500: city structure, law, city regiment, church, society, economy. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3800125714 .
- Heinz Schilling : The City in the Early Modern Age. Encyclopedia of German History. Volume 24, Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, Munich 2004, ISBN 978-3-486-56765-6 .
- Wolfgang R. Krabbe : The German city in the 19th and 20th centuries: an introduction. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1989, ISBN 3-525-33555-5 .
- Otto Hübner: Yearbook for Economics and Statistics , published by Heinrich Hübner, Leipzig 1854
- Imperial Statistical Office (Ed.): Statistical Yearbook for the German Empire , 1880–1918
- Statistisches Reichsamt (Ed.): Statistical yearbook for the German Reich , 1919–1941 / 42
- German Association of Cities (Ed.): Statistical Yearbook of German Communities , 1890 ff.
- Federal Statistical Office (Ed.): Statistical Yearbook for the Federal Republic of Germany , 1952 ff.
- State Central Administration for Statistics (Ed.): Statistical Yearbook of the German Democratic Republic , 1955–1989