Schleswig-Holstein Province

Prussian Province of
Schleswig-Holstein
Situation in Prussia
Exist	1867-1946
Provincial capital	Schleswig / Kiel
area	19,018.8 km² (1910) ; 15,682.0 km² (1939).
resident	1,589,267 (1939)
Population density	101 inhabitants / km² (1939)
administration	Administrative district and districts
License Plate	I P
Arose from	Duchy of Schleswig ; Duchy of Holstein ; Duchy of Saxony-Lauenburg
Incorporated into	Schleswig-Holstein
Today part of	Schleswig-Holstein ; Hamburg ; Region Syddanmark
map

The Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein emerged in 1867 after the German War from the two former duchies of Schleswig and Holstein . After the Second World War , the state of Schleswig-Holstein was founded on August 23, 1946, and the status of a province of the Free State of Prussia ended .

story

Declaration by the Prussian King on the annexation of Schleswig-Holstein in 1867

Seal of the governor of the province of Schleswig-Holstein

Around the Duchy of Schleswig concentrated in the 12th / 13th. Century both Danish and Holstein power politics; dynastically it was noticeably breaking away from the Danish crown. Holstein had been a county under the German Duchy of Saxony since 1111 , but after its dissolution it increasingly played an independent role under the Counts of Schauenburg and Holstein . Nevertheless, Schleswig remained a Danish and Holstein a German fiefdom . 1326 was the Holstein count Gerhard III. de facto ruler also over Schleswig and Denmark, and in 1386 the Holstein count Gerhard VI succeeded. to gain the ducal dignity of Schleswig. After some conflicts between the counts and the royal family, Schleswig and Holstein formed an independent principality under Count Adolf VIII from 1435 until his death in 1459, although Schleswig remained a fiefdom of the Danish Empire and Holstein as a fiefdom of the Roman-German Empire. In 1460 the estates elected the Danish King Christian I as their common sovereign. Despite some long-term division of states, the position of Schleswig and Holstein, which was elevated to a duchy in 1474, remained untouched as parts of the Danish monarchy until 1848.

The political and economic influence z. B. of the Holstein nobility in Schleswig had a long-term linguistic effect as the German language gained increasing importance. For example, under the Danish kings, German became the legal and church language in southern Schleswig, and in the 18th and, above all, the 19th century, there was a change in the language of the colloquial languages, with Danish and Frisian dialects gradually giving way to Low and High German.

This development was overshadowed by the emerging nationalism and the question of succession after the imminent extinction of the male line of the royal family. This led to the March Revolution in Copenhagen and the Schleswig-Holstein uprising in the duchies. The German-minded Schleswig-Holstein national liberals wanted a united Schleswig-Holstein independent of Denmark within the German Confederation , while the Danish national liberals wanted to integrate Schleswig into the kingdom (surrendering Holstein). In 1851 the status quo ante of the entire Danish state was restored.

The conflict between the two nationalities was to continue and was reflected in a constitutional conflict between the two Schleswig Wars. The common constitution for the entire state passed in 1855 was rejected in the same year by the Holstein assembly and three years later also repealed by the Bundestag in Frankfurt for the national Holstein. The November constitution drafted in 1863 was only valid for Denmark and Schleswig, but not for Holstein and Lauenburg and thus violated the London Protocol of 1852 on the belonging together of the duchies within the state as a whole. The German Confederation called for the November constitution to be withdrawn and in December 1863 imposed a federal execution against the Duchy of Holstein, which was occupied by federal troops from Lauenburg, Saxony and Hanover . On January 16, 1864, Prussia and Austria gave Denmark a 48-hour ultimatum to repeal the November constitution and evacuate Schleswig, which Denmark let slip. On February 1, 1864, despite criticism from the German Confederation, Austrian and Prussian troops finally crossed the Eider , the historic border river between Holstein and Schleswig, and within a few months occupied the Duchy of Schleswig and parts of the rest of Jutland. At the end of the war, the Danish monarchy had to renounce all three duchies: Denmark transferred sovereignty to Austria and Prussia jointly. From 1865 Prussia administered Schleswig and Austria Holstein.

In 1866 Austria had to renounce its claims after the German War, and Prussia annexed the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. The province of Schleswig-Holstein was created. The Duchy of Lauenburg was ruled in Prussian personal union as early as 1865 and was incorporated into the province as the District of Duchy of Lauenburg in 1876 . The seat of the high president of the new province (superordinate to the district president in Schleswig) was initially Kiel , from 1879 Schleswig and from 1917 again Kiel. Administratively, the province of Schleswig-Holstein was divided into urban and rural districts . There was only one administrative district (Schleswig), which was consequently territorially identical to the entire province.

After the First World War , Prussia had to cede the northern part of Schleswig to Denmark due to a vote in 1920 .

With the Greater Hamburg Law of 1937, the former Free Imperial City of Lübeck and the former Principality of Lübeck - from 1919 onwards Lübeck (capital Eutin ) of the Free State of Oldenburg - were incorporated into the Province of Schleswig-Holstein. At the same time, the districts of Altona and Wandsbek were spun off and incorporated into the city of Hamburg .

After the Second World War , due to the Barber-Lyaschtschenko Agreement, a small part east of Ratzeburg was assigned to the state of Mecklenburg and the province of Schleswig-Holstein with some Mecklenburg exclaves became part of the British zone of occupation . By ordinance of the military government , with effect from 23 August 1946, the province of Schleswig-Holstein became the state of Schleswig-Holstein , which has been a state of the Federal Republic of Germany since 1949 . By dispensing with the reporting obligation on the part of the British occupation forces and the attraction of the special area Mürwik to Schleswig-Holstein developed into a "safe haven" for countless NS - war criminals who have the rat line north into hiding there.

Population development and area

year	1871	1880	1890	1900	1910	1925	1933	1939
population	995.873	1,127,149	1,219,523	1,387,968	1,621,004	1,519,365	1,589,664	1,589,267
source

From 1867 to the First World War , the province covered an area of 19,019 km². After the cession of North Schleswig and the area changes through the Greater Hamburg Law , the area was reduced to 15,682 km².

politics

Chief President

On the part of the Prussian government, upper presidents were appointed, who represented the government in the province and supervised the execution of Central Prussian tasks.

1867–1879: Carl von Scheel-Plessen
1879–1880: Karl Heinrich von Boetticher
1880–1896: Georg von Steinmann
1897–1901: Ernst von Köller
1901–1906: Kurt von Wilmowsky
1906–1907: Kurt von Dewitz
1907–1914: Detlev von Bülow
1914–1918: Friedrich von Moltke
1919–1932: Heinrich Kürbis , SPD
1932–1933: Heinrich Thon
1933–1945: Hinrich Lohse , NSDAP
1945: Otto Hoevermann (provisional)
1945–1946: Theodor Steltzer , CDU

Self-management

The United Provincial Parliament and (from 1876) the Provincial Association elected the state director to head the self-government of all districts and cities in the province. The Duchy of Lauenburg formed its own Lauenburg regional association according to the Unification Act . The Crown of Prussia introduced the title of Governor in 1902 . In the time of National Socialism , the governors were appointed from 1933 according to the leader principle and subordinated to the chief president. The provincial parliament was dissolved in 1934.

State directors and governors: 1872–1895: Wilhelm von Ahlefeldt; 1895–1907: Hermann von Graba (September 17, 1833 to June 15, 1908), from 1902 under the new title of Governor; 1907–1922: Karl von Platen-Hallermund; 1923–1932: Reinhard Pahlke; 1932–1935: Otto Röer , acting; 1935–1938: Otto Röer, as appointed governor; 1938–1945: Wilhelm Schow , as appointed governor; 1945–1946: Hans Müthling

Provincial Parliament

Administrative division of the province of Schleswig-Holstein

The Prussian eagle at the calibration office in Flensburg commemorates the 78-year-old Prussian period in Flensburg

From October 1, 1868, there was only one administrative district (Schleswig). The parts of the country denote the former administrative districts.

Schleswig region

The following administrative districts also belonged to the administrative district of Schleswig before October 1, 1868:

City districts

City district of Flensburg (from 1889, separated from the district of Flensburg)

Counties

Aabenraa district (until 1920)
Eckernförde district
District of Eiderstedt (district administration in Tönning ; 1932–1933 merged with the district of Husum)
District, from 1889 district of Flensburg
Hadersleben district (until 1920)
Husum district (1932–1933 merged with Eiderstedt district)
Husum-Eiderstedt district (district administration in Husum ; only 1932–1933; before and after the districts of Eiderstedt and Husum)
Schleswig district
District of Sonderburg (until 1920)
Südtondern district (district administration in Niebüll ) (from 1920)
District of Tondern (1920, for a short time, district administration in Niebüll ) (until 1920)

Holstein region

The administrative district of Holstein was incorporated into the administrative district of Schleswig with effect from October 1, 1868. He was based in Kiel. The following administrative districts therefore also belonged to the administrative district of Schleswig from October 1, 1868: