Each of the 16 states is a world of adventure in and of itself, whether city-states like the Hanseatic towns of Bremen and Hamburg, the Federal capital Berlin, or other states. Everywhere, you can discover great cities, cozy villages and relaxing natural landscapes. We can take you to festivals and international events, to relaxation and recuperation.
Take a little time out for yourself and go on a virtual trip through the German states of Schleswig-Holstein to Bavaria, and from North Rhine-Westphalia until Saxony. Encounter the culinary peculiarities of the individual regions! Discover the historic and ultramodern secrets of German cities or explore the romantic and exciting sides of Germany that include thousands of events from contemplative Christmas markets to exciting festivals. Fulfill your curiosities about the country and the people.
The German Federal States are awaiting you:
History of the states
Germany has always been divided into states, but the map has changed its shape over the centuries. The most important changes in the modern age resulted from the Napoleonic wars at the beginning of the 19th century, the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the First World War and the Second World War. After the latter Germany was divided, and the country's largest state, Prussia, was dissolved. Most of the states as we know them today were established after 1945, but they have largely retained their ethnic traditions and characteristics and some of the old boundaries.
Until Germany was reunited in 1990, the Federal Republic consisted of eleven states which had been created in the former Western occupation zones and had adopted democratic constitutions between 1946 and 1957.
In the Soviet-occupied zone, which later became the German Democratic Republic (GDR), five states were likewise formed, but these were soon replaced by a centralized administration. After the first free election in the former GDR on 18 March 1990, five new states were created with boundaries largely conforming to those of the period prior to 1952. On 3 October 1990 the German Democratic Republic, and hence the states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt and
