Province of Saxony

Infobox Former Subdivision
native_name = "Sachsen"
conventional_long_name = Saxony
common_name = Saxony
subdivision = Province
nation= Prussia
year_start = 1816
year_end = 1945
life_span = 1816 – 1944 1945
p1 = Duchy of Magdeburg
image_p1 =
p2 = Altmark
image_p2 =
p3 = Archbishopric of Mainz
image_p3 =
p4 = Kingdom of Saxony
flag_p4 = Flagge Königreich Sachsen (1815-1918).svg
s1 = Saxony-Anhalt
flag_s1 = Flag of Saxony-Anhalt.svg
s2 = Thuringia
flag_s2 = Flag of Thuringia.svg

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image_map_caption = Saxony (red}, within the Kingdom of Prussia (blue), within the German Empire
capital = Magdeburg
latd=52 |latm=8 |latNS=N |longd=11 |longm=37 |longEW=E
date_event1 = 1 July 1944
event1 = Redivided
date_event2 = early 1945
event2 = Partly reformed
stat_pop1 = 1197053
stat_year1 = 1816
stat_pop2 = 2978679
stat_year2 = 1905
stat_pop3 = 3662546
stat_year3 = 1939
stat_area3= 25529
political_subdiv= Magdeburg
Merseburg Erfurt The Province of Saxony ( _de. Provinz Sachsen) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1945. Its capital was Magdeburg.

History

The province was created in 1816 out of the following territories:
* the former Duchy of Magdeburg and Principality of Halberstadt, which had been part of the Kingdom of Westphalia from 1807-1813;
* the parts of the Margraviate of Brandenburg that were situated to the left of the Elbe River, such as the Altmark;
* territory gained from the Kingdom of Saxony after the Battle of Leipzig in 1813: the towns and surrounding territories of Wittenberg, Merseburg, Naumburg, Mansfeld, Querfurt, and Henneberg;
* and territory given to Prussia after the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss: lands around Erfurt (formerly directly subordinate to the Emperor of the French as Principality of Erfurt), the Eichsfeld (formerly belonging to the Archbishopric of Mainz) and the former Imperial Cities of Mühlhausen and Nordhausen.

The Province of Saxony was one of the richest regions of Prussia with highly developed agriculture and industry. In 1932 the province was enlarged with the addition of the regions around Ilfeld and Elbingerode, which had previously been part of the Province of Hanover.

On 1 July 1944, the Province of Saxony was divided along the lines of its three administrative regions. The Erfurt Regierungsbezirk was merged with the Herrschaft Schmalkalden district of the Province of Hesse-Nassau and given to the state of Thuringia. The Magdeburg Regierungsbezirk became the Province of Magdeburg, and the Merseburg Regierungsbezirk became the Province of Halle-Merseburg.

In 1945, the Soviet military administration combined Magdeburg and Halle-Merseburg with the State of Anhalt into the Province of Saxony-Anhalt, with Halle as its capital. The eastern part of the Blankenburg exclave of Brunswick and the Thuringian exclave of Allstedt were also added to Saxony-Anhalt. In 1947, Saxony-Anhalt became a state.

Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt were abolished in 1952, but were recreated after the reunification of Germany in 1990 with some slight border changes as modern states of Germany.

ubdivisions

Prior to 1944, the province of Saxony was divided into three Regierungsbezirke. In 1945, only the provinces of Magdeburg and Halle-Merseburg were re-merged.

=Regierungsbezirk Magdeburg=

Urban districts (Stadtkreise)

# Aschersleben (1901-1950)
# Burg bei Magdeburg (1924-1950)
# Halberstadt (1817-1825 and 1891-1950)
# Magdeburg
# Quedlinburg (1911-1950)
# Stendal (1909-1950)

Rural districts (Landkreise)

# Calbe a./S.
# Gardelegen
# Haldensleben
# Jerichow I
# Jerichow II
# Oschersleben (Bode)
# Osterburg
# Quedlinburg
# Salzwedel
# Stendal
# Wanzleben
# Wernigerode
# Wolmirstedt

Regierungsbezirk Merseburg

Urban districts (Stadtkreise)

# Eisleben (1908-1950)
# Halle a. d. Saale
# Merseburg (1921-1950)
# Naumburg a. d. Saale (1914-1950)
# Weißenfels (1899-1950)
# Wittenberg (Lutherstadt)
# Zeitz (1901-1950)

Rural districts (Landkreise)

# Bitterfeld
# Delitzsch
# Eckartsberga
# Liebenwerda
# Mansfelder Gebirgskreis
# Mansfelder Seekreis
# Merseburg
# Querfurt
# Saalkreis
# Sangerhausen
# Schweinitz
# Torgau
# Weißenfels
# Wittenberg
# Zeitz

Regierungsbezirk Erfurt

Urban districts (Stadtkreise)

# Erfurt (1816-1818 and 1872-present)
# Mühlhausen (1892-1950)
# Nordhausen (1882-1950)

Rural districts (Landkreise)

# Hohenstein county
# Heiligenstadt
# Langensalza
# Mühlhausen
# Schleusingen
# Weißensee
# Worbis
# Ziegenrück

ee also

*

External links

* [http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/provinz_sachsen.htm Further information (in German)]
* [http://www.gemeindeverzeichnis.de/gem1900//gem1900.htm?sachsen_provinz/sachsen_provinz1900.htm Population breakdown of Saxony province, 1910 (in German)]