Germany has sixteen states, and most of them are older than the Federal Republic itself. They were drawn up between 1945 and 1947, while the constitution only took effect in 1949.
Three of the sixteen are cities: Berlin, Hamburg, and Bremen. Bavaria covers nearly a fifth of the country. Bremen, the smallest, is two port cities with a slice of Lower Saxony in between.
For a traveler, each of our states is simply a different set of landscapes and sights. Here they are, from the coast down to the Alps.
Browse by Federal State
Quick access to all 16 federal states. Hover, tap, or tab through the names to see where each one sits on the map.
The Northern States
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein lies between two seas, and the British made the old Prussian province a state in 1946. On the North Sea side, the tide uncovers the Wadden Sea twice a day. On the Baltic side stands Lübeck, the brick Hanseatic town on the World Heritage List. Near Schleswig, the Viking trading town of Haithabu (Hedeby) is listed, too. The capital is Kiel.
Hamburg
Hamburg calls itself the Free and Hanseatic City, and the British confirmed its statehood in 1946. Its Speicherstadt (Warehouse District) is the largest warehouse ensemble in the world, built on thousands of wooden piles. Next to it, the Chilehaus ends in a sharp point like the bow of a ship.
Bremen
Bremen is two cities, and Bremerhaven lies 53 km (33 mi) to the north. In 1947, both went to the American zone, because the Americans needed a port of their own for supplies. On Bremen’s market square, the Rathaus (Town Hall) and the Roland statue are on the World Heritage List.
The state’s highest natural point reaches 32.5 m (106.6 ft). The landfill hill in Blockland rises higher. ;-)
Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen)
Lower Saxony was put together in 1946 from Hanover, Brunswick, Oldenburg, and Schaumburg-Lippe. It runs from the islands and mudflats of East Frisia down to the Harz, where the Wurmberg is its highest point. On the way are the Lüneburg Heath, a landscape people made, and the World Heritage sites in Goslar and Hildesheim. The capital is Hanover.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has fewer people per square kilometer than any other state. Glaciers left it the Mecklenburg Lakes, including the Müritz, the largest lake entirely inside Germany. On the Baltic, Stralsund and Wismar are brick old towns on the World Heritage List. In the capital, the palace ensemble around Schwerin Castle joined the list in 2024.
The Western States
North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
The British joined the northern Rhineland and Westphalia into North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946, and Lippe followed in 1947. It’s now the state with the most people. The cathedral in Cologne and Charlemagne’s chapel in Aachen are both World Heritage, and so is the Zollverein coal mine in Essen.
For quieter days, there are the moated castles of the Münsterland and the hills of the Teutoburg Forest. The capital is Düsseldorf.
Hesse (Hessen)
The Americans created Hesse in 1945. Near Darmstadt, the Messel Pit became Germany’s first natural World Heritage Site, with fossils about 47 million years old. Above Kassel, a copper Hercules looks down over Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, and Lorsch keeps the remains of its Carolingian abbey. The highest peak, the Wasserkuppe, is where gliding took off as a sport. The capital is Wiesbaden.
Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz)
The French pieced Rhineland-Palatinate together in 1946, and the Palatinate came from Bavaria. The castles of the Upper Middle Rhine and the Roman Porta Nigra in Trier are both here. So are Speyer Cathedral and the ShUM sites of Speyer, Worms, and Mainz.
The German Wine Route runs along the edge of the Palatinate Forest, the largest continuous forest in Germany. The capital is Mainz.
Saarland
The Saarland is the smallest state that isn’t a city. After World War II it was run separately under French control. In 1955 its people voted down a European statute, and on January 1, 1957, it joined the Federal Republic.
In Völklingen, the ironworks became the first monument from the heyday of industrialization on the World Heritage List. The capital is Saarbrücken.
The Eastern States
East Germany abolished its states in 1952 and ran the country through districts instead. The states came back with reunification on October 3, 1990.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital of Germany and a state of its own. On the Museumsinsel (Museum Island) in the Spree, the great museums stand side by side. The Fernsehturm (TV Tower) is the tallest structure in the country at 368 m (1,207 ft).
Even its highest point isn’t what you’d expect. The Arkenberge are a hill of construction debris.
Brandenburg
Brandenburg wraps all the way around Berlin. In its capital, Potsdam, the palaces and parks of Sanssouci are on the World Heritage List. The Spreewald (Spree Forest) breaks up into more than 1,000 km (621 mi) of waterways, and in Lehde the mail still comes by boat. The state’s highest point, the Kutschenberg, reaches just 201 m (659 ft).
Saxony (Sachsen)
Saxony calls itself a Free State, a historic title it shares with Bavaria and Thuringia. In the capital, Dresden, the rebuilt Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) stands again. Upstream, the sandstone cliffs of Saxon Switzerland rise above the Elbe. Along the Czech border, the Ore Mountains grew rich on silver, and their mining landscape is World Heritage.
Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt)
In Saxony-Anhalt, the Harz climbs to the Brocken, its highest peak. Quedlinburg keeps some two thousand half-timbered houses, and the Luther Memorials in Wittenberg and Eisleben are World Heritage. Dessau has Bauhaus buildings and the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz, and the cathedral in Naumburg is listed, too. The capital is Magdeburg.
Thuringia (Thüringen)
Thuringia is the third Free State. At the Wartburg above Eisenach, Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German. Weimar was the town of Goethe and Schiller, and the Bauhaus was founded there. The capital, Erfurt, has the oldest synagogue in Central Europe that still stands up to its roof.
The Thuringian Forest climbs to 983 m (3,225 ft) on the Großer Beerberg, the highest point in the state.
The Southern States
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is the only state its people voted into existence, in 1952. It holds the Black Forest, which peaks at the Feldberg, and the Swabian Alb, whose caves hid the oldest flutes found so far. The Heidelberger Schloss (Heidelberg Castle) is built of red Neckar sandstone.
The minster in Ulm has the tallest church tower in Germany. The capital is Stuttgart.
Bavaria (Bayern)
Bavaria, the Free State the Americans restored in 1945, covers nearly a fifth of Germany. It has the Zugspitze, the country’s highest mountain, and King Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein. Its World Heritage runs from the Würzburg Residence to the old towns of Bamberg and Regensburg.
Along the Czech border, the Bavarian Forest became Germany’s first national park in 1970. The capital is Munich.
The Sixteen States at a Glance
Here’s the quick reference, from capitals to highest points.
| State | German Name | Capital | Area | Highest Point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | Baden-Württemberg | Stuttgart | 35,748 km² (13,802 sq mi) | Feldberg, 1,493 m (4,898 ft) |
| Bavaria | Bayern | Munich | 70,542 km² (27,236 sq mi) | Zugspitze, 2,962 m (9,718 ft) |
| Berlin | Berlin | Berlin | 891 km² (344 sq mi) | Arkenberge, 121 m (397 ft) |
| Brandenburg | Brandenburg | Potsdam | 29,654 km² (11,449 sq mi) | Kutschenberg, 201 m (659 ft) |
| Bremen | Bremen | Bremen | 420 km² (162 sq mi) | Friedehorstpark, 32.5 m (106.6 ft) |
| Hamburg | Hamburg | Hamburg | 755 km² (292 sq mi) | Hasselbrack, 116 m (381 ft) |
| Hesse | Hessen | Wiesbaden | 21,116 km² (8,153 sq mi) | Wasserkuppe, 950 m (3,117 ft) |
| Lower Saxony | Niedersachsen | Hanover | 47,710 km² (18,421 sq mi) | Wurmberg, 971 m (3,186 ft) |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | Schwerin | 23,295 km² (8,994 sq mi) | Helpter Berge, 179 m (587 ft) |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | Nordrhein-Westfalen | Düsseldorf | 34,113 km² (13,171 sq mi) | Langenberg, 843 m (2,766 ft) |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | Rheinland-Pfalz | Mainz | 19,858 km² (7,667 sq mi) | Erbeskopf, 816 m (2,677 ft) |
| Saarland | Saarland | Saarbrücken | 2,572 km² (993 sq mi) | Dollberg, 695 m (2,280 ft) |
| Saxony | Sachsen | Dresden | 18,450 km² (7,124 sq mi) | Fichtelberg, 1,215 m (3,986 ft) |
| Saxony-Anhalt | Sachsen-Anhalt | Magdeburg | 20,555 km² (7,936 sq mi) | Brocken, 1,141 m (3,743 ft) |
| Schleswig-Holstein | Schleswig-Holstein | Kiel | 15,804 km² (6,102 sq mi) | Bungsberg, 167 m (548 ft) |
| Thuringia | Thüringen | Erfurt | 16,202 km² (6,256 sq mi) | Großer Beerberg, 983 m (3,225 ft) |
The landscapes rarely stop where a state does, so German regions picks up where this page leaves off. For towns and cities of every size, see German cities, and for the wider view, go back to Germany.