Events in the year 1949 in the

Allied-occupied Germany Germany was already de facto occupied by the Allies from the real fall of Nazi Germany in World War II on 8 May 1945 to the establishment of the East Germany on 7 October 1949. The Allies (United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Franc ...

, then in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

and

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

Incumbents

West Germany

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

–

Theodor Heuss Theodor Heuss (; 31 January 1884 – 12 December 1963) was a German liberal politician who served as the first president of West Germany from 1949 to 1959. His cordial nature – something of a contrast to the stern character of chancellor K ...

(starting 13 September) * Chancellor –

Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (; 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman who served as the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of the Christian Dem ...

(starting 20 September)

East Germany

Head of State A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

–

Wilhelm Pieck Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck (; 3 January 1876 – 7 September 1960) was a German communist politician who served as the chairman of the Socialist Unity Party from 1946 to 1950 and as president of the German Democratic Republic from 1949 to ...

(starting 11 October) *

Head of Government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...

–

Otto Grotewohl Otto Emil Franz Grotewohl (; 11 March 1894 – 21 September 1964) was a German politician who served as the first prime minister of the German Democratic Republic (GDR/East Germany) from its foundation in October 1949 until his death in Septembe ...

(starting 12 October)

Events

* 8 May - The

Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany. The West German Constitution was approved in Bonn on 8 May 1949 and came in ...

was approved in

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

. * 8 May - The Soviet War Memorial in East-Berlin is established. * 12 May - The

Berlin Blockade The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, ro ...

ends. * 15/16 May - East German Constitutional Assembly election, 1949 * 14 August -

West German federal election, 1949 Federal elections were held in West Germany on 14 August 1949 to elect the members of the first Bundestag, with a further eight seats elected in West Berlin between 1949 and January 1952 and another eleven between February 1952 and 1953. They we ...

* 16 September -

Hamburger Morgenpost The ''Hamburger Morgenpost'' (Hamburg Morning Post) (also known as Mopo) is a daily German newspaper published in Hamburg in tabloid format. As of 2006 the ''Hamburger Morgenpost'' was the second-largest newspaper in Hamburg after '' Bild Zeitu ...

is first published. * 20 September - The

First Adenauer cabinet The First Adenauer cabinet (German: ''Kabinett Adenauer I'') was the 1st Government of Federal Republic of Germany in office from 20 September 1949 until 20 October 1953. It was the first democratically-elected German cabinet after World War II. T ...

led by

was sworn in. * 7 October -

Constitution of East Germany The Constitution of East Germany refers to the constitution of the German Democratic Republic (), commonly known as East Germany. Its original constitution was promulgated on 7 October 1949. It was heavily based on the "Weimarer Reichsverfassung" ...

* Date unknown: Germany company

Heckler & Koch Heckler & Koch GmbH (HK; ) is a German defense manufacturing company that manufactures handguns, rifles, submachine guns, and grenade launchers. The company is located in Oberndorf am Neckar in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and also ...

was founded. * Date unknown: German company Adidas was founded. * Date unknown: The Currywurst is invented by Herta Heuwer in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

Births

* January 9 -

Mary Roos Mary Roos (born Rosemarie Schwab on 9 January 1949) is a German singer and actress. Biography 1949-1970 Schwab was born in Bingen. At the age of nine, she recorded her first song "Ja die Dicken sind ja so gemütlich" as ''Die kleine Rosemarie ...

, German singer * January 15 -

Jürgen Roters Jürgen Roters (born 15 January 1949 in Coesfeld, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), as well as a former middle-distance runner. He was mayor of Cologne This is a list of m ...

, German politician * January 24 -

Nikolaus Brender Nikolaus Brender (born 24 January 1949) is a German journalist. He was the commissiong editor of the German public broadcasting station ZDF between 2000 and 2010. Life Brender was born in Freiburg im Breisgau, then French zone of occupation, ...

, German journalist * February 5 - Kurt Beck, German politician * February 13 -

Jo Baier Jo Baier (born 13 February 1949) is a German film director and writer. He directed more than twenty films since 1982 and is known for '' Operation Valkyrie'' (2004), '' Henri 4'' (2010) and ' (2006). He is married to Gertrud Baier. Early life an ...

, German film director * February 22 -

Joachim Witt Joachim Witt (born 22 February 1949) is a German rock musician and actor. Biography Witt was the guitarist/singer in the 1970s krautrock band Duesenberg. He released three albums with them, ''Duesenberg'' (1977), ''Duesenberg 2'' (1978) and ...

, German singer * March 2 - Wolfgang Sandner, German physicist (died 2015) * March 5 -

Franz Josef Jung Franz Josef Jung (born 5 March 1949) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He became Federal Minister of Defence in the Grand coalition cabinet of Angela Merkel on 22 November 2005. In October 2009 he became Minister ...

, German politician * March 11 - Georg Schramm, German psychologist and Kabarett artist * March 26 -

Patrick Süskind Patrick Süskind (; born 26 March 1949) is a German writer and screenwriter, known best for his novel '' Perfume: The Story of a Murderer'', first published in 1985. Early life Süskind was born in Ambach, Bavaria. His father was writer and jo ...

, German writer * April 5 - Klara Höfels, German actress and theatre director (died

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

) * April 6 -

Horst Ludwig Störmer Horst Ludwig Störmer (; born April 6, 1949) is a German physicist, Nobel laureate and emeritus professor at Columbia University. He was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physics jointly with Daniel Tsui and Robert Laughlin "for their discovery o ...

, German physicist * April 7 - Evelyn Haas, German judge * April 11 - Bernd Eichinger, German film producer, director and screenwriter (died 2011) * May 10 -

Hans Reichel Hans Reichel (10 May 1949 – 22 November 2011) was a German improvisational guitarist, experimental luthier, inventor, and type designer. Career Reichel was born in Hagen, Germany. He began to teach himself violin at age seven, playing in the ...

, German guitarist (died 2011) * May 12 **

Raimund Hoghe Raimund Hoghe (12 May 1949 – 14 May 2021) was a German choreographer, dancer, film maker, journalist, and author. Because he was born with scoliosis, his early efforts were focused on journalism. His writings explored the human condition; a do ...

, German choreographer (died

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

) **

Hans Leyendecker Hans Leyendecker (born 12 May 1949) is a German journalist. He writes for the '' Süddeutsche Zeitung'' and is one of Germany's best known investigative journalists. Leyendecker formerly worked for the magazine '' Der Spiegel'', unveiling various ...

, German journalist * June 8 -

Hildegard Falck Hildegard Falck (née ''Janze'' on 8 June 1949) is a retired West German runner. At the 1972 Olympics she won a gold medal in the 800 m and a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 m relay with West German team. In the 800 m final she finished 0.1 seconds ...

, German athlete * June 12 - Jens Böhrnsen, German politician * June 13 -

Ulla Schmidt Ursula "Ulla" Schmidt (born 13 June 1949) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). From 2001 to 2009 she was Federal Minister of Health in the German Government. Between 2013 and 2017, she served as Vice-President ...

, German politician * June 15 -

Elmar Hörig Elmar Hörig, (born 15 June 1949) is a German radio and television presenter. Life Hörig was born in Baden-Baden, Germany. He studied Anglistics and PE. Until 1986, he worked as a teacher at the home school Lender in Sasbach amongst other things ...

, German television presenter * June 27 -

Günther Schumacher Günther Schumacher (born 27 June 1949) is a retired track cyclist and road bicycle racer born in East Germany, who was a professional rider from 1977 to 1984. He twice represented West Germany at the Summer Olympics (1972 and 1976), and won ...

, German track cyclist * June 28 -

Peter Gruss Peter Gruss (born 28 June 1949) is a German developmental biologist, president of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, and the former president of the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (having been elected for the term from 2002 to 2008 and re ...

, German biologist * June 29 - Kurt Schrimm, German prosecutor * July 4 -

Horst Seehofer Horst Lorenz Seehofer (born 4 July 1949) is a German politician who served as Minister of the Interior, Building and Community under Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), he served as the 18 ...

, German politician * July 19 -

Maren Kroymann Maren Kroymann (; born 19 July 1949) is a German actress, comedian and singer. Career Kroymann was born in Walsrode. She studied English, Roman studies, and American studies at University of Tübingen. After spending time in Paris and the U ...

, German actress and singer * August 3 -

Fritz Egner Fritz Egner (born 3 August 1949 in Munich) is a Germany, German broadcaster. After working for the American Forces Network, AFN in the early 1970s, Egner joint the regional broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk in 1978, alongside his two friends and c ...

, German television host * August 22 -

Christoph, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein Christoph, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein (legal name in German: ''Christoph Prinz zu Schleswig-Holstein''; born 22 August 1949), has been the head of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (commonly known as the House of Glücksbur ...

, German nobleman, head of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg * August 30 -

Peter Maffay Peter Alexander Makkay (born 30 August 1949), known as Peter Maffay (), is a Romanian-born German musician, singer, and composer. Early life Born in Braşov (german: link=no, Kronstadt), Romania, the son of a German ( Transylvanian Saxon), ...

, German singer * September 2 - Frank Ripploh, German actor and film director (died 2002) * September 3 -

Volker Kauder Volker Kauder (born 3 September 1949) is a German lawyer and politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as parliamentary group leader of the ruling CDU/CSU faction in the German ''Bundestag'' from 2005 to 2018, during which h ...

, German politician * September 19 - Richard Rogler, German Kabarett performer and comedian * September 22 -

Ludwig Schick Ludwig Schick (born 22 September 1949) is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of Bamberg from 2002 to 2022. He was auxiliary bishop of Fulda from 1998 to 2002. Life Born in Marburg, Schick was ordained to the prie ...

, German bishop of Roman Catholic Church * October 4 -

Albrecht von Boeselager Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager (born 4 October 1949) is a German lawyer and forester and was formerly a member of the Sovereign Council of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. He served as Grand Hospitaller from 1989 to 2014, and from 2014 u ...

, German lawyer and forester * October 18 -

Erwin Sellering Erwin Sellering (born 18 October 1949) is a German politician. He served as the 4th Minister President of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern from 2008 to 2017. Early life and career Sellering studied law and has lived in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since 1994, ...

, German politician * November 8 - Gabriele Krone-Schmalz, German journalist * November 24 -

Bruno Weil Bruno Weil (born 24 November 1949, in Hahnstätten) is a German symphonic conductor. He is principal guest conductor of Tafelmusik, the period-instrument group based in Toronto, Music Director of the Carmel Bach Festival in California, and artist ...

, German conductor

Deaths

* January 5 -

Max Bockmühl Max Bockmühl (2 September 1882 – 5 January 1949) was a German inventor and chemist. Life Bockmühl studied chemistry and pharmacy. He worked as chemist in Germany. Together with Gustav Ehrhart working for I.G. Farbenindustrie AG at the ...

, German chemist (born

1882 Events January–March * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in t ...

) * January 10 -

Erich von Drygalski Erich Dagobert von Drygalski (; February 9, 1865 – January 10, 1949) was a German geographer, geophysicist and polar scientist, born in Königsberg, East Prussia. Between 1882 and 1887, Drygalski studied mathematics and natural science at t ...

, German geographer, geophysicist and polar scientist (born 1865) * March 4 - Joannes Baptista Sproll, German bishop of Roman Catholic Church (born

1870 Events January–March * January 1 ** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England. ** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed. * January 3 – Construction of the ...

) * March 12 - August Bier, German surgeon (born

1861 Statistically, this year is considered the end of the whale oil industry and (in replacement) the beginning of the petroleum oil industry. Events January–March * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico City. ** The first stea ...

) * March 25 -

Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia Prince August Wilhelm Heinrich Günther Viktor of Prussia (29 January 1887 – 25 March 1949), nicknamed "Auwi", was the fourth son of German Emperor Wilhelm II by his first wife, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He was a vocal supporter ...

, German nobleman (born

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl ...

) * March 28 -

Theodor Seitz Theodor Seitz (Mannheim, 12 September 1863 – Baden-Baden, 28 March 1949) was a German colonial governor. He studied law at the University of Heidelberg. He entered in the service of the Foreign Office and became on 9 May 1907 Imperial Governor o ...

, German colonial politician (born

1863 Events January–March * January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaim ...

) * March 30 -

Friedrich Bergius Friedrich Karl Rudolf Bergius (, 11 October 1884 – 30 March 1949) was a German chemist known for the Bergius process for producing synthetic fuel from coal, Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1931, together with Carl Bosch) in recognition of contribu ...

, German chemist,

Nobel Prize in Chemistry ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...

laureate (born

1884 Events January–March * January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London. * January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's '' Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London. * January 18 – Dr. William Price at ...

) * April 8 –

Wilhelm Adam Wilhelm Adam (28 March 1893 – 24 November 1978) was an officer in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. Following the German surrender after the Battle of Stalingrad, he became a member of the National Committee for a Free German ...

, German general (born

1877 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed ''Empress of India'' by the ''Royal Titles Act 1876'', introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great ...

) * May 21 —

Klaus Mann Klaus Heinrich Thomas Mann (18 November 1906 – 21 May 1949) was a German writer and dissident. He was the son of Thomas Mann, a nephew of Heinrich Mann and brother of Erika Mann, with whom he maintained a lifelong close relationship, and Golo ...

, German writer (born

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

) * May 22 -

Hans Pfitzner Hans Erich Pfitzner (5 May 1869 – 22 May 1949) was a German composer, conductor and polemicist who was a self-described anti-modernist. His best known work is the post-Romantic opera ''Palestrina'' (1917), loosely based on the life of the ...

, German composer (born

1869 Events January–March * January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan. * January 5 – Scotland's oldest professional Soccer, football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded. * January 20 & ...

) * June 23 -

Heinrich Schnee Heinrich Albert Schnee (Albert Hermann Heinrich Schnee; 4 February 1871 – 23 June 1949) was a German lawyer, colonial civil servant, politician, writer, and association official. He served as the last Governor of German East Africa. Early l ...

, German lawyer, colonial civil servant, politician, writer, and association official (born 1871) * July 18 -

Bernhard Hoetger Bernhard Hoetger (4 May 1874 in Dortmund – 18 July 1949 in Interlaken) was a German sculptor, painter and handicrafts artist of the Expressionist movement. Life Hoetger was the son of a Dortmund blacksmith, he studied sculpture in Detmold f ...

, German painter and sculptor (born 1874) * September 4 -

Herbert Eulenberg Max Herbert Eulenberg (1876–1949), was a German poet and author born in Cologne-Mülheim, Germany. He was married from 1904 to Hedda Eulenberg. Biography 1920s Eulenberg was the publisher of many books, for which he wrote the introducti ...

, German author and poet (born

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs is ...

) * September 8 - Richard Strauss, German composer (born 1864) * September 14 -

Gottfried Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen Count Gottfried von Bismarck-Schönhausen (9 March 1901 – 14 September 1949) was a German politician and German Resistance figure. Biography Born in Berlin, Bismarck was a grandson of the 19th century Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. He was a ...

, German politician (born

1901 Events January * January 1 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton becomes the first Prime Minist ...

) * October 21 -

Johannes Bell Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as "John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, ''Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' Yeh ...

, German politician (born

1868 Events January–March * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Jap ...

) * November 23-

Gustav Radbruch Gustav Radbruch (21 November 1878 – 23 November 1949) was a German legal scholar and politician. He served as Minister of Justice of Germany during the early Weimar period. Radbruch is also regarded as one of the most influential legal philoso ...

, German legal scholar and politician (born

1878 Events January–March * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War – Battle of Shipka Pass IV: Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Bat ...

) * December 23 -

Arthur Eichengrün Arthur Eichengrün (13 August 1867 – 23 December 1949) was a German Jewish chemist, materials scientist, and inventor. He is known for developing the highly successful anti-gonorrhea drug Protargol, the standard treatment for 50 years until th ...

, German chemist (born

1867 Events January–March * January 1 – The Covington–Cincinnati Suspension Bridge opens between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky, in the United States, becoming the longest single-span bridge in the world. It was renamed a ...

) * December 30 -

Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe (''Leopold Julius Bernhard Adalbert Otto Karl Gustav''; 30 May 1871 – 30 December 1949) was the final sovereign of the Principality of Lippe. Succeeding to the throne in 1905 he had been governing the state since ...

, sovereign of the Principality of Lippe (born 1871)

References

1940s in Germany Years of the 20th century in Germany

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

{{Europe-year-stub