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The Free State of Coburg (German: ''Freistaat Coburg'') emerged from the Duchy of
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, links=no ), was an Ernestine, Thuringian duchy ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present-d ...
at the end of the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fighti ...
. It existed from November 1918 until its union with the Free State of
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
on 1 July 1920.


History

With the abdication of the reigning duke, Charles Edward, on 14 November 1918, the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha ended in the wake of the November Revolution. It split into two Free States – , from the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha in the north, and Coburg, from the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg in the south. Both states kept their own diets and ministers, which they had inherited from the former monarchy. On 9 February 1919, elections were held for the eleven seats in the State Assembly of Coburg. The List I of the
Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...
(SPD) received 58.6 percent, while the List II for the National Liberal Party,
German Democratic Party The German Democratic Party (, or DDP) was a center-left liberal party in the Weimar Republic. Along with the German People's Party (, or DVP), it represented political liberalism in Germany between 1918 and 1933. It was formed in 1918 from the ...
(DDP) and the Coburger Farmers Party earned 41.4 percent. That meant the SPD would have seven seats, leaving the remaining four to the others. The President of the State Assembly would be a Social Democratic, Erhard Kirchner. The State Assembly passed on 10 March 1919 the "Temporary Law of the Legislation and Administration of the Free State of Coburg" 'Vorläufiges Gesetz über die Gesetzgebung und Verwaltung im Freistaate Coburg'' the Provisional Constitution of Coburg. The government would be run by the three-member State Council, consisting of Hermann Quarck (National Liberal, previously the leader of the Ministerial Cabinet of Coburg) as the Chairman and two SPD deputies, Franz Klingler and Reinhold Artmann. The separation of the two parts of the former Duchy was finally complete on 12 April 1919, when a state treaty covering the management of the common administration of the Free States of Coburg and Gotha was signed. On 7 June 1919 Duke Charles Edward finalized the settlement with the Free State of Coburg over his properties and compensation. He received 1.5 million
Marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members * Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel '' ...
as his compensation for his following properties – approximately 4,500 hectares (11,120 acres) of forests, numerous buildings and individual properties as well as the art treasures of the
Veste Coburg The Veste Coburg (Coburg Fortress) is one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses of Germany. It is situated on a hill above the town of Coburg, in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria. Geography Location Veste Coburg dominates the town of ...
, the Veste's courtyard garden museum, his personal library, the Ducal Theater, Schloss Rosenau and its estate, the Veste Coburg, the Schloss Ehrenburg, and the State Archives of Coburg. The art treasures of the Veste, the collections of the courtyard museums and the furnishing of Schloss Ehrenburg would be the property of the ''Coburger Landesstiftung'' (Coburg State Foundation), while the rest would go to the Free State. Schloss Callenberg, with its estate and gardens, Schloss Eichhof, and the ''Schweizerei'' Rosenau all remained the property of the duke with the total area of 533 hectares (1,317 acres). The National Liberal Quarck, according to the Constitution of 10 March 1919, held the most senior position in the government and administration. He was both the Chairman of the State Government and the Head of the Department of State. After the SPD fraction, which had the majority in the State Assembly, named Reinhold Artmann to represent Coburg in the State Council of
Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...
(Board of Directors for the Law Enforcement), he rejoined Quarck in their offices on 2 July 1919. This was followed on 11 July 1919 by a constitutional amendment that abolished the personal union of the State Council and Assembly. Franz Klingler was then named as the new Chairman of the State Government and Hans Schack (DDP) became the newest member of the State Council of Coburg. The leadership of the Ministry was given to Ernst Fritsch, an administrative lawyer, with the official title of Secretary. Since the political leaders did not consider the new Free State as economically viable, they sought a union with another state. It was therefore assumed in March and May 1919 that the conferences with other Thuringian states would create the state of Thuringia but, ultimately, they did not result in an agreement that would please all the sides. Along with these conferences, official negotiations for a possible merger began with Bavaria in the middle of June and with
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was '' de facto'' dissolved by an ...
one month later. However, Prussia had already declined the proposed union as early as August. But Bavaria was receptive to the merger. Unlike the State of Thuringia, it was able to make many concessions, especially on the matter of the preservation of the cultural institutions of Coburg. On 30 November 1919, the first democratic referendum in Germany was finally held to determine the future of the Coburger Land. With a turnout of about 70%, 88% of the population voted on the question, “''Soll Coburg dem Gemeinschaftsvertrag der thüringischen Staaten beitreten?'' hould Coburg join the Communal Treaty of the Thuringian States” with a No on the ballot and therefore for the merger with Bavaria. ''Coburger Zeitung'' [''Coburger Newspaper''
27 November 1919, front page
/ref> The reasons for this clear-cut result were manifold. On the one hand, the people had always seen themselves more strongly associated with Franconia than with Thuringia. On the other hand, they were influenced by the fact that, during the First World War, food had to be sent to Thuringia, as well as by their significantly stronger accommodation with the views of Bavaria. With a new state treaty signed on 14 February 1920, the union of Coburg with Bavaria was set. In it, Coburg was given financial guarantees for its State Foundation, its agricultural and forestry trade associations, its Chamber of Commerce, from which the Chamber of Trades section became the new Chamber of Trades, the State Hospital and the ''Landestheater Coburg''. In addition, Coburg received as its compensation for the loss of the State Ministry the commitment for a new regional court of law. The Free State of Bavaria was, therefore, committing itself to undertake the maximum of 40% of the deficit of the ''Landestheater Coburg'' and 75% of the State Hospital. Therefore, with the union of the Free States of Coburg and Bavaria on 1 July 1920, almost 600 years of political autonomy of the ''Coburger Land'' came to an end. According to the State Treaty, the Free State of Coburg would be assigned to the ('' Kreis'', now ''
Regierungsbezirk A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts. Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...
'' dministrative districtof
Upper Franconia Upper Franconia (german: Oberfranken) is a ''Regierungsbezirk'' (administrative 'Regierungs''region 'bezirk'' of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia, the others being Middle F ...
(''Oberfranken''). The district of Königsberg with the town of Königsberg, as well as the communities of Altershausen, Dörflis, Erlsdorf, Hellingen, Kottenbrunn and Nassach, were sent to the district (''
Bezirk The German term ''Bezirk'' (plural ''Bezirke'', derived from la, circulus, "circle") translated as "district" can refer to the following types of administrative divisions: * ''Stadtbezirk'', a subdivision of a city in the sense of a borough ( ...
'', now ''
Landkreis In all German states, except for the three city states, the primary administrative subdivision higher than a '' Gemeinde'' (municipality) is the (official term in all but two states) or (official term in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia ...
'') of Hofheim in
Lower Franconia Lower Franconia (german: Unterfranken) is one of seven districts of Bavaria, Germany. The districts of Lower, Middle and Upper Franconia make up the region of Franconia. History After the founding of the Kingdom of Bavaria the state was totally ...
(''Unterfranken''). The Referendum of 1919 and the subsequent union with Bavaria had unexpected consequences in 1945 at the end of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. The territory of the former Free State of Coburg now became a part of the
American Occupation Zone 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 Fr ...
of Germany, while the Thuringian side stayed in the
Soviet Occupation Zone The Soviet Occupation Zone ( or german: Ostzone, label=none, "East Zone"; , ''Sovetskaya okkupatsionnaya zona Germanii'', "Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany") was an area of Germany in Central Europe that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a c ...
and later
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 ...
until 1990.


Politics


State Government

In office from 10 March 1919 to 1 July 1920 * Reinhold Artmann (1870 – 1960) (SPD) * Franz Xavier Klingler (1875 – 1933) (SPD) *
arl ARL may refer to: Military * US Navy hull classification symbol for repair ship * Admiralty Research Laboratory, UK * United States Army Research Laboratory * ARL 44, a WWII French tank Organizations * Aero Research Limited, a UK adhesives com ...
Hermann Quarck (1873 – 1932) (National Liberal), until 8 July 1919 * Hans Woldemar Schack (1878 – 1946) (DDP), after 11 July 1919


Deputies of the State Assembly

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...
(SDP): * Reinhold Artmann (1870 – 1960) from Coburg, carpenter * Erhard Kirchner (1866 – 1927) from Neustadt bei Coburg, manager at ''Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse'' eneral Local Health Insurance(AOK) and President of the State Assembly * Franz Xavier Klingler (1875 – 1933) from Coburg, editor of the newspaper, the ''Coburger Volksblatt'' oburger People's Bulletin* Bernhard Lauer (1867 – 1927) from Neustadt bei Coburg, employee at AOK * Hermann Mämpel (1866 – 1944) from Coburg, administrative assistant at AOK * Johann Stegner (1866 – 1954) from Frohnlach, brewer and innkeeper * Carl Wendt (1887 – 1936) from Rodach, machinist Other Parties and Independents: * Max Oscar Arnold (1854 – 1938) from Neustadt bei Coburg, manufacturer of dolls * Hans Woldemar Schack (1878 – 1946) from Coburg, Judge of the District Courts * Ernst Külbel (1863 – 1938) from Coburg, maltmaker * Gustav Hess (1874 – 1940) from Neuses bei Coburg, farmer


Towns and communities

* 4 towns:
Coburg Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it was ...
(capital),
Neustadt bei Coburg Neustadt bei Coburg (also written ''Neustadt b. Coburg'') is a town in the district of Coburg in northern Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 15 km northeast of Coburg, as its name indicates. Local subdivisions Neustadt bei Coburg is subdivid ...
, Rodach bei Coburg, Königsberg * 139 communities: Ahlstadt, Ahorn, Aicha,
Beiersdorf Beiersdorf AG is a German multinational company that manufactures and retails personal-care products and pressure-sensitive adhesives. Its brands include Elastoplast, Eucerin (makers of Aquaphor), Labello, La Prairie, Nivea, Tesa SE (Tes ...
, Bertelsdorf, Beuerfeld, Bieberbach, Birkach am Forst, Birkig, Blumenrod, Boderndorf, Breitenau, Brüx, Buchenrod, Callenberg, Cortendorf, Creidlitz, Dörfles, Drossenhausen, Ebersdorf bei Coburg, Ebersdorf bei Neustadt, Einberg, Elsa, Esbach, Fechheim, Fischbach, Fornbach, Friesendorf, Frohnlach, Fürth am Berg, Gauerstadt, Gestungshausen, Gossenberg, Grattstadt, Großgarnstadt, Großheirath, Großwalbur,
Grub am Forst Grub am Forst is a municipality in the district of Coburg in Bavaria in Germany. It has ca 3,100 residents. The nearest large town is Coburg. The following villages are part of it: *Buscheller *Forsthub *Rohrbach *Roth am Forst *Zeickhorn T ...
, Haarbrücken, Haarth, Hassenberg, Heldritt, Herbartsdorf, Höhn, Hof an der Steinach, Horb an der Steinach, Horb bei Fürth am Berg, Kemmaten, Ketschenbach, Ketschendorf, Kipfendorf, Kleingarnstadt, Kleinwalbur, Kösfeld, Lempertshausen, Leutendorf, Lützelbuch, Mährenhausen, Meeder, Meilschnitz, Meschenbach, Mirsdorf, Mittelberg, Mittelwasungen, Mödlitz, Mönchröden, Moggenbrunn, Neida, Neukirchen, Neuses am Brand, Neuses an den Eichen, Neuses bei Coburg, Neu- und Neershof, Niederfüllbach, Oberfüllbach, Oberlauter, Obersiemau, Oberwasungen, Oberwohlsbach, Oeslau, Oettingshausen, Ottowind, Plesten, Rögen, Rohrbach, Rossach, Rossfeld, Roth am Forst, Rothenhof, Rottenbach, Rudelsdorf, Rüttmannsdorf, Schafhof, Scherneck, Scheuerfeld, Schönstädt, Schweighof, Seidmannsdorf, Sonnefeld, Spittelstein, Steinach an der Steinach, Stöppach, Sulzdorf, Sülzfeld, Thann, Tiefenlauter, Tremersdorf, Trübenbach, Unterlauter, Untersiemau, Unterwasungen, Unterwohlsbach, Waldsachsen, Waltersdorf, Watzendorf, Weickenbach, Weidach, Weidhausen bei Coburg, Weimersdorf, Weischau, Weißenbrunn am Forst, Weißenbrunn vorm Wald, Weitramsdorf, Wellmersdorf, Wiesenfeld, Wildenheid, Wörlsdorf, Wohlbach, Wüstenahorn, Zedersdorf, Zeickhorn, Ziegelsdorf * Enclave of the District of Königsberg: Communities of Altershausen, Dörflis, Erlsdorf, Hellingen, Köslau, Kottenbrunn and Nassach.


References


Bibliography

* Harald Bachmann, “''75 Jahre Coburg bei Bayern''” ��Coburg’s 75 Years with Bavaria” in: ''Frankenland. Zeitschrift für fränkische Landeskunde und Kulturpflege 1995'' 'Franconia: Journal of Cultural Studies and Preservation 1995'' ''Heft'' ssue3, ISSN 0015-9905, p. 143–15
(PDF; 1,56 MB)
* Carl-Christian Dressel, ''Die Bestimmungen des Staatsvertrags. Entwicklung, Hintergründe, Folgen - unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Leistung von Franz Klingler'' 'The Provisions of the Treaty: Development, Background, Consequences – with Special Emphasis on the Performance of Franz Klingler'' Thesis in History, Gymnasium
Casimirianum Coburg The Casimirianum, known to the students as the "Casi", is a '' Gymnasium'' in Coburg, Bavaria. It was founded in 1605 by Johann Casimir, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg (15641633), and named after him. Today the Casimirianum is a linguistic and humanis ...
, Class Years of 1987–1989 (Coburg: Author, 1989) * Jürgen Erdmann, ''Coburg, Bayern und das Reich 1918–1923'' 'Coburg, Bavaria and the Empire 1918–1923''(Coburg: ''Druckhaus und Vesteverlag'' rinting and Publishing House ofA. Rossteutscher, 1969), (''Coburger Heimatkunde und Landesgeschichte Reihe 2, 22'' 'Coburger Studies of State and Local History Series 2, Nr 22'' ZDB-ID 1151614-8) (simultaneously:
University of Würzburg The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. The University of Würzburg is one o ...
, Dissertation, 1969: ''Coburg in den Anfangsjahren der Weimarer Republik 1918–1923'' 'Coburg in the Beginning of the Weimar Republic Years 1918–1923'' * Rainer Hambrecht, ed., ''Nicht durch Krieg, Kauf oder Erbschaft'' 'Not by War, Sale or Inheritance'' ''Ausstellung des Staatsarchivs Coburg anlasslich der 75. Wiederkehr der Vereinigung Coburgs mit Bayern am 1. Juli 1920'' 'Catalogue of the Exhibition at the State Archives of Coburg for the 75th Anniversary of the Union of Coburg with Bavaria on 1 July 1920''(München: ''Staatlichen Archive Bayern'' avarian State Archives 1995). * Esther Reinhart, Max Oscar Arnold (1854-1938). Leben und Wirken für das Coburger Land 'Life and Work for the Coburger Land''(Coburg: ''Historische Gesellschaft'' istorical Society ofCoburg, 2007), , (''Schriftenreihe der Historischen Gesellschaft Coburg e.V., 21 Band'' [''Series of the Historical Society of Coburg, Inc., Volume 21''). * Harald Sandner, ''Coburg im 20. Jahrhundert. Die Chronik über die Stadt Coburg und das Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha vom 1. Januar 1900 bis zum 31. December 1999 – von der „guten alten Zeit“ bis zur Schwelle des 21. Jahrhunderts. Gegen das Vergessen'' [''Coburg in the 20th Century: The Chronicle of the City of Coburg and the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1 January 1900 to 31 December 1999 – from the “Good Old Days” to the Dawn of the 21st Century. Lest We Forget''] (Coburg: ''Verlagsanstalt Neue Presse'' [New Press Publishing Co.], 2002), * Jörg Siegmund, “''Zwischen Konsens und Blockadepolitik. Die Übergangsparlamente in Sachsen-Gotha und Sachsen-Coburg''” ��Between Consensus and Obstructionism: The Transitional Parliament in Saxe-Gotha and Saxe-Coburg” in: Harald Mittelsdorf (ed.): ''Die vergessenen Parlamente. Landtage und Gebietsvertretungen in den Thüringer Staaten und Gebieten 1919 bis 1923'' 'The Forgotten Parliaments: State Parliaments and Regional Representation in the Thuringian States and Territories from 1919 to 1923'' ''Herausgegeben vom Thüringer Landtag'' ublication of the State Parliament of Thuringia(
Rudolstadt Rudolstadt is a town in the German federal state Thuringia, with the Thuringian Forest to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north. The former capital of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the town is built along the River Saale inside a wide va ...
, Germany: Verlag Hain, 2002), , (''Schriften zur Geschichte des Parlamentarismus in Thüringen'' 'Writings on the History of Parliamentarianism in Thuringia''19), p. 121–160.


External links

* Rainer Hambrecht, ''�
Freistaat Coburg, 1918-1920
��'' ��Free State of Coburg, 1918–1920” in: ''Historisches Lexikon Bayerns'' 'Historical Dictionary of Bavaria'' 25 March 2013, retrieved on 9. August 2013. * Rainer Hambrecht, ''�
Vereinigung Coburgs mit Bayern, 1. Juli 1920
'Union of Coburg with Bavaria, 1 July 1920''��, in: Historisches Lexikon Bayerns istorical Dictionary of Bavaria 8 April 2011, retrieved on 9 August 2013. *
Der Staatsvertrag zwischen den Freistaaten Bayern und Coburg über die Vereinigung Coburgs mit Bayern
'' 'The State Treaty between the Free States of Bavaria and Coburg concerning the Union of Coburg with Bavaria''(PDF, 97 KB) {{DEFAULTSORT:Coburg, Free State of Saxe- States and territories established in 1918 1918 establishments in Germany States of the Weimar Republic Former states and territories of Bavaria South Thuringia History of Franconia