The ''Länderbahnen'' (singular: ''Länderbahn'') were the various state railways of the
German Confederation
The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...
and the
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
in the period from about 1840 to 1920, when they were merged into the
Deutsche Reichsbahn
The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'', also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the German national railway system created after the end of World War I from the regiona ...
after 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 fightin ...
.
The state railways
Railways merged into the Deutsche Reichsbahn
The seven state railways forming the merger were the:
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Prussian state railways
The term Prussian state railways (German: ''Preußische Staatseisenbahnen'') encompasses those railway organisations that were owned or managed by the State of Prussia. The words "state railways" are not capitalized because Prussia did not have a ...
(''Preußische Staatseisenbahnen'' or ''P.St.E.'')
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Royal Bavarian State Railways
The Royal Bavarian State Railways (''Königliche Bayerische Staats-Eisenbahnen'' or ''K.Bay.Sts.B.'') was the state railway company for the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded in 1844. The organisation grew into the second largest of the German ...
(''Königlich Bayerische Staatseisenbahn'' or ''K.Bay.Sts.B.'')
*
Royal Saxon State Railways
The Royal Saxon State Railways (german: Königlich Sächsische Staatseisenbahnen) were the state-owned railways operating in the Kingdom of Saxony from 1869 to 1918. From 1918 until their merger into the Deutsche Reichsbahn the title 'Royal' was ...
(''Königlich Sächsische Staatseisenbahnen'' or ''K.Sächs.Sts.E.B.'')
*
Royal Württemberg State Railways
The Royal Württemberg State Railways (''Königlich Württembergische Staats-Eisenbahnen'' or ''K.W.St.E.'') were the state railways of the Kingdom of Württemberg (from 1918 the ''People's State of Württemberg'') between 1843 and 1920. Please ...
(''Königlich Württembergische Staatseisenbahn'' or ''K.W.St.E.'')
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Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways
The Grand Duchy of Baden was an independent state in what is now southwestern Germany until the creation of the German Empire in 1871. It had its own state-owned railway company, the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways (''Großherzoglich Badische ...
(''Großherzoglich Badische Staatseisenbahn'' or ''G.Bad.St.E.''), 1840–1920
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Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway
The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway (''Großherzoglich Mecklenburgische Friedrich-Franz-Eisenbahn'' or ''M.F.F.E.'') was the state railway company in Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz. After its second nationalisati ...
(''Großherzoglich Mecklenburgische Friedrich-Franz-Eisenbahn'' or ''M.F.F.E.'')
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Grand Duchy of Oldenburg State Railways (''Großherzoglich Oldenburgische Staatseisenbahn'' or ''G.O.E.''), 1867–1920
Other state railways
Other state railways that existed during this period, but which later folded or were absorbed, included the:
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Royal Hanoverian State Railways (''Königlich Hannöversche Staatseisenbahnen'' or ''K.H.St.B.''), merged with
Royal Prussian State Railways
The term Prussian state railways (German: ''Preußische Staatseisenbahnen'') encompasses those railway organisations that were owned or managed by the State of Prussia. The words "state railways" are not capitalized because Prussia did not have a ...
(''Königlich Preußische Staatseisenbahnen'' or ''K.P.St.E.'') in 1866
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Nassau State Railway The Nassau State Railway (german: Nassauische Staatsbahn) took over the privately built railway lines on the Rhine and Lahn rivers in the Duchy of Nassau from the ''Nassau Rhine and Lahn Railway Company'' in 1861 and extended them further. It was ta ...
(''Herzoglich Nassauische Staatsbahn'' or ''H.N.St.B.''), merged with the
K.P.St.E. in 1866
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Bebra-Hanau Railway (''Bebra-Hanauer Eisenbahn''), a
Kurhessian state railway, merged with the
K.P.St.E. in 1866
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Duchy of Brunswick State Railway
The Duchy of Brunswick State Railway (''Herzoglich Braunschweigische Staatseisenbahn'') was the first state railway in Germany. The first section of its Brunswick–Bad Harzburg railway line between Brunswick and Wolfenbüttel opened on 1 Decembe ...
(''Herzoglich Braunschweigische Staatseisenbahn''), merged with the
K.P.St.E. in 1870
*
Anhalt Leopold Railway
Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...
(''Anhaltische Leopoldsbahn''), merged with the
K.P.St.E. in 1882
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Grand Duchy of Hesse State Railways
The Grand Duchy of Hesse State Railways (''Großherzoglich Hessischen Staatseisenbahnen'') belonged to the ''Länderbahnen'' at the time of the German Empire. In the 19th century, the Grand Duchy of Hesse consisted of three provinces. Between the ...
(''Großherzoglich Hessischen Staatseisenbahnen'' or ''G.H.St.E.''), merged with the
K.P.St.E. in 1897 to form the
Royal Prussian and Grand Duchy of Hesse State Railway (''Königlich Preußische und Großherzoglich Hessischen Staatseisenbahnen'' or ''K.P.u.G.H.St.E.'')
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Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine
The Kaiserliche Generaldirektion der Eisenbahnen in Elsaß-Lothringen or EL (English: General Directorate of the Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine) were the first railways owned by the German Empire.
They emerged in 1871, after France had ced ...
(''Reichseisenbahn Elsaß-Lothringen''), lost to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
after 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 fightin ...
KPEV
The so-called
Royal Prussian Railway Administration
The title Royal Prussian Railway Administration (''Königlich Preußische Eisenbahn-Verwaltung'') or KPEV is often mistakenly used to describe the Prussian state railways (''Preußische Staatseisenbahn'').
The initials ''KPEV'' are found on cast ...
or
KPEV
The title Royal Prussian Railway Administration (''Königlich Preußische Eisenbahn-Verwaltung'') or KPEV is often mistakenly used to describe the Prussian state railways (''Preußische Staatseisenbahn'').
The initials ''KPEV'' are found on cast ...
did not exist, although some of the rolling stock carried 'KPEV' emblems and the abbreviation is commonly used in railway circles nowadays.
See also
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History of rail transport in Germany
:''This article is part of the history of rail transport by country series''
The history of rail transport in Germany can be traced back to the 16th century. The earliest form of railways, wagonways, were developed in Germany in the 16th century. ...
Sources
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German Wikipedia article on the "History of the Railway in Germany"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Landerbahnen
History of rail transport in Germany
Defunct railway companies of Germany