The ''Länderbahnen'' (, ;
sing. ) were the various state railways of the
German Confederation
The German Confederation ( ) 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, which had been dissolved ...
and the
German Empire
The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
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 Weimar Republic, German national Rail transport, railway system created after th ...
after the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
The state railways
Railways merged into the Deutsche Reichsbahn
The seven state railways forming the merger were the:
*
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.'')
*
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 (''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.
Early ...
(''Königlich Württembergische Staatseisenbahn'' or ''K.W.St.E.'')
*
Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways (''Großherzoglich Badische Staatseisenbahn'' or ''G.Bad.St.E.''), 1840–1920
*
Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway (''Großherzoglich Mecklenburgische Friedrich-Franz-Eisenbahn'' or ''M.F.F.E.'')
*
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:
*
Royal Hanoverian State Railways (''Königlich Hannöversche Staatseisenbahnen'' or ''K.H.St.B.''), merged with
Royal Prussian State Railways (''Königlich Preußische Staatseisenbahnen'' or ''K.P.St.E.'') in 1866
*
Nassau State Railway (''Herzoglich Nassauische Staatsbahn'' or ''H.N.St.B.''), merged with the
K.P.St.E. in 1866
*
Bebra-Hanau Railway (''Bebra-Hanauer Eisenbahn''), a
Kurhessian state railway, merged with the
K.P.St.E. in 1866
*
Duchy of Brunswick State Railway (''Herzoglich Braunschweigische Staatseisenbahn''), merged with the
K.P.St.E. in 1870
*
Anhalt Leopold Railway (''Anhaltische Leopoldsbahn''), merged with the
K.P.St.E. in 1882
*
Grand Duchy of Hesse State Railways (''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.'')
*
Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* I ...
(''Reichseisenbahn Elsaß-Lothringen''), lost to
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
after the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
KPEV
The so-called
Royal Prussian Railway Administration or
KPEV did not exist, although some of the rolling stock carried 'KPEV' emblems and the abbreviation is commonly used in railway circles nowadays.
See also
*
History of rail transport in Germany
External links
*
German Wikipedia article on the "History of the Railway in Germany"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Landerbahnen
History of rail transport in Germany
Defunct railway companies of Germany