Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

and Switzerland, a Landeskirche (plural: Landeskirchen) is the church of a region. The term usually refers to

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

churches, but—in case of Switzerland—also

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

dioceses. They originated as the national churches of the independent states, States of Germany (''Länder'') or Cantons of Switzerland (''Kantone'', ''Cantons'', ''Cantoni''), that later unified to form modern Germany (in 1871) or modern Switzerland (in 1848), respectively.

Origins in the Holy Roman Empire

In the pre-Reformation era, the organization of the church within a ''land'' was understood as a ''landeskirche'', certainly under a higher power (the pope or a patriarch), but also possessing an increased measure of independence, especially as concerning its internal structure and its relations to its king, prince or ruler. Unlike in Scandinavia and England, the bishops in the national churches did not survive the Reformation, making it impossible for a conventional diocesan system to continue within Lutheranism. Therefore, Martin Luther demanded that, as a stop-gap, each secular ''

Landesherr A territorial lord (german: Landesherr) was a ruler in the period beginning with the Early Middle Ages who, stemming from his status as being immediate (''unmittelbar''), held a form of authority over a territory known as '' Landeshoheit''. This ...

'' (territorial lord, monarch or a body, like the governments of republican Imperial estates, such as

Free Imperial Cities In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

or Swiss cantons) should exercise episcopal functions in the respective territories. The principle of '' cuius regio, eius religio'' also arose out of the Reformation, and according to this a ''Landesherr'' chose what denomination his subjects had to belong to. This led to closed, insular landeskirchen. The principle was a byproduct of religious politics in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

and soon softened after the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

. At the time of the abolition of the monarchies in Germany in 1918, the ''Landesherren'' were ''summus episcopus'' (Landesbischöfe, comparable to the

Supreme Governor of the Church of England The supreme governor of the Church of England is the titular head of the Church of England, a position which is vested in the British monarch. Queen and Church > Queen and Church of England">The Monarchy Today > Queen and State > Queen and Chu ...

) in the states or their administrative areas, and the ties between churches and nations came to be particularly close, even with ''Landesherren'' outside the Lutheran church. So the (Roman Catholic)

king of Bavaria King of Bavaria was a title held by the hereditary Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria in the state known as the Kingdom of Bavaria from 1805 until 1918, when the kingdom was abolished. It was the second time Bavaria was a kingdom, almost a thous ...

was at the same time supreme governor (summus episcopus) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria right of the river Rhine. In practice, the ''Landesherren'' exercised episcopal functions (''summepiscopacy'') only indirectly through consistories (german: link=no, Konsistorium/Konsistorien g./pl..

In Germany

List of Landeskirchen in 1922 with changes until 1945

Map of the German State Churches in the Weimar Republic (1922)

Those of the following ''Landeskirchen'', which existed in 1922, founded the new umbrella German Evangelical Church Confederation (german: Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchenbund, 1922–1933). There were mergers in the 1920s and under Nazi reign in 1933 and 1934. The first date given before every entry in the table below refers to the year, when the respective church body was constituted. Such a date of constitution is somewhat difficult to fix for the 19th century, when church constitutions were reformed and came into effect, which usually provided for more or less state-independent legislative and executive bodies more or less elected by parishioners. The Protestant Reformation and some church organisation ( Kirchenordnung) of course existed long before. For the 20th century the given years refer to the formal establishment of the respective church body. The second date refers to the year, when the respective church body ceased to exist (if so), due to a merger or unwinding. The third entry gives the name of each church body alphabetically assorted by the first territorial entity mentioned in the name. This makes sense because Landeskirchen have clear regional demarcations, therefore usually somehow mentioned in their names. The post-World War I church bodies, listed below, have never existed all in the same time. One can sort the table below alphabetically or chronologically by clicking on the button with the gyronny of four. } , United by confession , parishioners (1922)Sebastian Müller-Rolli in collaboration with Reiner Anselm, ''Evangelische Schulpolitik in Deutschland 1918–1958: Dokumente und Darstellung'', Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1999, (=Eine Veröffentlichung des Comenius-Instituts Münster), p. 30. .
Free State of Anhalt , The Church body comprises only congregations of united confession. The official church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents formed the

Confessing Church The Confessing Church (german: link=no, Bekennende Kirche, ) was a movement within German Protestantism during Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to unify all Protestant churches into a single pro-Nazi Germ ...

of Anhalt. , - valign=top , 1821 , persisting , Baden
United Evangelical Protestant State Church of Baden
german: Vereinigte Evangelisch-protestantische Landeskirche Badens , United by confession , parishioners (1922)
the Republic of Baden , The new name replaced the prior ''United Evangelical Protestant Church of the Grand Duchy of Baden'' in 1920, when the new church constitution accounted for the Grand Duchy having become a republic. The Church body comprises only congregations of united confession. The official church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents formed the

of Baden. , - valign=top , 1809 , persisting , Bavaria
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria right of the river Rhine
german: link=no, Evangelisch-lutherische Kirche in Bayern rechts des Rheins , Lutheran , parishioners (1925)Sebastian Müller-Rolli in collaboration with Reiner Anselm, ''Evangelische Schulpolitik in Deutschland 1918–1958: Dokumente und Darstellung'', Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1999, (=Eine Veröffentlichung des Comenius-Instituts Münster), p. 29. .
Free State of Bavaria right of the Rhine, thus except of the then Bavarian Governorate of the Palatinate, which formed a separate church body since 1848. In 1918 the Reformed congregations earlier subsumed within the Bavaria church body seceded and founded the independent ''Evangelical Reformed Church in Bavaria'' (see Further Protestant church bodies in Germany). On 1 April 1921 the Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Saxe-Coburg merged in the Bavaria church body. , The new name replaced the prior ''Protestant State Church in the Kingdom of Bavaria right of the river Rhine'' in 1921, when the new church constitution accounted for the Kingdom having become a republic and the Reformed congregations having formed a separate church body. The Bavaria official church body remained an ''intact church'' (german: intakte Kirche), since the Nazi-submissive German Christians remained a minority in the synod after the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents of the

could act within the church body. , - valign=top , 1843 , 1934 , Birkenfeld
''Evangelical Church of the Region of Birkenfeld''
german: Evangelische Kirche des Landesteils Birkenfeld , United by confession , parishioners (1922)
The Oldenburgian exclave of the Region of Birkenfeld. In 1934 the Birkenfeld church body merged into the Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union, to be precise in its ''Ecclesiastical Province in the Rhineland''. , The new name replaced the prior ''Evangelical Church of the Principality of Birkenfeld'' after 1918, when the new Oldenburgian monarchy with its Principality of Birkenfeld had become a republic. The Church body comprised only congregations of united confession. The ''Ecclesiastical Province in the Rhineland'', of which Birkenfeld had become a part, was a ''destroyed ecclesiastical province'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the provincial synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents formed the

in the Rhineland. , - valign=top , 1877 , persisting , Bremian Evangelical Church
german: link=no, Bremische Evangelische Kirche , United in administration , parishioners (1922)

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie H ...

city and one united congregation in the historical centre of

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the R ...

, which was extended by 1939 by prior Hanoveran suburbs, whose Lutheran parishes continue to belong to the Hanover Lutheran church body. , The church body comprises mostly Reformed and less Lutheran congregations and one united congregation. The official church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents formed the Bremian

. , - valign=top , 1872 , persisting , Brunswickian Evangelical Lutheran State Church
german: link=no, Braunschweigische evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche , Lutheran , parishioners (1922)
Free State of Brunswick, when the state territory was altered in 1942, the Brunswick church body readjusted its ambit accordingly, ceding congregations to and reveiving some from the Hanover Lutheran church body. , The official church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents formed the Brunswickian

. , - valign=top , 1922 , 1933 , Frankfurt upon Main
''Evangelical State Church of Frankfurt upon Main''
german: Evangelische Landeskirche Frankfurt am Main , United in administration , parishioners (1922)
the formerly Free City of Frankfurt upon Main, in 1866 annexed by Prussia and since then part of the Prussian

Province of Hesse-Nassau The Province of Hesse-Nassau () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1868 to 1918, then a province of the Free State of Prussia until 1944. Hesse-Nassau was created as a consequence of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 by combining the p ...

. In September 1933 the illegitimate church governing board merged the Frankfurt church body in the Evangelical State Church of Hesse-Nassau. , The official Frankfurt church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents formed the

of Frankfurt. , - valign=top , 1860 , 1976 , Hamburg
''Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Hamburgian State''
german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche im Hamburgischen Staate , Lutheran , parishioners (1922)
Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg in its borders before the Greater Hamburg Act became effective on 1 April 1937, thus including Hamburg's then exclaves such as Cuxhaven, Geesthacht, and Großhansdorf, but without today's boroughs of Altona,

Harburg Harburg may refer to: Places in Germany * Harburg (district), Lower Saxony * Harburg, Bavaria * Harburg, Hamburg, a borough of Hamburg ** Harburg (quarter), the former Hanoveran city of Harburg upon Elbe, now a quarter of Hamburg * Harburg-Wilhe ...

Wandsbek Wandsbek () is the second-largest of seven boroughs that make up the city and state of Hamburg, Germany. The name of the district is derived from the river Wandse which passes through here. Wandsbek, which was formerly an independent city, is urba ...

and further formerly Holsatian municipalities in the North Borough. , The official Hamburg church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive conservative Lutherans in May 1933 even before the German Christians gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July. Nazi opponents formed the

of Hamburg. , - valign=top , 1864 , persisting , Hanover Lutheran
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Hanover
german: link=no, Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche Hannovers , Lutheran , parishioners (1922)
Prussian Province of Hanover, the territorial changes of the province in 1937 ( Greater Hamburg Act) were not followed by a change in ecclesiastical ambit. In 1939 (Greater Bremen, annexation of Hanoveran suburbs of Bremen to Bremen proper) and 1942, when the provincial territory was altered along the Brunswickian border, both church bodies readjusted their ambits accordingly, ceding congregations to and reveiving some from each other. , The official church body remained an ''intact church'' (german: intakte Kirche), since the Nazi-submissive German Christians remained a minority in the synod after the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents of the

could act within the church body. , - valign=top , 1882 , 1989 , Hanover Reformed
''Evangelical Reformed State Church of the Province of Hanover''
german: Evangelisch-reformierte Landeskirche der Provinz Hannover , Reformed , parishioners (1922)
Prussian Province of Hanover and some Reformed parishes in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein acceded since 1923. , The new name replaced the prior ''Evangelical Reformed Church of the Province of Hanover'' in 1922, when the Hanover Reformed church body caught up in terms of the title with the Hanover Lutheran church body. The official church body remained an ''intact church'' (german: intakte Kirche), since the Nazi-submissive German Christians remained a minority in the synod after the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents of the

could act within the church body. , - valign=top , 1873 , 1934 , Hesse Cassel
''Evangelical State Church of Hesse-Cassel''
german: Evangelische Landeskirche von Hessen-Kassel , United in administration , parishioners (1922)
the former

Electorate of Hesse The Electorate of Hesse (german: Kurfürstentum Hessen), also known as Hesse-Kassel or Kurhessen, was a landgraviate whose prince was given the right to elect the Emperor by Napoleon. When the Holy Roman Empire was abolished in 1806, its pri ...

, in 1866 annexed by Prussia and since then part of the latter's

. Some small northern exclaves in today's Lower Saxony were ceded in the 1920s to the Hanover Lutheran church body. In 1934 the Hesse Cassel church body merged in the Evangelical Church of Electoral Hesse-Waldeck. , The official Hesse Cassel church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. However, a merger, planned since 1926, with the Frankfurt, Hesse state and Nassau church bodies failed after quarrels about their Nazi radicalism. , - valign=top , 1934 , persisting , Hesse Electorate and Waldeck
Evangelical Church of Hesse Electorate-Waldeck
german:

Evangelische Kirche von Kurhessen-Waldeck The Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck (german: Evangelische Kirche von Kurhessen-Waldeck; EKKW) is a United Protestant church body in former Hesse-Cassel and the Waldeck part of the former Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Constitution ...

, United in administration ,
the former

, except of some small northern exclaves in today's Lower Saxony, and the former

Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont The Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont (german: Freistaat Waldeck-Pyrmont), later the Free State of Waldeck (), was a constituent state of the Weimar Republic. It was created following the German Revolution which forced Prince Friedrich of Waldeck an ...

, except of the Pyrmont exclaves. , The official Hesse Electorate and Waldeck church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was merged from two destroyed church bodies. Nazi opponents formed the

of Electoral Hesse-Waldeck. , - valign=top , 19th century , 1933 , Hesse state
''Evangelical Church in Hesse''
german: Evangelische Kirche in Hessen , United in administration , parishioners (1922)
People's State of Hesse. In September 1933 the illegitimate church governing board merged the Hesse state church body in the Evangelical State Church of Hesse-Nassau. , The official Hesse state church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents formed the

of Hesse. , - valign=top , 1933 , 1945 , Hesse-Nassau
''Evangelical State Church Hesse-Nassau''
german: link=no, Evangelische Landeskirche Hessen-Nassau , United in administration ,
formerly Free City of Frankfurt upon Main, former Duchy of Nassau, both covered by then Hesse-Nassau province, and the People's State of Hesse , In September 1933 the destroyed Frankfurt, Hesse state, and Nassau church bodies merged in the new Hesse-Nassau church body, which thus became a new church body radically organised according to the

Führerprinzip The (; German for 'leader principle') prescribed the fundamental basis of political authority in the Government of Nazi Germany. This principle can be most succinctly understood to mean that "the Führer's word is above all written law" and ...

, thus anti-synodal and anti-presbyterial. With the end of the Nazi reign this church body was dissolved. Nazi opponents had organised along the church bodies merged into this church body. , - valign=top , 1877 , persisting ,

Lippe State Church The Church of Lippe (german: link=no, Lippische Landeskirche) is a Reformed church, Reformed (Calvinist) member church of the Evangelical Church in Germany that covers what used to be the Principality of Lippe. Seat of the church administration i ...

german: Lippische Landeskirche , Reformed , parishioners (1922)
Free State of Lippe. , Few Lutheran congregations have their own organisations within the else Reformed Lippe church body. , - valign=top , 1895 , 1976 , Lübeck city-state
''Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Lübeckian State''
german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche im Lübeckischen Staate , Lutheran , parishioners (1922)

Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procure ...

, the Lübeck state church body persisted also after Prussia had annexed the Lübeck state by in 1937 ( Greater Hamburg Act), and its incorporation into the Prussian Schleswig-Holstein province. , The official Lübeck state church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents formed the

of Lübeck state. , - valign=top , 1921 , 1976 , Lübeck region
''Evangelical Lutheran State Church of the Oldenburgian Region of Lübeck''
german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche des oldenburgischen Landesteils Lübeck , Lutheran ,
The Oldenburgian exclave of the Lübeck Region, the Lübeck region church body persisted also after Prussia had annexed the Lübeck Region in 1937 ( Greater Hamburg Act), and its incorporation into the Prussian Schleswig-Holstein province. , The official Lübeck region church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. However, its land provost (leading cleric) maintained a rather neutral position, so Nazi opponents of the

could act within the official church body. , - valign=top , 1835 , 1926 , Lusatia
''Lutheran Church in Upper Lusatia
german: link=no, Lutherische Kirche in der Oberlausitz , Lutheran ,
the region of

Kreishauptmannschaft Bautzen Kreishauptmannschaft Bautzen was a Kreishauptmannschaft or administrative district in the Kingdom of Saxony. It was founded in 1835 and continued under the Free State of Saxony until abolished in 1934. Kreishauptmannschaft Bautzen issued the ...

of the then Free State of Saxony , In 1926 the Lusatia church body merged in the Saxony state church body. , - valign=top , 1850 , 1934 , Mecklenburg-Schwerin
''Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg-Schwerin''
german: link=no, Evangelisch-lutherische Kirche von Mecklenburg-Schwerin , Lutheran , parishioners (1922)
Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In 1934 the Mecklenburg-Schwerin church body merged in the Mecklenburg state church body. , The official Mecklenburg-Schwerin church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. , - valign=top , 19th century , 1934 , Mecklenburg-Strelitz
''Mecklenburg-Strelitz State Church''
german: link=no, Mecklenburg-Strelitzer Landeskirche , Lutheran , parishioners (1922)
Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In 1934 the Mecklenburg-Strelitz church body merged in the Mecklenburg state church body. , The official Mecklenburg-Strelitz church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. State bishop Gerhard Tolzien was deposed. , - valign=top , 1934 , 2012 , Mecklenburg (united state)
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Mecklenburg
german: link=no, Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche Mecklenburgs , Lutheran ,
former Free States of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In 2012 the Mecklenburg church body merged in the new Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany. , The official Mecklenburg state church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was merged from two destroyed church bodies. Nazi opponents formed the

in Mecklenburg. , - valign=top , 1866 , 1933 , Nassau
''Evangelical State Church in Nassau''
german: Evangelische Landeskirche in Nassau , United in administration ,
former Duchy of Nassau, in 1866 annexed by Prussia and since then part of the Prussian

. In September 1933 the illegitimate church governing board merged the Hesse state church body in the Evangelical State Church of Hesse-Nassau. , The official Hesse state church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents formed the

of Nassau. , - valign=top , 19th century , persisting , Oldenburg
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg
german: link=no, Evangelisch-lutherische Kirche in Oldenburg , Lutheran , parishioners (1922)
Free State of Oldenburg except of its exclaves of Birkenfeld and Region of Lübeck. In 1921 the Lübeck region church body had seceded from the Oldenburg church body, while the Birkenfeld church body had never been part of the Oldenburg church body. , The official Oldenburg church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents formed the

of Oldenburg. , - valign=top , 1848 , persisting , Palatinate
United Protestant Evangelical Christian Church of the Palatinate (Palatine State Church)
german: Vereinigte protestantisch-evangelisch-christliche Kirche der Pfalz (Pfälzische Landeskirche) , United by confession , parishioners (1922)
the then Bavarian Governorate of the Palatinate and some eastern districts in Mandatory Saar (League of Nations). , Since the parishioners' plesbiscite in 1817 all Palatine congregations are confessionally united. The official Palatinate church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents formed the

of the Palatinate. , - valign=top , 1817 , 2003 , Prussia
Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union
german: link=no, Evangelische Kirche der altpreußischen Union
abbreviations: ApU, EKapU , United in administration , parishioners (1922)
the Prussian provinces of Berlin,

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 square ...

East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label= Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1 ...

, Hohenzollern,

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to t ...

, Posen-West Prussia, the

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhineland ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is spli ...

, and

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regi ...

as well as the

League of Nations mandate A League of Nations mandate was a legal status for certain territories transferred from the control of one country to another following World War I, or the legal instruments that contained the internationally agreed-upon terms for adminis ...

s of the Free City of Danzig, Klaipėda Region and the Saar (League of Nations), except of some eastern Palatine districts within the latter. All the parishes east of the

Oder Neisse line The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flow ...

, including the complete ecclesiastical provinces of Danzig, East Prussia and Posen-West Prussia vanished due to fleeing parishioners before the Soviet conquest and the subsequent violent expulsion of parishioners between 1945 and 1950, including many casualties. Also the bulk of the parishes in the Pomerania and Silesia ecclesiastical provinces were lost. , The new name replaced the prior

Evangelical State Church of Prussia's older Provinces The Prussian Union of Churches (known under multiple other names) was a major Protestant church body which emerged in 1817 from a series of decrees by Frederick William III of Prussia that united both Lutheran and Reformed denominations in Pr ...

in 1922, accounting for the facts that the Weimar Constitution had done away with

state church A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular, is not necessarily a ...

es in 1919, and that the old-Prussian congregations were then spreading over four sovereign states (Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, and Poland) and three

s (Danzig, Klaipėda, and Saar) after the different post-World War I annexations. The new name was after a denomination, not after a state any more. It became a difficult task to maintain the unity of the church, with some of the annexing states being opposed to the fact that church bodies within their borders keep a union with German church organisations. The official old-Prussian church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the general synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Only the Westphalia ecclesiastical province remained an ''intact church'', since the ''German Christians'' did not gain the majority in its provincial synod, while all the other old-Prussian ecclesiastical provinces within Germany were taken over by ''German Christians'' as well. The Nazi opponents formed parallel

institutions on the old-Prussian general level as well as in the destroyed ecclesiastical provinces. , - valign=top , 19th century , 1934 , Reuss
''Evangelical Lutheran Church in Reuss Elder Line''
german: link=no, Evangelisch-lutherische Kirche in Reuß ältere Linie , Lutheran , parishioners (1922)
former

Principality of Reuss Elder Line The Principality of Reuss-Greiz (german: Fürstentum Reuß-Greiz), called the Principality of the Reuss Elder Line (german: Fürstentum Reuß älterer Linie) after 1848, was a sovereign state in modern Germany, ruled by members of the House of ...

within the then State of Thuringia. , The Reuss church body was a stronghold of

Lutheran Orthodoxy Lutheran orthodoxy was an era in the history of Lutheranism, which began in 1580 from the writing of the '' Book of Concord'' and ended at the Age of Enlightenment. Lutheran orthodoxy was paralleled by similar eras in Calvinism and tridentine R ...

and refused the merger with the other seven church bodies in Thuringia in 1920. However, in 1934 Reuss merged in the Thuringia church body. , - valign=top , 1868 , persisting , Saxony
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of the Free State of Saxony
german: Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche des Freistaats Sachsen , Lutheran , parishioners (1922)
until 1926 the then Free State of Saxony except of the region of

, from 1926 on all the Free State of Saxony. All the parishes east of the

vanished due to fleeing parishioners before the Soviet conquest and the subsequent violent expulsion of parishioners between 1945 and 1950, including casualties. , The new name came along with the new church constitution of 1922. The official Saxony church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents formed the

of Saxony. , - valign=top , 19th century , persisting , Schaumburg-Lippe
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Schaumburg-Lippe
german: Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche von Schaumburg-Lippe , Lutheran , parishioners (1922)
Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe , The Schaumburg-Lippe official church body remained an ''intact church'' (german: intakte Kirche), since the Nazi-submissive German Christians remained a minority in the synod after the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents of the

could act within the church body. Even the more, in 1936 the German Christian minority was excluded from the executive board, which was then only staffed with partisans of the Nazi-opponent

. , - valign=top , 1867 , 1976 , Schleswig-Holstein
''Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schleswig-Holstein''
german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Schleswig-Holsteins , Lutheran , parishioners (1922)
Province of Schleswig-Holstein in its borders of 1921 to 1936. , The official Schleswig-Holstein church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents formed the

of Schleswig-Holstein. , - valign=top , 1920 , 2008 , Thuringian Evangelical Church
german: Thüringer evangelische Kirche , Lutheran , parishioners (1922)
the State of Thuringia in its borders of 1920, until 1934 except of the areas comprising the former

. In 1934 the Reuss elder line church body merged in the Thuringia church body. , This new church body was a merger of first seven, since 1934 eight church bodies of the Thuringian monarchies (such as

Reuss Elder Line The Principality of Reuss-Greiz (german: Fürstentum Reuß-Greiz), called the Principality of the Reuss Elder Line (german: Fürstentum Reuß älterer Linie) after 1848, was a sovereign state in modern Germany, ruled by members of the House ...

Reuss Junior Line The Principality of Reuss-Gera (german: Fürstentum Reuß-Gera), called the Principality of the Reuss Junior Line (german: Fürstentum Reuß jüngerer Linie) after 1848, was a sovereign state in modern Germany, ruled by members of the House of R ...

, Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Gotha, Saxe-Meiningen, Grand Duchy of Saxony, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen). The official Thuringia church body became a very radical ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents formed the

of Thuringia. , - valign=top , 1873 , 1934 , Waldeck and Pyrmont
''Evangelical State Church of Waldeck and Pyrmont''
german: Evangelische Landeskirche von Waldeck und Pyrmont , United in administration , parishioners (1922)

, since 1929 part of the

Free State of Prussia The Free State of Prussia (german: Freistaat Preußen, ) was one of the constituent states of Germany from 1918 to 1947. The successor to the Kingdom of Prussia after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, it continued to be the dom ...

as the ''District of Waldeck'' and the ''District of Pyrmont''. Some small northern exclaves with Pyrmont in today's Lower Saxony were ceded in the 1920s to the Hanover Lutheran church body. , The official Waldeck church body became a ''destroyed church'' (german: zerstörte Kirche), since it was taken over by Nazi-submissive German Christians, who gained a majority in the synod by the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. However, a merger, planned since 1926, with the Frankfurt, Hesse state and Nassau church bodies failed after quarrels about their Nazi radicalism. In 1934 the Waldeck church body merged in the Evangelical Church of Electoral Hesse-Waldeck. , - valign=top , 1870 , persisting , Württemberg
Evangelical State Church in Württemberg
german: link=no, Evangelische Landeskirche in Württemberg , Lutheran , parishioners (1922)
Free People's State of Württemberg , The Württemberg official church body remained an ''intact church'' (german: intakte Kirche), since the Nazi-submissive German Christians remained a minority in the synod after the unconstitutional election imposed by Hitler on 23 July 1933. Nazi opponents of the

could act within the church body.

List of Landeskirchen after 1945 with changes until 2012

Those of the following ''Landeskirchen'', which existed in 1948, founded the new Protestant umbrella

Evangelical Church in Germany The Evangelical Church in Germany (german: Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland, abbreviated EKD) is a federation of twenty Lutheran, Reformed (Calvinist) and United (e.g. Prussian Union) Protestant regional churches and denominations in Germany, ...

(german: link=no, Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland). However, following the violations of the church constitutions under Nazi reign many church bodies did not simply return to the pre-1933 status quo, but introduced altered or new church constitutions – usually after lengthy synodal procedures of decision-taking -, often including an altered name of the church body. In a process starting in June 1945 and ending in 1953 the Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union transformed from an integrated church body, subdivided into ecclesiastical provinces, into an umbrella-like church body, renamed into

Evangelical Church of the Union The Prussian Union of Churches (known under multiple other names) was a major Protestant church body which emerged in 1817 from a series of decrees by Frederick William III of Prussia that united both Lutheran and Reformed denominations in ...

under political pressure of communist

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 ...

in 1953. The six old-Prussian ecclesiastical provinces (Kirchenprovinz n sg. l., which were not or not completely abolished by the expulsion of its parishioners from the Polish and Soviet annexed German territories, assumed independence as Landeskirchen of their own between 1945 and 1948, however, simultaneously remaining member churches within the Evangelical Church of the (old-Prussian) Union, thus rather converted into an umbrella. The communist dictatorship in East Germany imposed further name changes and administrative reorganisations along the inner German borders. This was reversed after unification. There were mergers of church bodies in 1947, 1977, 1989, 2004, 2009, and 2012, and likely more are to come. The German demographic crisis and rising irreligionism influence them, especially in former East Germany. The first date given before every entry in the table below refers to the year, when the respective church body was constituted. Such a date of constitution is somewhat difficult to fix for the 19th century, when church constitutions were reformed and came into effect, which usually provided for more or less state-independent legislative and executive bodies more or less elected by parishioners. The Protestant Reformation and some church organisation of course existed long before. For the last and this century the given years refer to the formal establishment of the respective church body. The second date refers to the year, when the respective church body ceased to exist (if so), due to a merger or unwinding. The third entry gives the name of each church body alphabetically assorted by the first territorial entity mentioned in the name. This makes sense because Landeskirchen have clear regional demarcations, therefore usually somehow mentioned in their names. The post-war German church bodies, listed below, have never existed all in the same time. The very independent and autonomous organisational structure of German Protestantism provides for unconcerted developments. One can assort the table below alphabetically or chronogically by clicking on the button with the gyronny of four. } , United by confession , the former Free State of Anhalt , Between 1960 and 2003 the Anhalt church was a member of the

. The Church body comprises only congregations of united confession. , - valign=top , 1821 , persisting , Baden
Evangelical State Church in Baden
german: Evangelische Landeskirche in Baden
abbreviation: EKiBa , United by confession , the former Republic of Baden , The new name replaced the prior ''United Evangelical Protestant State Church of Baden''. The Church body comprises only congregations of united confession. , - valign=top , 1809 , persisting , Bavaria
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria
german: link=no, Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern
abbreviation: ELKB , Lutheran , Free State of Bavaria , The prior name extension ''right of the river Rhine'' was skipped in 1948, after ''Bavaria left of the river Rhine'', i.e. Governorate of the Palatinate, had been seceded from Bavaria by the Allies in 1945. , - valign=top , 1989 , persisting , Bavaria and Northwestern Germany

Evangelical Reformed Church - Synod of Reformed Churches in Bavaria and Northwestern Germany The Evangelical Reformed Church (german: Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche), until 2009 Evangelical Reformed Church – Synod of Reformed Churches in Bavaria and Northwestern Germany (german: Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche – Synode evangelisch-reform ...

german: link=no, Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche – Synode evangelisch-reformierter Kirchen in Bayern und Nordwestdeutschland , Reformed ,

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 l ...

, Hamburg,

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

, former

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwer ...

in its borders of 1936, Saxony (state), and

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...

. , Merger of the ''Evangelical Reformed Church in Bavaria'' and the ''Evangelical Reformed Church in Northwestern Germany'' , - valign=top , 1948 , 2003 , Berlin and Brandenburg
Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg
german: Evangelische Kirche in Berlin-Brandenburg
abbreviation: EKiBB , United in administration. , East Berlin, West Berlin, and

(in its borders of 1945–1952, thus without Polish-annexed

eastern Brandenburg The Neumark (), also known as the New March ( pl, Nowa Marchia) or as East Brandenburg (), was a region of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its successors located east of the Oder River in territory which became part of Poland in 1945. Calle ...

and territorial redeployments after the re-establishment of the state in 1990)
In 1972 the church body installed double administrative structures for West Berlin on the one hand and for East Berlin and the parishes in the 1952-abolished state of Brandenburg on the other hand, because communist East Germany did not allow pastors and church functionaries travelling freely between East and West. The two administrations reunited in 1991. , The new name replaced the prior ''March of Brandenburg ecclesiastical province'' (Kirchenprovinz Mark Brandenburg) in 1948, when this old-Prussian ecclesiastical province assumed independence as Landeskirche. The new name reflected the fact, that Berlin was no part of Brandenburg state at that time. Between 1948 and 2003 the Berlin-Brandenburg church was a member of the Evangelical Church of the (old-Prussian) Union. In 2004 the Berlin-Brandenburg church body merged into the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. The church body comprised mostly Lutheran and few Reformed and united congregations. , - valign=top , 2004 , persisting , Berlin, Brandenburg, and Silesian Upper Lusatia
Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia
german: link=no, Evangelische Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg-Schlesische Oberlausitz
abbreviation: EKBO , United in administration. , Berlin, Brandenburg (in its borders of 1945–1952), and the German remainder of

(mostly Saxon today), after the post-war Polish annexation of main part Silesia , The church body comprises mostly Lutheran and few Reformed and united congregations. , - valign=top , 1877 , persisting , Bremian Evangelical Church
german: link=no, Bremische Evangelische Kirche
abbreviation: BEK , United in administration ,

city and one united congregation in the historical centre of

, whose other Lutheran parishes belong to the Hanoveran church body , The church body comprises mostly Reformed and less Lutheran congregations and one united congregation. , - valign=top , 1872 , persisting , Brunswick
Evangelical Lutheran State Church in Brunswick
german: link=no, Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche in Braunschweig , Lutheran , former Free State of Brunswick
In 1977 the Brunswick church body conveyed its tasks for its East German parishes to the East German Saxony Province church body. In 1992 the eastern parishes returned to the Brunswick church body. , The new name replaced the prior ''Brunswickian Evangelical Lutheran State Church'' in 1970, after considerations, that the church body is rather a Christian than an organisation related to the Brunswickian state. After a British-Soviet boundary adjustment between the British Zone and the Soviet Zone in July 1945 the formerly Brunswickian salients (e.g. the eastern part of Blankenburg District, Hessen am Fallstein) and the

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

of Calvörde became part of the Soviet zone. This did not affect the ecclesiastical affiliation. However, East Germany's sealing off its western border and its very restrictive granting of entry and exit visas made cross-border travelling for easterners almost impossible and difficult for westerners. In 1957 East Germany forbade further contact of the East German Brunswickian parishes with the western-based Brunswick church body on the pretense that the latter co-operated with enimical western NATO forces, following a concordat of the Brunswick church body on military chaplains for the

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

. , - valign=top , 1921 , 1976 , Eutin
''Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Eutin''
german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Eutin , Lutheran , the District of Eutin in Schleswig-Holstein , The new name replaced the prior ''Evangelical Lutheran State Church of the Oldenburgian Region of Lübeck'', reflecting the fact, that Oldenburg had ceded its exclave Region of Lübeck to the Prussian Schleswig-Holstein province following the Greater Hamburg Act in 1937. On 1 January 1977 the Eutin church body merged into the North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church. , - valign=top , 1922
1945 restored , 1933 de facto
1947 , Frankfurt upon Main
''Evangelical State Church of Frankfurt upon Main''
german: Evangelische Landeskirche Frankfurt am Main , United in administration , the formerly Free City of Frankfurt upon Main, 1945–1946 part of Greater Hesse and of

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Da ...

since. , The Frankfurt church body was restored after the end of the war, since the lawfulness of the September-1933 merger into the ''Evangelical State Church in Hesse-Nassau'' was doubted due to the influence of the Nazis and the Nazi-submissive German Christians, gained by the unconstitutional re-election of all synods and presbyteries ordered by Hitler in July 1933. In September 1947 a freely and constitutionally elected synod decided on the merger into the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau , - valign=top , 1870 , 1976 , Hamburg
''Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Hamburgian State''
german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche im Hamburgischen Staate , Lutheran , Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg in its borders before the Greater Hamburg Act became effective on 1 April 1937, thus including Hamburg's former exclaves such as Cuxhaven, Geesthacht, and Großhansdorf, but without today's boroughs of Altona,

and further formerly Holsatian municipalities in the North Borough. , On 1 January 1977 the Hamburg church body merged into the North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church. , - valign=top , 1864 , persisting , Hanover
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Hanover
german: link=no, Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche Hannovers , Lutheran , former Prussian Province of Hanover, in 1977 reduced for those parishes located in the Harburg area of Hanover province, which had been ceded to Hamburg in 1937 and increased by the parishes in Cuxhaven, which had been ceded from Hamburg to Hanover province on the same occasion by the Greater Hamburg Act. , , - valign=top , 1934 , persisting , Hesse Electorate and Waldeck
Evangelical Church of Electoral Hesse-Waldeck
german:

abbreviation: EKKW , United in administration , the former

, except of some small northern exclaves in today's Lower Saxony, and the former

, except of the Pyrmont exclaves, thus still including the exclave of Schmalkalden (Smalkald) in formerly East Germany and today's Free State of Thuringia. , Between 1949 and 1989 the East German communist government inflicted similar problems onto the East German parishes of the Electoral Hesse-Waldeck church body as onto the eastern parishes of Brunswick church body. , - valign=top , 19th century
1945 restored , 1933 de facto
1947 , Hesse state
''Evangelical Church in Hesse''
german: Evangelische Kirche in Hessen , United in administration , former People's State of Hesse , The Hesse church body was restored after the end of the war, since the lawfulness of the September-1933 merger into the ''Evangelical State Church in Hesse-Nassau'' was doubted due to the influence of the Nazis and the Nazi-submissive German Christians, gained by the unconstitutional re-election of all synods and presbyteries ordered by Hitler in July 1933. In September 1947 a freely and constitutionally elected synod decided on the merger into the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau , - valign=top , 1947 , persisting , Hesse and Nassau
Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau
german: link=no, Evangelische Kirche in Hessen und Nassau
abbreviation: EKHN , United in administration , formerly Free City of Frankfurt upon Main, former People's State of Hesse, former Duchy of Nassau, covered by today's states of

and

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

, Merger of the Frankfurt, Hesse state, and Nassau church bodies , - valign=top , 1877 , persisting ,

german: Lippische Landeskirche , Reformed , former Free State of Lippe , Few Lutheran congregations have their own organisations within the else Reformed Lippe church body. , - valign=top , 1895 , 1976 , Lübeck
''Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lübeck''
german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Lübeck , Lutheran , former

, The new name replaced the prior ''Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Lübeckian State'', accounting for Lübeck's statehood being abolished by the Greater Hamburg Act in 1937. On 1 January 1977 the Lübeck church body merged into the North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church. , - valign=top , 1934 , 2012 , Mecklenburg
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Mecklenburg
german: link=no, Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche Mecklenburgs
abbreviation: ELLM , Lutheran , former

in its borders of 1936
Communist East Germany's sealing off its western border and its very restrictive granting of entry and exit visas made cross-border travelling for easterners almost impossible and difficult for westerners. So the Mecklenburg church body conveyed its tasks as to its western parishes to the ''Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schleswig-Holstein'' and its successor North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church. After unification the conveyed parishes decided not to return to their original Mecklenburg church body, personally and financially terribly weakened during East German dictatorship. In 2012 the Mecklenburg church body merged in the new Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany. , After a British-Soviet boundary adjustment between the British Zone and the Soviet Zone of occupation in Germany following the Barber Lyashchenko Agreement in November 1945 the parishes of Ratzeburg Cathedral and Bäk, Mechow, Römnitz, and Ziethen became part of the British zone. This did not affect the ecclesiastical affiliation. So the Mecklenburg church body retains a stake as co-owner in the historically important Ratzeburg Cathedral. , - valign=top , 2009 , persisting , Middle Germany
Evangelical Church in Middle Germany
german: link=no, Evangelische Kirche in Mitteldeutschland
abbreviation: EKM , United in administration , former Province of Saxony and the State of Thuringia in its borders of 1920. , Merger of the Saxony province and Thuringia church bodies. , - valign=top , 1866
1945 restored , 1933 de facto
1947 , Nassau
''Evangelical State Church in Nassau''
german: Evangelische Landeskirche in Nassau , United in administration , former Duchy of Nassau, since 1945 split between Greater Hesse (and its successor

) and

, The Hesse church body was restored after the end of the war, since the lawfulness of the September-1933 merger into the ''Evangelical State Church in Hesse-Nassau'' was doubted due to the influence of the Nazis and the Nazi-submissive German Christians, gained by the unconstitutional re-election of all synods and presbyteries ordered by Hitler in July 1933. In September 1947 a freely and constitutionally elected synod decided on the merger into the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau , - valign=top , 1977 , 2012 , North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church
german: link=no, Nordelbische Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche
abbreviation: NEK , Lutheran ,

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

and

, Merger of Eutin, Hamburg, Lübeck and Schleswig-Holstein church bodies. In 2012 the North Elbian church body merged in the new Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany. , - valign=top , 2012 , persisting , Northern Germany
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany
german: link=no, Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Norddeutschland
abbreviation: Nordkirche , Lutheran ,

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in pop ...

and

, Merger of Mecklenburg, North Elbian, and Pomeranian church bodies. , - valign=top , 1882 , 1989 , Northwestern Germany
''Evangelical Reformed Church in Northwestern Germany''
german: Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche in Nordwestdeutschland , Reformed , the former Prussian Province of Hanover and some Reformed parishes in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein , The new name replaced the prior ''Evangelical Reformed State Church of the Province of Hanover'' in 1949, considering the accession of parishes outside of Hanover province (since 1923) and the latter's merger into

in 1946. In 1989 the Evangelical Reformed Church in Northwestern Germany merged into the Evangelical Reformed Church , - valign=top , 19th century , persisting , Oldenburg
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg
german: link=no, Evangelisch-lutherische Kirche in Oldenburg , Lutheran , former Free State of Oldenburg except of its exclaves of Birkenfeld and Region of Lübeck , , - valign=top , 1848 , persisting , Palatinate
Evangelical Church of the Palatinate (Protestant State Church)
german: link=no, Evangelische Kirche der Pfalz (Protestantische Landeskirche) , United by confession , the formerly Bavarian Governorate of the Palatinate since 1945 divided between

and the Saar Protectorate (and its successor Saarland, as of 1957). , The new name replaced the prior ''United Protestant Evangelical Christian Church of the Palatinate (Palatine State Church)'' in 1976. Since the parishioners' plesbiscite in 1817 all Palatine congregations are confessionally united. , - valign=top , 1947 , 2012 , Pomeranian Evangelical Church
german: link=no, Pommersche Evangelische Kirche, abbreviation: PEK , United in administration , German Hither Pomerania , The new name replaced the prior ''Pomerania ecclesiastical province'' (Kirchenprovinz Pommern) in 1947, when this old-Prussian ecclesiastical province assumed independence as Landeskirche. Between 1947 and 2003 the Pomerania church body was a member of the Evangelical Church of the (old-Prussian) Union. In 1968 communist East Germany ordered the church body to skip the term Pomerania from its name, then it chose the name ''Evangelical Church in Greifswald'' (german: link=no, Evangelische Kirche in Greifswald). The original name was readopted in 1990. In 2012 the Pomeranian church body merged in the new Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany. , - valign=top , 1948 , persisting , Rhineland
Evangelical Church in the Rhineland
german: link=no, Evangelische Kirche im Rheinland
abbreviation: EKiR , United in administration , former Rhine Province (in its borders of 1938) , The new name replaced the prior ''Rhineland ecclesiastical province'' (Kirchenprovinz Rheinland) in 1948, when this old-Prussian ecclesiastical province assumed independence as Landeskirche. Between 1948 and 2003 the Rhineland church body was a member of the Evangelical Church of the (old-Prussian) Union. , - valign=top , 1868 , persisting , Saxony state
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Saxony
german: Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche Sachsens
abbreviation: EvLKS , Lutheran , former

Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony (german: Königreich Sachsen), lasting from 1806 to 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in French period, Napoleonic through German Confederation, post-Napoleonic Germany. The kingdom was ...

except of the small area annexed to Poland in 1945 (modern Saxon Free State territory differs considerably more). , The new name replaced the prior ''Evangelical Lutheran State Church of the Free State of Saxony'' since the Free State had been abolished in 1952, only to be re-established in 1990, which did not cause another name change. , - valign=top , 1947 , 2008 , Saxony province
Evangelical Church of the Saxony Ecclesiastical Province
german: link=no, Evangelische Kirche der Kirchenprovinz Sachsen , United in administration , former Province of Saxony. , The new name extended the prior ''Saxony ecclesiastical province'' (Kirchenprovinz Sachsen) in 1947, when this old-Prussian ecclesiastical province assumed independence as Landeskirche. Between 1947 and 2003 the church body of the Saxony Ecclesiastical Province was a member of the Evangelical Church of the (old-Prussian) Union. On 1 January 2009 the church body of the Saxony Ecclesiastical Province merged into the Evangelical Church in Middle Germany. , - valign=top , 19th century , persisting , Schaumburg-Lippe
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Schaumburg-Lippe
german: Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche von Schaumburg-Lippe , Lutheran , former Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe , Any claim to merge the tiny Schaumburg-Lippe church body has been refused so far based on a solid self-confidence, also laid during the Nazi era, when this church body became the only one in 1936, which staffed all its executive board only with partisans of the Nazi-opponent

. , - valign=top , 1867 , 1976 , Schleswig-Holstein
''Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schleswig-Holstein'' (german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Schleswig-Holsteins) , Lutheran , former Province of Schleswig-Holstein in its borders of 1936 , On 1 January 1977 the Schleswig-Holstein church body merged into the North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church. , - valign=top , 1947 , 2003 , Silesia (n Upper Lusatia)

Evangelical Church of Silesia The Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (german: Evangelische Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz, EKBO) is a United Protestant church body in the German states of Brandenburg, Berlin and a part of Saxony ( ...

(n Upper Lusatia)
german: Evangelische Kirche von Schlesien (/der schlesischen Oberlausitz)
abbreviation: EKsOL , United in administration , the German remainder of

, after the post-war Polish annexation of main part Silesia , The new name replaced the prior ''Silesia ecclesiastical province'' (Kirchenprovinz Schlesien) in 1947, when this old-Prussian ecclesiastical province assumed independence as Landeskirche. Between 1947 and 2003 the Silesia church body was a member of the Evangelical Church of the (old-Prussian) Union. In 1968 communist East Germany ordered the church body to skip the term Silesia from its name, then it chose the name ''Evangelical Church of the Görlitz Ecclesiastical Region'' (german: link=no, Evangelische Kirche des Görlitzer Kirchengebiets). In 1992 the Silesia church body dropped its unwanted name and chose the new name of ''Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia''. On 1 January 2004 the Silesia church body merged into the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. , - valign=top , 1920 , 2008 , Thuringia
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thuringia
german: link=no, Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Thüringen
abbreviation: ELKTh , Lutheran , the State of Thuringia in its borders of 1920 , The new name replaced the prior ''Thuringian Evangelical Church'' in 1948. On 1 January 2009 the church body merged into the Evangelical Church in Middle Germany. , - valign=top , 1817 , 2003 , Union

german: Evangelische Kirche der Union
abbreviation: EKU , United in administration , Berlin, Brandenburg (in its borders of 1946–1952), German Hither Pomerania, former Hohenzollern province (ceded to Württemberg church body in 1950), former Rhine Province (in its borders of 1938), former Province of Saxony (in its borders of 1938), post-war German part of former

province, former

(in its borders of 1815–1946), as well as the Saarland, except of its eastern formerly Palatine districts. , The new name replaced the prior Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union in 1953, after the communist dictatorship in East Germany insisted on skipping the name element Prussia. Between 1948 and 2003 EKU was rather an umbrella, though running an own synod and executive body. Therefore, it was an equal member of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), even though all of EKU's member churches were simultaneously members of EKD on their own. The church was merged into the mere umbrella Union of Evangelical Churches. , - valign=top , 1945 , persisting , Westphalia

Evangelical Church of Westphalia The Protestant Church of Westphalia (german: Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen, EKvW) is a United Protestant church body in North Rhine-Westphalia. The seat of the praeses (german: Präses, the head of the church) is Bielefeld. The EKvW emerged o ...

german: link=no, Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen
abbreviation: EkvW , United in administration , former

Province of Westphalia The Province of Westphalia () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946. In turn, Prussia was the largest component state of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918, of the Weimar Republic and from 1 ...

(in its borders of 1815–1945) , The new name replaced the prior ''Westphalia ecclesiastical province'' (Kirchenprovinz Westfalen) in 1945, when this old-Prussian ecclesiastical province assumed independence as Landeskirche. Between 1945 and 2003 the Westphalia church body was a member of the Evangelical Church of the (old-Prussian) Union. , - valign=top , 1870 , persisting , Württemberg
Evangelical State Church in Württemberg
german: link=no, Evangelische Landeskirche in Württemberg , Lutheran , former Free People's State of Württemberg plus former Province of Hohenzollern (as of 1950) ,

List of further Protestant church bodies in Germany

This is a list of more Protestant church bodies, which were not members of the ''German Federation of Protestant Churches'' #- 1918–1989: ''Evangelical Reformed Church in Bavaria'' (german: Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche in Bayern, the Reformed parishes before included in the Lutheran Bavarian church body seceded and formed their own church body in 1918. In 1989 Evangelical Reformed Church in Bavaria merged into the

(german: Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche – Synode evangelisch-reformierter Kirchen in Bayern und Nordwestdeutschland) – Territory: then the Free State of Bavaria right of the river Rhine #- ''Lower Saxon Confederation'' (Reformed, german: link=no, Niedersächsische Konföderation) – Territory: Calvinist congregations, mostly of Huguenot foundation, in the Free State of Brunswick, the Free and Hanseatic Cities of

and

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...

and the Prussian Province of Hanover.

List of today's Landeskirchen

For a list of today's Protestant Landeskirchen in Germany see their umbrella

List

Offices and institutions

Administration

In Switzerland

Switzerland has no country-wide state religion, though most of the cantons (except for

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situ ...

and

Neuchâtel Neuchâtel (, , ; german: Neuenburg) is the capital of the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel, situated on the shoreline of Lake Neuchâtel. Since the fusion in 2021 of the municipalities of Neuchâtel, Corcelles-Cormondrèche, Peseux, and Valangin, ...

) recognise official ''Landeskirchen'', in all cases including the Roman Catholic Church and the

Swiss Reformed Church The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), (EKS); french: Église évangélique réformée de Suisse (EERS); it, Chiesa evangelica riformata in Svizzera (CERiS); rm, Baselgia evangelica refurmada da la Svizra (BRRS) formerly named Federation o ...

. These churches, and in some cantons also the

Old Catholic Church The terms Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics, Old-Catholic churches or Old Catholic movement designate "any of the groups of Western Christians who believe themselves to maintain in complete loyalty the doctrine and traditions of the Great Chu ...

and Jewish congregations, are financed by official taxation of adherents.state.gov – Switzerland
/ref>

Roman Catholic cantonal churches

In most cantons the Roman Catholic congregations are organised in cantonal church bodies which form statutory corporations with executive and supervising bodies elected by their parishioners. Roman Catholic Landeskirchen developed from denominationally separate committees of the cantonal governments in cantons with populations of mixed denomination, such as

Aargau Aargau, more formally the Canton of Aargau (german: Kanton Aargau; rm, Chantun Argovia; french: Canton d'Argovie; it, Canton Argovia), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capit ...

, Graubünden, St. Gallen and

Thurgau Thurgau (; french: Thurgovie; it, Turgovia), anglicized as Thurgovia, more formally the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital is Frauenfeld. Thurgau is pa ...

.Christoph Winzeler
"3 - Katholische Landeskirchen"
on:
Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz
'', Retrieved 21 August 2013. These separate government committees, competent for ecclesiastical matters of the respective denomination and founded in the 16th and 17th century, were sometimes called ''Corpus Catholicorum'' (for the Roman Catholics, with the equivalent '' Corpus Evangelicorum'' for the Reformed Protestants). In other cantons with predominantly Reformed population, Roman Catholic Landeskirchen were founded after World War II (except for Berne whose Roman Catholic Regional Church had already been established in 1939), paralleling the long established Reformed Landeskirchen in those cantons and accounting for the recognition of Roman Catholicism as an equivalent denomination. Cantons of prevailingly Roman Catholic population then followed that example, first the Lucerne. Church buildings and other real estate, religious schools, religious charitable organisations and religious counselling centres are often owned, run and financed by the funds of the cantonally competent Roman Catholic church body. Since each has executive and legislative bodies, elected by its statutory members (i.e. the parishioners of age), each Roman Catholic church body is accepted as a democratic entity entitled to levy member fees (also by way of a

church tax A church tax is a tax collected by the state from members of some religious denominations to provide financial support of churches, such as the salaries of its clergy and to pay the operating cost of the church. The constitution of a number o ...

), because the usage of the funds is decided by the elected representatives of those who defray them. According to Roman Catholic doctrine the Roman Catholic church bodies are not churches, since there is only one hierarchic church. Therefore some Roman Catholics oppose the Roman Catholic Landeskirchen as para-ecclesiastical entities paralleling the actual Roman Catholic church, while many others support the idea since they offer Roman Catholics similar opportunities to participate in church life like the Reformed Landeskirchen. Some cantonal church bodies bear the name Landeskirche in their name, others are called a synod, federation or association of congregations or simply Catholic Church of the respective Canton. Whereas the term Landeskirche actually implies that the body is a separate denomination, the term ''cantonal church'' would be more appropriate for Roman Catholic regional church bodies, since they form a cantonally delineated corporation of the Roman Catholic parishioners within a canton but are cooperating and providing services to their members, who in the canonical sense remain members of the Roman Catholic Church pastoring them by its respective diocese. The Roman Catholic cantonal church bodies form part of the

Roman Catholic Central Conference of Switzerland Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

(RKZ, official names in german: link=no, Römisch-Katholische Zentralkonferenz der Schweiz, french: link=no, Conférence centrale catholique romaine de Suisse, it, link=no, Conferenza centrale cattolica romana della Svizzera, rm, link=no, Conferenza centrala catolica romana da la Svizra).

List of Roman Catholic Landeskirchen

The

Roman Catholic Cantonal Church of Schwyz Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

(Römisch-katholische Kantonalkirche Schwyz) enjoys the status of an associated guest.

List of Protestant Landeskirchen

Notes

{{Authority control Protestantism in Switzerland Protestantism in Germany