A Landtag (State
Diet) is generally the
legislative assembly or
parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
of a
federated state
A federated state (which may also be referred to as a state, a province, a region, a canton, a land, a governorate, an oblast, an emirate or a country) is a territorial and constitutional community forming part of a federation. Such sta ...
or other subnational self-governing entity in
German-speaking nations. It is usually a
unicameral
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one.
Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...
assembly exercising legislative competence in non-federal matters.
The
States of Germany and
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
are governed by ''landtage''. In addition, the legislature of the Italian autonomous province of
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous province
, image_skyline =
, image_alt ...
is known in German as a ''landtag''. Historically, states 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 ...
also established ''landtage''. The
Landtag of Liechtenstein is the small nation's unicameral assembly.
Name
The German word Landtag is composed of the words ''Land'' (state, country or territory) and ''Tag'' (day). The German word ''Tagung'' (meeting) is derived from the German word ''Tag'', as such meetings were held at daylight and sometimes spanned several days.
Historic Landtag assemblies
States of the Holy Roman Empire
In feudal society, the formal class system was reflected in the composition of the
Imperial States' representative assemblies (''
Landstände''), regardless of their name well described as
estates of the realm
The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom (Christian Europe) from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed a ...
: it was not intended as an elected reflection of public opinion, but a fixed expression of established power as recognized in formal privileges, including the right to be seated in person (granted to many
nobles
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...
(knightage) and
prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...
s, as well as certain cities) or to be represented as elector in a college that is entitled to one or more seats. Therefore, the representatives primarily defended class interests, and decisions were based on a class-based electoral system.
In some of the Imperial States that were known as ''Land'', the name of such estates assembly was ''Landtag'', analogous to the ''
Reichstag'' (Imperial Diet), which mainly comprised most of the
Princes of the Holy Roman Empire plus ''
Reichsgrafen'',
Imperial prelates and
Free imperial cities. The precise composition obviously varied greatly, and could change over time, as the result of privileges granted or lost, entities split or merged, border changes ''et cetera''.
Prussia
Royal Prussia
Since 1466,
Prussian Landtag were held in
Royal Prussia. Prior to that, ''Prussian Landtag'' meetings were held in the
Monastic state of the Teutonic Order. See also
Prussian estates.
Ducal Prussia
Since 1525, ''Prussian Landtag'' were held in
Ducal Prussia. See also
Preußischer Landtag.
States of the German Confederation
As
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and
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 e ...
escaped the French 'exporting the revolution', and
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
was happy to maintain satellite monarchies in most German territories under his control (members of the
Confederation of the Rhine
The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine, also known as Napoleonic Germany, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austria a ...
), the more democratic principles of the
Enlightenment would have less effect in the German-speaking lands, or only much later.
In 1815 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 ...
("Deutscher Bund") was founded as successor of the Holy Roman Empire. § 13 of the "Bundesakte" (the
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these pr ...
of the German Confederation) forced the German states to pass constitutions and implement parliaments called Landstände or Landtage.
The first constitution was passed in
Nassau
Nassau may refer to:
Places Bahamas
*Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence
Canada
*Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792
*Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...
in 1814. Until 1841 (
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
) all but 2 states got their constitution and parliaments.
States of the German Empire
1871 the German Empire was founded. All 25 states of the German Empire and the "
Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen The German word Reichsland (imperial country, or reich country) can refer to several entities in German constitutional history:
* the territory of the Holy Roman Empire
* Alsace-Lorraine as part of the ''Reichsgebiet'' (Germany) between 1871 and 19 ...
" (since 1911) had Landtage as legislative authorities. The most important one was the ''
Prussian Landtag''.
States of the Weimar Republic
In the
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a Constitutional republic, constitutional federal republic for the first time in ...
1918 till 1933 all German states had Landtage. In difference to the former Landstände and Landtage the Weimar Republik Landtage have been elected in free an equal elections.
1933 the Nazis abandoned the federal structure of the Weimar Republic and established a
unitary state
A unitary state is a sovereign state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority. The central government may create (or abolish) administrative divisions (sub-national units). Such units exercise only th ...
. The Landtage were abolished as a result.
East Germany
Under its
original constitution,
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 German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...
was
federal republic
A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. At its core, the literal meaning of the word republic when used to reference a form of government means: "a country that is governed by elected representatives ...
with
five Länder, each with its own Landtage. Each Landtage was responsible for electing the
Chamber of States, the
upper house of the national parliament.
In 1952, the Länder were dissolved and replaced by
Bezirke. The Landtage were accordingly abolished and their functions transferred to the Bezirke governments. The Länder were eventually restored after the
Peaceful Revolution, but their Landtage did not convene until after the
reunification of Germany.
Finland
The
Diet of Finland
The Diet of Finland ( Finnish ''Suomen maapäivät'', later ''valtiopäivät''; Swedish ''Finlands Lantdagar''), was the legislative assembly of the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1809 to 1906 and the recipient of the powers of the Swedish Ri ...
, which was created when the country was ceded from Sweden to Russia in 1809, was called ''lantdag'' in Swedish until 1906 when it was replaced by the unicameral
Parliament of Finland
The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...
. Parliament continued using the name lantdag in Swedish until 1919, when Finland adopted its first constitution following the declaration of independence in 1917. Since then, the official term in Swedish is ''riksdag'', equivalent of the German Reichstag. The Finnish name is ''eduskunta''.
Baltic countries
The first Landtag of the
Livonian Confederation was called by archbishop of Riga
Johannes Ambundii in 1419 and reconvened on a regular basis until the incorporation of Livonian lands into the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
and
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
in 1561. Separate Landtags for
Livonia,
Courland and
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...
continued to exist as bodies of the Duchies of
Livonia,
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...
,
Courland and Semigallia, and later the Russian Governorates of
Livonia,
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...
and
Courland. After the independence of Estonia and Latvia in 1918, they were ultimately replaced by the
Riigikogu and the
Saeima.
Modern legislatures
In the contemporary
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
, the
Republic of Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine States of Austria, states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, th ...
and the
Italian Republic's province of
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous province
, image_skyline =
, image_alt ...
(with a German-speaking majority), a Landtag is a
unicameral legislature for a constitutive federal state (Bundesland).
In the
Principality of Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...
, the Landtag is the sole national parliament, because Liechtenstein has no federal structure due to its size.
German legislatures
In most of the German constitutive
federal states (''Bundesländer''), the unicameral legislature is called ''Landtag'':
*
Landtag of Baden-Württemberg
*
Landtag of Bavaria (until 1999, the large federal 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 l ...
was the only state with a bicameral legislature, with a lower house called the Landtag, and an upper house called the
Senate)
*
Landtag of Brandenburg
*
Landtag of Hesse
*
Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
*
Landtag of Lower Saxony
*
Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
*
Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate
*
Landtag of Saarland
*
Landtag of Saxony
*
Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt
The Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt is the parliament of the German federal state Saxony-Anhalt. It convenes in Magdeburg and currently consists of 97 members of six parties. The current majority is a coalition of the Social Democratic Party, Free De ...
*
Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein
*
Landtag of Thuringia
The Landtag of Thuringia is the parliament of the German federal state of Thuringia. It convenes in Erfurt and currently consists of 90 members from six parties. According to the free state's constitution, the primary functions of the Landtag ...
In the German
city state
A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...
s, the parliamentary
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural coun ...
serves the function of the state parliament within the federal system - in the
Free Hanseatic City of Bremen
Bremen (), officially the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (german: Freie Hansestadt Bremen; nds, Free Hansestadt Bremen), is the smallest and least populous of Germany's 16 states. It is informally called ("State of Bremen"), although the term ...
and in the
Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
it is called the ''Bürgerschaft'' (municipal assembly):
*
Bürgerschaft of Bremen
*
Bürgerschaft of Hamburg
The Hamburg Parliament (german: Hamburgische Bürgerschaft; literally “Hamburgish Citizenry”) is the unicameral legislature of the German state of Hamburg according to the constitution of Hamburg. As of 2011 there were 121 members in the parli ...
In the
German capital and city state of
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
, the legislature since 1951 (then of
West Berlin) is called ''
Abgeordnetenhaus'' ("House of Representatives"), adopting the tradition of the
Prussian Landtag.
The national bicameral Parliament comprises the
directly elected
Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Comm ...
and the
Bundesrat which represents the state governments in Federal matters which affect the ''Länder''.
Austrian legislatures
According to the
Constitution of Austria, the ''Landtage'' are the unicameral legislatures of the nine
states of Austria
Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states (German: ''Länder''). Since ''Land'' is also the German word for "country", the term ''Bundesländer'' (literally ''federal states'') is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constituti ...
(''Bundesländer''), dealing with all matters not explicitly allotted to
federal level:
* Landtag of
Burgenland
* Landtag of
Carinthia
Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Bavarian group. Carin ...
* Landtag of
Lower Austria
* Landtag of
Upper Austria
* Landtag of
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
* Landtag of
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered ...
* Landtag of
Tyrol
* Landtag of
Vorarlberg
As the Austrian capital
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
(like Berlin) is both a city-state and a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
, Gemeinderat (municipal assembly) of Vienna also serves as the state Landtag. However, per the city constitution, municipal and state affairs are kept separate, and the two bodies hold separate meetings even though their memberships are identical.
The representatives are elected in general, free, secret and direct ballots according to the principle of
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
. The largest of the parliamentary groups (called ''Klubs'' in Austria) usually nominates the ''
Landeshauptmann'' governor. The modern ''Landtage'' are the democratic successors of the
estates
Estate or The Estate may refer to:
Law
* Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations
* Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries.
** The Estates, representati ...
assemblies in the corresponding
crown lands
Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an Fee tail, entailed Estate (land), estate and passes with the monarchy, be ...
of the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...
. Exceptions are the city of Vienna, which belonged to the Lower Austria Kronland until 1920, and Burgenland, ceded to Austria by the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...
in 1921.
Austria's national bicameral parliament consists of the directly elected
National Council and the
Federal Council, which represents the ''Landtage'' parliaments on the federal level. The two chambers meet in the
Federal Assembly, held for the ceremonial swearing-in of the
Austrian president.
Sources and references
Donaumonarchie
See also
*
The Estates
*
Diet (assembly)
*
Composition of the German State Parliaments
{{Authority control
Federalism by country
German feudalism
Legislatures of country subdivisions