Hohenzollern Province

Hohenzollernsche Lande
Hohenzollern
Province of Prussia

 

1850–1946
Flag Coat of arms
The Province of Hohenzollern (red), within the Kingdom of Prussia, within the German Empire
Capital Sigmaringen
History
 - Established 1850
 - Disestablished 1946
Area
 - 1939 1,142 km2 (441 sq mi)
Population
 - 1939 73,844 
     Density 64.7 /km2  (167.5 /sq mi)
Today part of Baden-Württemberg

Hohenzollern (Hohenzollernsche Lande in full) was a de facto province of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was created in 1850 by joining the principalities of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Hohenzollern-Hechingen after both formerly independently ruling Catholic princely lines of the House of Hohenzollern had handed over their sovereignty to Prussia, ruled by the Protestant branch of the of Hohenzollern. It used the same coat of arms as the main coat of arms of the ruling house.

Hohenzollern consisted of a single district, the Regierungsbezirk Sigmaringen. The last census in 1939 resulted 74,000 inhabitants; the capital was Sigmaringen. While Hohenzollern enjoyed all the rights of a full-fledged province of Prussia, including representation in the Prussian parliament, its military matters were governed by the Rhine Province. The Regierungsbezirk Sigmaringen was further subdivided into seven Oberamtsbezirke, although only four of these remained by 1925, when they were merged and re-divided as two new Kreise.

In 1946, the French military administration made it a part of the state of Württemberg-Hohenzollern. Hohenzollern has been part of the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg since 1952.

After regional reforms in 1973 the Hohenzollern borders were finally eliminated, with the region now belonging to the districts of Sigmaringen and Zollernalbkreis, which also contain land that was not previously Hohenzollern territory.