Religion in Germany: Regional and State Trends


Figure 1.--

Germans were divided by the Reformation with the north and east becoming Lutheran and the south and west remaining Catholic. While this is generally true, the situation is actually much more complicated. There are Catholic "islands" in the north, such as Muenster, Paderborn, also in the Ruhrgebiet. The Bavarians and Austrians in the South remained Catholic, also the area around Freiburg in the most south-west corner, but Wuertemberg and Hessen, are Lutherian (better to say "reformed protestantic") as is many parts of Switzerland. Up to the 19th century it depended very much of the religion of the king/duke/bishop in some small principsalities where people lived. (This was the compromise on which the disasterous 30 Years War was finally settled.) The Peace of Augsburg (1555) estanlished the principle that generally the population should follow the religion of the ruler. There were a lot of small principalities which is one reason the German regional religious situation is so complicated. Today Germany is mixed nearly 50 to 50 in most areas. And many Germans no longer belong to a Christian church.

Bavaria

The religion of Bavaria in the south was determined by the sovereign. The Bavarian kings were catholic è Bavaria was overwhelmingly catholic and now is still mostly catholic. Thee Sudeten Germans were expelled from Czechoslovakia after Worlkd War II and many settled in Bavaria. As the Sudenten Germans were mostly Catholic, Bavaria became even more strongly Catholic.

Baden

The religion of Baden in the south was determined by the sovereign. There have been major changes in the religious composition of several German states. One report indicated, that some parts of Some parts of Baden and Württemberg were originally Protestant. After World War II the Czechs expelled most Germans, many of whom were Catholics. This substantially increased the Catholic population in these states. Another German reader tells us, "This is a bad example because only the northern part of Baden had a protestantic population, the southern part was „dark“ catholic!" I think that means the state was almost entirely Catholic.

Hannover

Hannover differed from many other German states because there was generally harmonious relations between the ruling pribces and the tons. Duke Ernst der Bekenner introduced the Reformation. Hannover like many other northern German states became strongly Protestant.

Hessen

The religion of Hessen in the south was determined by the sovereign. Hessen was Protestant (Lutheran) and now is also mixed, half/half). In Hessen a lot of former refugees from France, the Hugennots ( Hugenotten ), in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries settled in villages given to them by the Hessen dukes. The Hugennots were the reformed (Protestant) population in France. There are still communities with churches of this kind of clerical service."

Prussia

Prussia became a Lutheren stronghold in northern Germany. Luther encouraged his followers to give considerable attention to converting Prussia. This and the dynastic interests of Albrecht caused him to convert and change his positition Grand Master of the Teutnic Knights into a ducal holdingh. The spread of Lutherinism also enduced the Electo of Brandenburg to convert and the two pribcipalities eventually cobined. Many Calvinist religious refugees (Huguenots) from Louis XIV's France found refuge in Berlin which increased the religious diversity of the city. And thus by the end of the 17th century about 20 percent of the city's population was of French extraction.

Saxony

The Elector of Saxony played a key role in the Reformation. Frederick III established a university at Wittenberg (1502). There the Augustinian monk Martin Luther was made professor of philosophy (1508). Luther posted his 95 Thesis at the castle church in Wittenberg thus laubching the Reformation (1517). Frederick did not immediately become a Lutheran, but he did offer protection to Luther at a critical time. Saxony became strngly Protestant.

Württemberg

The religion of Württemberg in the south was determined by the sovereign. Württemberg and Baden of the present days cover areas which were up to the secularization after 1815 (after the Napolean wars and the Congress of Vienna--Wiener Kongress) under (catholic) clerical sovereignty, e.g., Ellwangen, Oberschwaben, Südbaden, a lot of catholic cloisters. The kings of Württemberg and Baden were Protestant (not Lutherian, but reformed like Switzerland around Zurich and Geneva – Switzerland has also catholic cantones, e.g., Basel and Graubünden). One village reformed, the next one catholic; in marriage of a couple with different religion the catholic side very often (this is still the case) pressed the parents to baptize children in the catholic church; both religions had the same political rights, religion was free. After the second World War a lot of refugees from former far east parts of Germany (now Poland, Balticum etc) came also to Württemberg and Baden, and the mixture of religions continued (this has nothing to do specially with Czechoslovakia). (in Austria is the same situation). Hessen was (Lutherian) protestantic (now also mixed, half/half). In Hessen a lot of former refugees from France, the Hugenotten, in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries were settling in villages given to them by the Hessen dukes. Hugenotten were reformed population in France. There are still communities with churches of this kind of clerical service.








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Created: 6:52 PM 10/19/2006
Last updated: 6:52 PM 10/19/2006