{"id":3252,"date":"2026-06-17T08:40:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T08:40:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/historiapomorza.pl\/epoka\/constitutional-and-political-transformations-of-pomerania-1806-1945\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T18:45:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T18:45:39","slug":"constitutional-and-political-transformations-of-pomerania-1806-1945","status":"publish","type":"epoka","link":"https:\/\/historiapomorza.pl\/en\/epoka\/constitutional-and-political-transformations-of-pomerania-1806-1945\/","title":{"rendered":"Constitutional and Political Transformations of Pomerania, 1806\u20131945"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At the beginning of the 19th century, Pomerania for the most part formed a province of the Prussian state. Only the north-western borderlands, a small fragment of the former Duchy of Pomerania (Western Pomerania north of the Peene River, including the island of R\u00fcgen), remained under Swedish rule. In terms of its political system, Prussian Pomerania was integrated into the absolutist Hohenzollern monarchy, one symbol of which was the introduction at the end of the 18th century in this Baltic province of the General State Laws for the Prussian States (Allgemeines Preu\u00dfisches Landrecht). This code served as a posthumous monument to the reign of Frederick II, regulating the feudal system of the state and confirming the dominance of the nobility in society.<\/p>\n\n

The defeat of the Prussian state in 1806 in the war against Napoleonic France revealed the internal weakness of the Hohenzollern monarchy and the necessity for deep constitutional, legal, social, and economic transformations. In the Prussian monarchy, these took place primarily between 1807 and 1815 and are referred to in historiography as the Stein-Hardenberg Reforms. They became the foundation for building a neo-estate bureaucratic monarchy, followed in the mid-19th century (the Spring of Nations 1848\u20131849) by a constitutional monarchy, as well as a capitalist society, which nevertheless remained dominated for an entire century by the supremacy of the nobility and large landed estates. This occurred primarily in the eastern provinces of the Hohenzollern monarchy, including Pomerania. The bourgeoisie and the towns\u2014the backbone of the capitalist social system\u2014did not constitute an equivalent force in the latter province to the landed elites originating from feudal times. In the course of these reforms, however, the abolition of serfdom and corv\u00e9e was carried out, and freedom of trade in land and real estate was introduced (the October Edict of 1807), alongside the freedom to practice crafts, operate factories, and engage in commerce. Concurrently, the enfranchisement of peasants on the land was announced, which was implemented between 1811 and 1851. In 1812, an edict on the emancipation of the Jewish community was introduced, integrating it into social structures and granting the right to freedom of profession as well as political rights, such as active and passive voting rights in municipal council elections.<\/p>\n\n

The Napoleonic Wars were a time of great destruction and economic exploitation. The province of Pomerania was entirely occupied in the late autumn and winter of 1806\/1807. French troops captured Szczecin by stratagem without a fight on October 30, 1806. Simultaneously, however, Pomeranian Ko\u0142obrzeg became a major symbol of the Prussian society’s struggle against the French forces. The battles for the city lasted from April to July 1807, until the signing of the Peace of Tilsit. Major August Neidhardt von Gneisenau and the mayor of Ko\u0142obrzeg, Joachim Christian Nettelbeck, became the heroes of this war. In turn, in 1813, following Napoleon’s defeat near Moscow in 1812, a French garrison defended itself in Szczecin against the Prussian troops from June to December.<\/p>\n\n

In 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, which established a new order in post-Napoleonic Europe, Prussia purchased from Sweden the part of Western Pomerania (north of Anklam) that the monarchs in Stockholm had retained in 1720. From then on, until 1945, Western Pomerania\u2014meaning the Prussian Province of Pomerania (Provinz Pommern)\u2014comprised the territory stretching from L\u0119bork and Byt\u00f3w in the east to the Recknitz River in the west (the border with Mecklenburg), including the island of R\u00fcgen. In 1815, Pomerania, united under the Hohenzollern monarchy, covered an area of 30,000 square kilometers and was inhabited by approximately 700,000 residents.<\/p>\n\n

Public administration<\/p>\n\n

The reform of the administrative system in Prussia brought major changes to all levels of administration in Pomerania. From then on, the province was headed by a senior president (Oberpr\u00e4sident), who functioned as the king’s governor. However, the core level of territorial administration was formed by regions (Regierungsbezirke \/ Regierungen). Initially, Pomerania constituted a single regional department based in Stargard (1809) and later in Szczecin (1814). Subsequently, another department was created from the eastern districts of the province\u2014the Koszalin region (1815), while the Stralsund region (1818) was established from Swedish Pomerania (Neuvorpommern), which Prussia acquired in 1815. In the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries, these offices served as the primary administrative authorities within the Prussian provinces, including Pomerania, despite the gradual increase in the significance of the senior president’s office. They functioned as general administration authorities (covering social welfare, medical care, primary and vocational education, as well as state domains and forests) but their competencies also included certain functions of specialized administration, such as managing part of the tax collection, the police, shipping, and construction supervision, among others. The regional departments were divided into rural and urban districts. In 1818, there was a total of 26 districts across the 3 regions, including one urban district (Szczecin).<\/p>\n\n

Furthermore, in the first half of the 19th century, specialized administration offices for customs and taxation were established, managed by the Provincial Customs Directorate in Szczecin (Oberzolldirektion in Stettin). To implement the agrarian reform, the General Commission in Stargard (Generalkommission in Stargard) was established in 1816. In the first half of the 19th century, this authority, along with its subordinate special commissions (Spezialkommission), carried out the enfranchisement of the peasants, and subsequently became the institution responsible for agricultural development (introducing new methods of plant and animal breeding). For the supervision of secondary and higher education, the Provincial School Board (Provinzial-Schulcollegium in Stettin) was also established.<\/p>\n\n

The division of the Province of Pomerania into regions and districts in 1818<\/p>\n\n

The Szczecin Region<\/td>The Koszalin Region<\/td>The Stralsund Region<\/td><\/tr>
Anklam<\/td>Bia\u0142ogard<\/td>Grimmen<\/td><\/tr>
Demmin<\/td>Duchy<\/td>Greifswald<\/td><\/tr>
Ueckerm\u00fcnde<\/td>S\u0142awno<\/td>Rugia<\/td><\/tr>
Szadzko<\/td>S\u0142upsk<\/td>Franzburg-Barth<\/td><\/tr>
Pyrzyce<\/td>Szczecinek<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Kamie\u0144 Pomorski<\/td>\u015awidwin<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Uznam-Wolin<\/td>Drawsko<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Randow<\/td>L\u0119bork-Byt\u00f3w<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Szczecin-city<\/td>Miastko<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Gryfice<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Gryfino<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Szadzko<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Resko<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

District administration was managed by district administrators (Landr\u00e4te). They headed the district administrative offices (Landrats\u00e4mter). Despite the reforms of the early 19th century, the landrat remained a person of trust who represented the interests of the landowners. On the other hand, his office was granted full general administrative and police authority within the district, supervising, among others, the administration of rural communes and towns.<\/p>\n\n

In 1872, a new district system was introduced in Prussia, including Pomerania. The landrat, who had previously been appointed by the king from among candidates nominated by the estate-based district diet, became fully a state official. The minister of the interior appointed him on behalf of the king. From then on, this office became an independent organ of the state, although in many cases it remained a representative of the local landed elites. Most importantly, however, large landed estates were stripped of their police supervision over the countryside at that time. Prerogatives in this regard were assumed by the heads of district sub-divisions (Amtsbezirksvorsteher). The latter constituted auxiliary units of territorial administration within the districts and encompassed several rural communes and manorial districts each.<\/p>\n

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The Province of Pomerania in 1859. From the collections of the State Archive in Szczecin, ZK, reference code 3559<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Furthermore, specialized administration offices, such as district construction inspectorates, were established within the districts over time. Tax offices (Steuer\u00e4mter) and customs offices (Zoll\u00e4mter) also operated in many towns.<\/p>\n\n

The abolition of the monarchy in Germany in 1918 and the introduction of a republican system became the basis for constitutional transformations in the provincial administration. Most importantly, a portion of the competencies belonging to the federal states, including Prussia within the Germany unified in 1871, was stripped and transferred to the federal authorities. This concerned, among others, the tax administration as well as the military administration. Within the Prussian Province of Pomerania during the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich, the administration continued to be headed by a senior president, and the region remained divided into regions and districts. The number of the latter increased in the early 20th century, notably due to the separation of cities with district status (Stadtkreise) from rural districts. This was done, among others, with S\u0142upsk in 1898, Stargard in 1901, Greifswald in 1913, Ko\u0142obrzeg in 1920, and Koszalin in 1923. In 1927, manorial districts were abolished, and their areas were incorporated into rural communes. In 1932, due to austerity measures implemented during the Great Depression (1929\u20131933), the Stralsund region was incorporated into the Szczecin region. At that time, the \u015awidwin and Bobolice districts were also abolished.<\/p>\n\n

In 1939, the Prussian Province of Pomerania consisted of 3 regions: the Szczecin, Koszalin, and Pi\u0142a regions. The latter was established on October 1, 1938, by incorporating the northern part of the Frontier March of Posen-West Prussia province, along with two districts from Brandenburg (the Frankfurt Region): Strzelce Kraje\u0144skie and Choszczno, into Pomerania. At that time, the Pomeranian province covered an area of 38,384 square kilometers and was inhabited by 2.39 million people. The province comprised 32 rural districts (31 as of October 15, 1939) and 8 urban districts.<\/p>\n\n

The division of the Province of Pomerania into regions and districts as of December 31, 1939<\/p>\n\n

The Szczecin Region<\/td>The Koszalin Region<\/td>The Pilska Region<\/td><\/tr>
Rural districts<\/td>Rural districts<\/td>Rural districts<\/td><\/tr>
Ueckerm\u00fcnde<\/td>Gryfice<\/td>Z\u0142ot\u00f3w<\/td><\/tr>
Anklam<\/td>Resko<\/td>Szczecinek<\/td><\/tr>
Demmin<\/td>Ko\u0142obrzeg-Karlino<\/td>Drawsko<\/td><\/tr>
Grimmen<\/td>Bia\u0142ogard<\/td>Wa\u0142cz<\/td><\/tr>
R\u00fcgen<\/td>Koszalin<\/td>Choszczno<\/td><\/tr>
Franzburg<\/td>S\u0142awno<\/td>Strzelce Kraje\u0144skie<\/td><\/tr>
Greifswald<\/td>S\u0142upsk<\/td>Notecki<\/td><\/tr>
Szadzko<\/td>L\u0119bork<\/td>Cz\u0142uch\u00f3w<\/td><\/tr>
Nowogard<\/td>Byt\u00f3w<\/td>Powiaty grodzkie<\/td><\/tr>
Kamie\u0144 Pom.<\/td>Miastko<\/td>Pi\u0142a<\/td><\/tr>
Uznam-Wolin<\/td>Powiaty grodzkie<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Pyrzyce<\/td>Koszalin<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Gryfino<\/td>Ko\u0142obrzeg<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Powiaty grodzkie<\/td>S\u0142upsk<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Szczecin<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Stargard<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Greifswald<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Stralsund<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n
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Oto precyzyjne, akademickie t\u0142umaczenie opisu tego \u017ar\u00f3d\u0142a archiwalnego na j\u0119zyk angielski: \n \nT\u0142umaczenie naukowe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Upon seizing power in Germany in 1933, the Nazis very quickly proceeded to implement their own vision of the state by abolishing its federal character and unifying (Gleichschaltung) all areas of social, political, and constitutional life. In the latter field, Nazi legislation from 1933\u20131935 abolished the federal nature of the state and transformed the administration in the federal states, including Prussia and its provinces, into a hierarchical system subordinate to Hitler as the F\u00fchrer of the German nation. Ultimately, from the mid-1930s, the Pomeranian province, while formally remaining part of Prussia, became part of a centralized, totalitarian Nazi German state.<\/p>\n\n

Municipal administration of towns and rural communes<\/p>\n\n

The Stein-Hardenberg reforms also concerned the administration of towns and rural areas. In the former, pursuant to the municipal ordinance of November 19, 1808 (St\u00e4dteordnung), a modern system of self-government and municipal administration was introduced. From then on, towns constituted communes managed by elected town councils (the legislative body) and magistrates headed by a mayor (the executive body). The right to elect the councils was held by all town residents possessing citizen status (B\u00fcrger) and appropriate property or educational status, while the remaining urban residents (the urban proletariat) held protective status, meaning the right to use municipal institutions and receive care from the town commune. Town councils elected the mayor and magistrate councilors. The latter administered the town, its communal property, and performed tasks assigned by the municipal ordinance (including social, medical, and sanitary care, primary education), as well as those entrusted by the state authorities. The latter included, among others, police administration.<\/p>\n\n

In 1853, a reformed municipal ordinance was introduced in the Prussian state. While it did not fundamentally alter the structure of municipal administration, it introduced a new concept of town citizenship. From then on, every town resident became its citizen, and the right to elect municipal authorities was restricted solely by a property qualification. The town system established in the 1850s survived until the mid-1930s. Only after the establishment of the republican system in Germany in 1918 were universal, secret, direct, and equal elections introduced in towns, as was the case at other levels of administration.<\/p>\n\n

In turn, a dualism in communal organization persisted in rural areas for over 100 years. One form of rural social organization was the rural commune (Landgemeinde), composed of peasants and inhabitants practicing other occupations, such as artisans. The second form consisted of manorial districts (Gutsbezirke), which encompassed the estates of large landed properties originating from noble estates, also known as Junker estates. The rural commune, managed by a communal council and a village mayor, as well as the landowner within his estates, performed the duties of communal administration, including providing social care or enforcing compulsory education. Furthermore, until the mid-19th century, the Junkers exercised judicial authority over the village inhabitants, and until 1872, also police authority. In 1891, a new rural commune ordinance (Gemeindeordnung) was introduced, but it did not alter the relationship between the manorial districts and the commune. In 1905, there were 2,087 rural communes and 2,401 manorial districts in Pomerania. The latter were liquidated between 1928 and 1931 on the basis of a 1927 law. Most of them were incorporated into neighboring rural communes.<\/p>\n\n

In 1933, the Nazi authorities of Germany introduced a uniform municipal law for urban and rural communes in the Prussian provinces, including Pomerania (Gemeindeverfassungsgesetz), which was replaced in January 1935 by the pan-German municipal ordinance (Deutsche Gemeindeordnung). These regulations\u2014in addition to introducing uniform organizational structures for urban and rural communes\u2014abolished all forms of self-government, replacing them with full control of the Nazi party authorities over the municipal administration.<\/p>\n\n

District and provincial self-government administration<\/p>\n\n

Initially, provincial and district self-government operated on the basis of feudal tradition. According to the regulations of 1825, district diets were primarily the representation of local Junkers, and deputies from towns and rural communes constituted a minority with very limited options for action. It was similar in the forum of the Provincial Diet, convened for the first time in 1823. This state of affairs was changed only by the district reforms carried out by Bismarck in 1872 and the introduction of a modern municipal administration at the provincial level in 1875. A multi-tier self-government administration was established in Pomerania. At the head of the province stood the Provincial Diet (Landtag), along with the Provincial Committee (Provinzialausschuss) and the provincial governor (Landeshauptmann). The region level was represented by communal diets (Kommunallandtag) and regional committees (Bezirksausschuss). Finally, district diets (Kreistag) and district committees (Kreisausschuss), which constituted the executive organ of the district self-government, operated within the districts. At the same time, the landrat, already described above, also served as the chairman of the district committee. The self-government authorities\u2014district and provincial\u2014managed, among others, hospitals, care institutions, a portion of school and educational facilities, as well as the construction and maintenance of a part of roads and railway lines, particularly narrow-gauge railways. Matters regarding the economic development of the region also fell within their competencies. The introduction of the republican system in 1918 introduced universal suffrage in elections to the district and provincial diets. In turn, the seizure of power by the Nazis in 1933 abolished district and provincial self-government, maintaining only the provincial municipal administration (Provinzialverband von Pommern) merged with the office of the senior president and the party power of the provincial gauleiter of Pomerania according to the F\u00fchrer principle (F\u00fchrerprinzip). In the years 1934\u20131945, the Nazi activist Franz Schwede-Coburg served as the senior president and Gauleiter of Pomerania.<\/p>\n\n

Law and the administration of justice<\/p>\n\n

In the 19th century, major changes were also introduced in the legal and judicial system, although inequality before the law and the judiciary was still preserved during the first half of that century. As part of the municipal reform, urban authorities lost their judicial privileges, held since the Middle Ages, to the king. From then on, royal courts operated in towns. In turn, royal domain courts operated in rural areas within villages owned by the state (the royal domain). On the other hand, in villages that remained Junker property until the abolition of serfdom and peasant emancipation, patrimonial courts still operated, and jurisdiction over the rural population was exercised on behalf of landowners possessing judicial (patrimonial) immunity. This state of affairs existed until 1849. In 1809, two provincial judicial colleges were established in Szczecin and Koszalin\u2014constituting courts of first instance for the nobility and privileged people, while in the second instance they functioned as courts of appeal for all inhabitants, including peasants under the jurisdiction of patrimonial courts. Fundamental changes were introduced in the legal and judicial system during the Spring of Nations. On the basis of the constitution of December 5, 1848 (amended in 1851), equality of all state inhabitants before the law, regardless of their origin, was introduced in the Hohenzollern monarchy, including Pomerania, and patrimonial courts (the nobility’s jurisdiction over the countryside) as well as estate-based courts were abolished. Laws of 1849 introduced a modern system of common courts with independent judges, public proceedings, and jury courts in criminal cases. At that time, 20 district courts of first instance were established in the province, and 3 courts of appeal in higher instance in Greifswald, Koszalin, and Szczecin. Furthermore, prosecutor’s offices were established at the district and appeal courts, alongside a modern structure of notary public and legal advocacy systems.<\/p>\n\n

Subsequent changes in the organization of the administration of justice occurred following the unification of Germany by Bismarck in 1871. In 1879, regulations from 1877 regarding the unification of the organization of courts within the Reich were implemented. At that time, 59 local courts (Amtsgerichte) of first instance were established in Pomerania, along with 5 regional courts (Landgerichte) in Greifswald, Koszalin, S\u0142upsk, Stargard, and Szczecin, as well as one Higher Regional Court in Szczecin (Oberlandesgericht in Stettin), which served as a court of appeal and, for certain cases, also as a court of judicial review. Furthermore, in 1900, the pan-German Civil Code (B\u00fcrgerliches Gesetzbuch) was introduced, replacing the General State Laws of 1894.<\/p>\n

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\"Quiz\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The judicial system organized during Bismarck’s time survived until 1945. During the Weimar Republic, labor courts (Arbeitsgerichte) and juvenile courts (Jugendgerichte) were introduced. The judicial and legal system was distorted during the Third Reich. The Nazis introduced new court institutions, such as hereditary health courts (Erbgesundheitsgerichte), which dealt with the racial and eugenic purity of German society. A separate structure consisted of special courts (Sondergerichte) and drumhead courts-martial (Standgerichte) established by Hitler at the regional courts in Szczecin, Koszalin, or Greifswald; these were engaged in prosecuting political opponents of Hitler, and during World War II, these instances functioned as organs of repression against foreign, including Polish, forced laborers, very frequently sentencing them to death. During the war, the Higher SS and Police Court in Szczecin (SS- und Polizeigericht zu Stettin) was also established.<\/p>\n