1899 in Germany

Events in the year 1899 in Germany.

Incumbents

National level

State level

Kingdoms

Grand Duchies

Principalities

Duchies

Duke of Anhalt – Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt
Duke of Brunswick – Prince [Albert of Prussia (1837–1906)|Prince Albert of Prussia]
Duke of Saxe-Altenburg – Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – Alfred, [Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen – Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

Colonial Governors

Cameroon – Jesko von Puttkamer '
Kiaochow – Carl Rosendahl to 19 February, then Otto Jäschke
German East Africa – Eduard von Liebert
German New Guinea – Hugo Skopnik '' to 31 March, then Rudolf von Bennigsen '
German South-West Africa – Theodor Leutwein
Togoland – August Köhler

Events

12 February – German-Spanish Treaty
14 March – Kaiser Wilhelm II takes direct command of the Imperial Navy.
March 16 – Memorial ceremonies are held for the burial of the late German hero Otto von Bismarck and his wife, Johanna von Puttkamer with their re-interment at the Bismarck Mausoleum, a modern-day tourist attraction at Friedrichsruh in Aumühle. Bismarck, who had died on July 30 last, had been buried along with his wife at the estate of his home in Varzin, the modern-day city of Warcino in Poland.
1 April – The German Imperial Army is expanded with the establishment of the XIX (2nd Royal Saxon) Corps, the XVIII Corps and the 37th, 38th, 39th and 40th Divisions.
2 April – The Hamburg America Line cruise ship begins its maiden voyage.
4 April – Warship SMS Jaguar, which will be scuttled after losing the 1914 Siege of Tsingtao, begins service.
18 April – Cargo ship SS Saxonia launched.
1 June – Battleship launched.
18 July – Light cruiser launched.
19 August – A bill to construct the proposed Dortmund-Rhine Canal in Germany fails overwhelmingly in the lower house of parliament.
20 September – Ocean liner SS Rhein launched.
9–14 October – The Hanover Congress of the Social Democratic Party of Germany is held.
18 October – Battleship launched.
18 October – Battleship launched.
25 November – Transport ship SS Hamburg launched.
2 December:
* The Tripartite Convention, which brings an end to the Samoan Civil War by dividing the islands between Germany and the United States of America, is signed by Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, pursuant to which the colony of German Samoa in established in 1900.
* Transport ship SS Grosser Kurfürst, launched.
December 5 – Germany's cabinet agrees to repeal a Prussian law that had prohibited the creation of political societies or clubs.
11 December – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Bernhard von Bülow delivers his 'hammer and anvil' speech to the Reichstag calling for Germany to continue its drive to becoming one of the world's greatest powers. The speech was greeted with rapture from the right and anger from the left.
31 December – The German government and Kaiser Wilhelm II declare that the 20th century will begin on January 1, 1900. In most of the world the 19th century also includes 1900.

Undated

The political career of future Chancellor Wilhelm Marx of the Centre Party begins when he is elected to the Prussian Landtag.
The German–Spanish Treaty is signed, ending the interests of Spain in the Pacific Ocean and ensuring German control of the Caroline Islands, the Mariana Islands and Palau.
Max Wolf and Friedrich Karl Arnold Schwassmann discover the asteroids 442 Eichsfeldia, 443 Photographica, 446 Aeternitas, 447 Valentine, 448 Natalie, 449 Hamburga and 450 Brigitta at the University of Heidelberg.
The chemist Felix Hoffmann patents the drug aspirin.
Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft began archaeological excavations of Babylon.
The 80 cm refracting telescope is completed at Potsdam Observatory.
Biologist Ernst Haeckel published his Kunstformen der Natur.
Two ships of the of protected cruiser are commissioned—the lead ship of the class in February and in September.
The ocean liner SS Köln is launched.
The automotive company Hella is established under the name Westfälische Metall-Industrie Aktien-Gesellschaft.
The Horch car company is established at Ehrenfeld (Cologne) by August Horch and his partner Salli Herz.

Popular culture

Arts

The Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin was opened.
Max Liebermann paints the ''Portrait of the Painter Lovis Corinth''

Sport

4 February – SV Werder Bremen is founded.
23 February – FC Germania 1899 Mühlhausen is founded.
8 March – The Frankfurter Fußball-Club Victoria von 1899 is founded.
17 April – VfL Osnabrück is founded.
1 June – FC Bremerhaven is founded.
1 July – Turnverein Hoffenheim is founded.
21 September – Stuttgarter Kickers founded.
29 September – SC Naumburg is founded.
1 November – FC Bavaria 1899 München is founded.
2 December – Chemnitzer BC is founded.
Other association football clubs are established include 1. Bockenheimer FC 1899, SC Germania 1899 Bremen, FSV Frankfurt, SC Neukirchen, Sportfreunde Siegen and SV Wiesbaden.
The Southern German football championship is won by Straßburger FV whilst the Brandenburg football championship is won by BFC Preussen.

Births

2 January – Hermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski, equestrian and general
3 January – Karl Diebitsch, Nazi uniform designer
12 January – Josef Wagner, Nazi Gauleiter
13 January – Karl Friedrich Bonhoeffer, chemist
14 January – Fritz Bayerlein, general
29 January – Heinrich Blücher, poet and philosopher
15 February – Ernst Biberstein, SS Officer
15 February – Grethe Jürgens, painter associated with the New Objectivity.
23 February:
* Erich Kästner, author
* Elisabeth Langgässer, author
25 February – Leo Weisgerber, linguist
28 February – Kurt Freiherr von Liebenstein, Army general
1 March – Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, SS Officer
3 March:
* Eugen Fischer, historian
* Albert Krebs, Nazi official
16 March – Hans Otfried von Linstow, German colonel
27 March – Kurt Neubauer, Nazi 'martyr'
13 March – Ernst Friedrich Lohndorff, author
15 March – Ernst Simon, Jewish educator and religious philosopher
16 March – Hans Otfried von Linstow, Army officer
23 March – Dora Gerson, actress
30 March – Friedrich Panse, psychiatrist
31 March – Franz Völker, opera singer
4 April – Hillel Oppenheimer, botanist
6 April – Peter Adolf Thiessen, physical chemist
9 April – Hans Jeschonnek, Luftwaffe officer
15 April:
* Hugo Grau, veterinarian
* Curtis Bernhardt, film director
16 April – Karl Schumm, Olympic diver
4 May – Fritz von Opel, German automotive pioneer
14 May – Charlotte Auerbach, geneticist
17 May – Robert Richter, film producer
23 May – Charlotte Riefenstahl, physicist
27 May – Hans Brausewetter, film actor
12 June – Fritz Albert Lipmann, biochemist
22 June – Hans Zehrer, journalist
23 June:
* Gerhard von Schwerin, Army general
* Paul Schmidt, interpreter
25 June – Charlotte von Kirschbaum, theologian
3 July – Ludwig Guttmann, neurologist and Paralympic Games founder
22 July – Wolfgang Metzger, psychologist
23 July – Gustav Heinemann, President of Germany
26 July – Hermann Josef Wehrle, German Roman Catholic priest
1 August – William Steinberg, conductor
12 August – Peter Altmeier, politician
14 August – Fritz Schwarz, bobsledder
20 August – Hanns Lilje, Lutheran bishop
26 August – Wolfgang Krull, mathematician
1 September – Karl-Gustav Sauberzweig, Army officer
5 September – Georg Leibbrandt, Nazi Party activist
13 September – Bolko von Richthofen, archaeologist
20 September – Leo Strauss, political philosopher
22 September – Veit Harlan, film director and actor
23 September – Sigismund-Helmut von Dawans, Wehrmacht general
24 September – Siegfried Adolf Kummer, mystic
6 October – Hansjoachim von der Esch, explorer
10 October – Wilhelm Röpke, economist
22 October – Felix Scheder-Bieschin, Olympic sailor
7 November – Eberhard Finckh, Army officer
10 November – Wessel von Freytag-Loringhoven, Army officer
12 November – Wilhelm Lachnit, German painter
24 November – Hilmar Wäckerle, commandant of Dachau concentration camp
26 November:
* Bruno Hauptmann, convicted murderer
* Walter Gerwig, musician
4 December – Karl-Günther Heimsoth, physician and polygraph
5 December – Wolfgang Kaden, U-boat commander
11 December – Alexander zu Dohna-Schlobitten (1899–1997), businessman
13 December – Wilhelm Decker, Nazi Germany official
22 December:
* Princess [Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1899–1948)|Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont], noblewoman
* Gustaf Gründgens, actor
24 December – Carl Troll, geographer
Date unknown – Kurt Roth, painter

Deaths

9 January – Ernst Julius Gurlt, surgeon
18 January:
* Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Claus, zoologist
* Heinrich Kirchweger, railway engineer
1 February – Ernst Melzer, philosopher
6 February:
* Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, nobleman
* Leo von Caprivi, Chancellor of Germany
8 February – Ferdinand Wüstenfeld, orientalist
9 February – Karl Müller, bryologist
11 February – Johann August Kaupert, topographer
20 February – Ernst Philipp Karl Lange, novelist
8 March – Johann Baptist Weiss, historian
14 March:
* Ludwig Bamberger, economist and politician
* Heymann Steinthal, philologist
24 March – Gustav Heinrich Wiedemann, physicist
15 April:
* Lambert Heinrich von Babo, chemist
* Karl Ludwig Kahlbaum, psychiatrist
25 April – Hermann Wislicenus, painter
1 May – Ludwig Büchner, philosopher
2 May – Eduard von Simson, jurist and politician
6 May – Philipp Krementz, Archbishop of Cologne
15 May – Elise Polko, novelist
1 June – Klaus Groth, poet
19 June – Eugen von Lommel, physicist
12 July – Azriel Hildesheimer, founder of Modern Orthodox Judaism
27 July – Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa, chess player
29 July – Adolf Schreyer, painter
30 July – Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe, noblewoman
4 August – Karl, Freiherr von Prel, philosopher
7 August – Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Alfred Fleckeisen, philologist
13 August:
* Karl Heinrich Weizsäcker, theologian
* Gustav von Mevissen, politician
16 August – Robert Bunsen, chemist and inventor
28 October – Ottmar Mergenthaler, inventor of linotype
30 October – Hermann Blumenau, German pharmacist
13 November – Ulrike von Levetzow, 'muse' to Goethe
14 November – Ferdinand Tiemann, chemist
16 November – Julius Hermann Moritz Busch, publicist
3 December – Georg Ratzinger, priest and politician
4 December – Leopold Ullstein, company founder and publisher
8 December – Max Lange, chess player
28 December – Karl Friedrich August Rammelsberg, mineralogist