1903 in Germany
Events in the year 1903 in Germany.
Incumbents
National level
State level
Kingdoms
- King of Bavaria – Otto
- King of Prussia – Wilhelm II
- King of Saxony – George
- King of Württemberg – William II
Grand duchies
- Grand Duke of Baden – Frederick I
- Grand Duke of Hesse – Ernest Louis
- Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin – Frederick Francis IV
- Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Frederick William
- Grand Duke of Oldenburg – Frederick Augustus II
- Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach – William Ernest
Principalities
- Schaumburg-Lippe – George, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
- Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt – Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
- Schwarzburg-Sondershausen – Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
- Principality of Lippe – Alexander, Prince of Lippe
- Reuss Elder Line – Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss of Greiz
- Reuss Younger Line – Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line
- Waldeck and Pyrmont – Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Duchies
- Duke of Anhalt – Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt
- Duke of Brunswick – Prince Albert of Prussia
- Duke of Saxe-Altenburg – Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
- Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
- Duke of Saxe-Meiningen – Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Colonial governors
- Cameroon – Jesko von Puttkamer '
- Kiaochow – Oskar von Truppel
- German East Africa – Gustav Adolf von Götzen
- German New Guinea – Albert Hahl '
- German Samoa – Wilhelm Solf
- German South-West Africa – Theodor Leutwein
- Togoland – Waldemar Horn
Events
- 13 February – Venezuelan crisis. After agreeing to arbitration in Washington, Britain, Germany and Italy reach a settlement with Venezuela, resulting in the Washington Protocols. The naval blockade that began in December 1902 will be lifted, and Venezuela commit 30% of its customs duties to settling claims.
- 16 June – German federal election, 1903: The Centre Party remains the largest party in the Reichstag. Shortly after the election, the National-Social Association is dissolved by its leader Friedrich Naumann, and its members join the Free-minded Union.
- 29 September – Prussia becomes the second jurisdiction to require mandatory driver's licenses for operators of motor vehicles, after New York State in 1901.
Undated
- German company August Storck is founded.
Births
- 7 January – Albrecht Haushofer, German geographer, diplomat and writer
- 18 January
- * Berthold Goldschmidt, German composer
- * Werner Hinz, German actor
- 10 February – Karl Deichgräber, classical philologist
- 24 February – Franz Burda I, German publisher
- 27 February – Grethe Weiser, German actress
- 6 March
- * Erna Herchenröder, German trade unionist and politician
- * Franz Wessel, German judge
- 24 March – Adolf Butenandt, German chemist
- 26 April – Alex Möller, German politician
- 27 April – Karl Maron, German politician
- 8 June – Eduard Brücklmeier, German diplomat
- 10 June:
- * Robert A. Stemmle, German film director and screenwriter
- * Theo Lingen, German actor, screenwriter and film director
- 16 July – Fritz Bauer, German judge
- 22 July:
- * Willi Dehnkamp, German politician
- * Anton Saefkow, German politician
- 26 July – Kurt Mahler, German mathematician
- 31 July – Emil Hirschfeld, German athlete
- 29 August – Ernst Kreuder, German writer
- 3 August – Rudolf Wolters, German architect
- 11 September:
- * Theodor W. Adorno, German philosopher
- * Carl Joseph Leiprecht, German bishop of Roman-Catholic Church
- 11 October – Hans Söhnker, film actor
- 3 October – Werner Klingler, German film director and actor
- 5 December – Johannes Heesters, German actor
- 26 December – Herbert Albert, German conductor Date unknown – Ernst David Bergmann, German-born Israeli nuclear scientist and chemist
Deaths
- 13 April – Moritz Lazarus, German philosopher
- 14 June – Carl Gegenbaur, German anatomist
- 8 August – Adolf Schiel, German-born Boer army officer
- 4 September – Hermann Zumpe, German conductor
- 1 November – Theodor Mommsen, German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician, archaeologist