The Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont (German: Freistaat Waldeck-Pyrmont; 1918–1921), later the Free State of Waldeck (Freistaat Waldeck; 1921–1929), was a constituent state of the Weimar Republic. It was created from the Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont during the German revolution of 1918–1919, which led to the abdications of Prince Friedrich and all of the other German monarchs.
| Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1918–21) Freistaat Waldeck-Pyrmont Free State of Waldeck (1921–29) Freistaat Waldeck | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State of the Weimar Republic | |||||||||||||
| 1918–1929 | |||||||||||||
.svg) Flag | |||||||||||||
.svg) | |||||||||||||
| The Free State of Waldeck (red) within the Weimar Republic (after Pyrmont became part of Prussia in 1921) | |||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||
| Waldeck (southern gray area) and Pyrmont (in the north) | |||||||||||||
| Anthem | |||||||||||||
| Mein Waldeck | |||||||||||||
| Capital | Arolsen | ||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
| • Coordinates | 51°22′00″N 9°01′00″E / 51.36667°N 9.01667°E | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
• 1925 | 55,750 | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • Type | Republic | ||||||||||||
| Historical era | Interwar period | ||||||||||||
| 1918 | |||||||||||||
| 1921 | |||||||||||||
| 1929 | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
On 30 November 1921, Pyrmont was incorporated into the Prussian province of Hanover. The remainder of the state became part of the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau on 1 May 1929. The territory is today part of the Waldeck-Frankenberg district of Hesse.
History
editPrincipality of Waldeck and Pyrmont
editThe Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, in existence since 1180, was a member state of the German Confederation (1815–1866), the North German Confederation (1866–1871) and the German Empire (1871–1918). In 1867, the parliament of Waldeck and Pyrmont unanimously rejected the proposed constitution of the North German Confederation in the belief that the Principality would not be able to bear the costs associated with joining. Prince George Victor was forced to make a treaty of accession with the Kingdom of Prussia, and on 1 January 1868 it took over Waldeck and Pyrmont's administration, including its justice and education systems. Prussia found it necessary to provide the Principality with ever-increasing subsidies, to the point that it became a de facto protectorate of Prussia. The arrangement remained in place throughout the remaining existence of both Pyrmont and Waldeck.[1][2]
German revolution
editThe German revolution, which broke out in late October 1918 as World War I drew to a close, reached Waldeck and Pyrmont in the first weeks of November. Representatives of the workers' and soldiers' council from nearby Kassel, which was similar to many that were taking control in cities and towns across Germany, came to Arolsen on 11 November and attempted to force the abdication of Prince Friedrich. The workers' and soldiers' council that formed in Arolsen the following day declared the Prince deposed on the 14th and assumed control of the government.[3]
On 9 March 1919, a constituent assembly was elected to draft a constitution for the new Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont.[4] None was developed, however, and the constitution of 1849/1852 remained in place, making Waldeck-Pyrmont the only state in the Weimar Republic without a republican constitution. Its head of government was a state director (Landesdirektor) appointed by the Prussian state ministry. It also had a freely elected 17-member state parliament (Landesvertretung).[5][6]
Incorporation into Prussia
editIn a non-binding referendum held in Pyrmont in 1921, 80% of the voters chose to become part of the Free State of Prussia. On 29 November 1921, representatives of Waldeck-Pyrmont and Prussia signed an agreement to make Pyrmont part of the new Hameln-Pyrmont district of the Prussian Province of Hanover. The annexation went into effect on 1 April 1922.[3][7]
The remaining territory continued to be governed according to the 1867 treaty with Prussia until it was cancelled in 1926.[8][9] On 9 April 1927, Germany's federal Financial Equalisation Act (Finanzausgleichsgesetz) was amended in a way that made Waldeck's financial situation untenable. The question of joining Prussia was the subject of considerable controversy in Waldeck. All parties in the state parliament saw the move as necessary, but the majority of the population opposed it. The agreement between Prussia and Waldeck was signed on 23 March 1928 and went into effect on 1 May 1929. Waldeck became part of the Province of Hesse-Nassau, marking the end of Waldeck's existence as a sovereign state.[3][10][11]
State directors
editState directors were appointed by the Prussian state ministry.[6][12]
- 1918–1920 Wilhelm von Redern
- 1920–1929 Wilhelm Schmieding (German People's Party)
- 1929 Herbert Herberg
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Fürstentum Waldeck und Pyrmont 1812–1918" [Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont]. Deutsche Schutzgebiete (in German). Retrieved 19 August 2026.
- ↑ Hufnagel, Otto (1924). "Der waldeckische Staat. Eine verfassungsgeschichtliche Betrachtung" [The State of Waldeck: A Constitutional-Historical Analysis]. Archiv des öffentlichen Rechts (in German). 46 (2): 201–202. JSTOR 44301711 – via JSTOR.
- 1 2 3 "Der Freistaat Waldeck. Ereignisse 1918–1933" [The Free State of Waldeck. Events 1918–1933]. gonschior.de (in German). Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ "Der Freistaat Waldeck. Landesvertretungswahlen 1919–1929" [The Free State of Waldeck. State Representative Elections 1919–1929]. gonschior.de (in German). Retrieved 19 August 2026.
- ↑ Kroll, Frank-Lothar (2006). Geschichte Hessens [History of Hesse] (in German). Munich: C. H. Beck. p. 77. ISBN 978-3-406-53606-9.
- 1 2 "Der Freistaat Waldeck im Überblick" [Overview of the Free State of Waldeck]. gonschior.de (in German). Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "Staatsvertrag zum Anschluss des waldeckischen Pyrmont an Preußen" [Treaty on the Annexation of Pyrmont in Waldeck to Prussia]. LAGIS (in German). Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "Fürstentum Waldeck-Pyrmont schließt Akzessionsvertrag mit Preußen" [The Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont Signs an Accession Treaty with Prussia]. LAGIS (in German). Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "Vertrag zwischen Preußen und Waldeck-Pyrmont, betreffend die Übertragung der Verwaltung der Fürstenthümer Waldeck und Pyrmonat an Preußen (1867)" [Treaty between Prussia and Waldeck-Pyrmont Concerning the Transfer of Administrative Authority over the Principalities of Waldeck and Pyrmont to Prussia (1867)]. Verfassungen der Welt (in German). Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "Waldeck". LAGIS (in German). Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "Festakt zum Vollzug der Vereinigung des Freistaats Waldeck mit Preußen in Arolsen" [Ceremony in Arolsen Marking the Completion of the Unification of the Free State of Waldeck with Prussia]. LAGIS (in German). Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "Waldeck: Die Landesdirektoren 1918–1929" [Waldeck: State Directors 1918–1929]. gonschior.de (in German). Retrieved 20 August 2026.