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Province of Kurhessen

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Province of Kurhessen
Provinz Kurhessen (German)
Province of Prussia
1944–1945

The Province of Kurhessen in 1944.
CapitalKassel
Area 
• 1944
9,200 km2 (3,600 sq mi)
Population 
• 1944
971,887
Government
 • TypeProvince
High President 
• 1944–1945
Karl Gerland
Historical eraWorld War II
• Established
1 July 1944
• Disestablished
19 September 1945
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Hesse-Nassau
Greater Hesse

The Province of Kurhessen (German: Provinz Kurhessen) or Electoral Hesse was a province of Prussia within Nazi Germany between 1944 and 1945.[1]

Although all German states, including Prussia, had de facto been dissolved since 1933, the Nazi government formally partitioned the Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau into two provinces effective with a decree issued on 1 April 1944 and effective on 1 July 1944. The two new provinces were the province of Kurhessen and the Province of Nassau.

Following the end of World War II, Kurhessen fell under American administration. The province was dissolved by the occupying US forces on 19 September 1945 and formed part of the administrative zone of Greater Hesse. Just over a year later, Greater Hesse became the modern German state of Hesse.[2]

Etymology

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The name Kurhessen comes from the former Electorate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel; 1803–1866) which, following the Austro-Prussian War, Prussia annexed to form part of the Province of Hesse-Nassau. This is also where its anglicized name Electoral Hesse comes from.

References

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  1. ^ Gunlicks, Arthur (2003). The Länder and German federalism. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-1-5261-2067-0.
  2. ^ Office, United States Department of State Historical (1960). The Conference of Berlin: The Potsdam Conference, 1945. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 759.