1907 in Germany explained

Events in the year 1907 in Germany.

Incumbents

National level

• Kaiser – Wilhelm II
• Chancellor – Bernhard von Bülow

State level

Kingdoms

• King of Bavaria – Otto
• King of Prussia – Wilhelm II
• King of Saxony – Frederick Augustus III
• King of Württemberg – William II

Grand Duchies

• Grand Duke of Baden – Frederick I then Frederick II
• Grand Duke of Hesse – Ernest Louis
• Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin – Frederick Francis IV
• Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Adolphus Frederick V
• 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 – Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe
• Reuss Elder Line – Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss of Greiz (with Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line as regent)
• Reuss Younger Line – Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line
• Waldeck and Pyrmont – Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

Duchies

• Duke of Anhalt – Frederick II, Duke of Anhalt
• Duke of Brunswick – vacant to 28 May, then Duke John Albert of Mecklenburg (regent)
• 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 (Kamerun) – Otto Gleim (acting governor) (2nd term) to 1 July, then Theodor Seitz (3rd term)
• Kiaochow (Kiautschou) – Oskar von Truppel
• German East Africa (Deutsch-Ostafrika) – Georg Albrecht Freiherr von Rechenberg
• German New Guinea (Deutsch-Neuguinea) – Albert Hahl (2nd term)
• German Samoa (Deutsch-Samoa) – Wilhelm Solf
• German South-West Africa (Deutsch-Südwestafrika) – Friedrich von Lindequist to 20 May, then Bruno von Schuckmann
• Togoland – Johann Nepomuk Graf Zech auf Neuhofen

Events

• 25 January – The 'Hottentot election', so called because of the nationalist atmosphere whipped up during the campaign, sees the Social Democratic Party of Germany gain half a million votes and yet lose half of their seats.^[1]
• May – A separate Imperial Colonial Office is set up distinct from the Auswärtiges Amt.^[1]
• 15 July – An experimental train is reported to reach 81 mph and reach 98 mph maximum
• 6 October – The Deutscher Werkbund is established in Munich.^[1]
• The Herero and Namaqua Genocide reaches its climax in this year.

Undated

• Arsphenamine is first synthesised in 1907 in Paul Ehrlich's lab by Alfred Bertheim.

Architecture

• Kaiser-Wilhelm-Brücke, a swing bridge is opened in Wilhelmshaven.

Arts

• Oscar Straus's opera Ein Walzertraum receives its premiere.

Diplomacy

• 18 October – Germany is among the signatories of the Hague Convention of 1907.

Education

• The University of Mannheim is established.

Science

• Eduard Buchner is awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Sport

• May – 1907 World Wrestling Championships held in Frankfurt
• 13–14 June – 1907 Kaiser Preis motor race is held.
• Freiburger FC are crowned German football champions for the first time.
• The Rund um die Hainleite cycling race in Erfurt is held for the first time.

Transport

• 5 October – The SMS Dresden is launched.

Births

• 4 January – Willy Busch, footballer (died 1982)
• 16 January – Martin Scherber, composer (died 1974)
• 20 January – Manfred von Ardenne, physicist (died 1997)
• 25 January – Helmut Weiss, film director (died 1969)
• 1 February – Günter Eich, author (died 1972)
• 7 February – Kurt Hasse, equestrian (died 1944)
• 19 February – Rudolf von Beckerath, organ builder (died 1976)
• 23 February – Hans-Jürgen von Blumenthal, German resistance member (died 1944)
• 11 March:
  • Heinz Brandt, equestrian and officer (died 1944)
  • Helmuth James Graf von Moltke, jurist (died 1945)
  • Konrad Wolff, musicologist (died 1989)
• 12 March – Josef Stangl, Bishop of Würzburg (died 1979)
• 13 March – Ludwig Biermann, astronomer (died 1986)
• 17 March – Franz Kartz, boxer
• 20 March – Helmut Echternach, theologian (died 1988)
• 24 March – Josef Lanzendörfer, bobsledder
• 30 March:
  • Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte, Luftwaffe officer (died 1994)
  • Rudolf Krause, racing driver (died 1987)
• 7 April – Friedrich Wegener, pathologist (died 1990)
• 8 April – Walter Leinweber, ice hockey player (died 1997)
• 16 April – August Eigruber, Nazi Gauleiter (died 1947)
• 30 April – Karl-Lothar Schulz, General (died 1972)
• 8 May – Wolf Graf von Baudissin, General (died 1993)
• 9 May – Baldur von Schirach, head of the Hitler Youth (died 1974)
• 11 May:
  • Hermann Behrends, Schutzstaffel officer (died 1948)
  • Eva Schulze-Knabe, painter (died 1976)
• 14 May – Hans von der Groeben, diplomat (died 2005)
• 17 May – Ulrich Biel, CDU politician (died 1996)
• 22 May – Werner Müller, ethnologist (died 1990)
• 27 May
  • Alois Kratzer, ski jumper (died 1990)
  • Herbert Seifert, mathematician (died 1996)
• 2 June – Willy Langkeit, general (died 1996)
• 6 June – Ernst Gaber, rower (died 1975)
• 7 June – Hilarius Breitinger, Franciscan (died 1974)
• 14 June – Paul Klinger, actor (died 1971)
• 22 June – Eberhard Koebel, German youth leader and writer (died 1955)
• 25 June:
  • J. Hans D. Jensen, nuclear physicist (died 1973)
  • Hugo Strauß, rower (died 1941)
• 26 June – Friedrich Asinger, chemist (died 1999)
• 1 July – Fabian von Schlabrendorff, jurist and German resistance member (died 1980)
• 2 July – Ernst Kupfer, Luftwaffe officer (died 1943)
• 7 July – Walter Dieminger, space scientist (died 2000)
• 8 July – Otto Kranzbühler, judge (died 2004)
• 11 July – Adalbert von Blanc, Kriegsmarine officer (died 1976)
• 17 July – Winfried Mahraun, diver (died 1973)
• 13 August – Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, industrialist (died 1967)
• 30 August – Hans Georg Rupp, judge (died 1989)
• 6 September – Ilse Schwidetzky, anthropologist (died 1997)
• 9 September – Joachim Sadrozinski, officer (died 1944)
• 10 September – Dorothea von Salviati, member of the royal family (died 1972)
• 15 September – Alfred Delp, priest and philosopher (died 1945)
• 18 September – Jakob Brendel, wrestler (died 1964)
• 19 September – Heinrich Trettner, general (died 2006)
• 20 September – Nicolaus von Below, adjutant to Adolf Hitler (died 1983)
• 22 September – Hermann Schlichting, engineer (died 1982)
• 23 September – Herbert Kappler, police chief (died 1978)
• 25 September – Otto Weiß, Luftwaffe officer (died 1955)
• 29 September – Helmut Lemke, CDU politician (died 1990)
• 9 October – Horst Wessel, Nazi Party activist (died 1930)
• 12 October – Wolfgang Fortner, composer (died 1987)
• 17 October – Herbert Böhme, poet (died 1971)
• 19 October – Paul Klingenburg, water polo player (died 1964)
• 22 October:
  • Emilie Schindler, humanitarian (died 2001)
  • Günther Treptow, opera singer (died 1981)
• 24 October – Albert Hoffmann, Nazi Gauleiter (died 1972)
• 9 November – Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia, son of Kaiser Wilhelm II (died 1994)
• 10 November – Hans Herbert Fiedler, opera singer (died 2004)
• 15 November – Claus von Stauffenberg, German resistance member and leader of the 20 July plot (died 1944)
• 22 November – Gustav Adolf Scheel, physician (died 1979)
• 24 November – Friedrich Geiger, car designer (died 1996)
• 30 November – Anton Biersack, composer (died 1982)
• 9 December – Max Deuring, mathematician (died 1984)
• 12 December – Ilse Fürstenberg, actress (died 1976)
• 13 December – Theodor Wisch, SS commander (died 1995)
• 16 December – Hanns Scharff, interrogator (died 1992)
• 20 December – Leny Marenbach, actress (died 1984)
• 23 December – Georg Haentzschel, pianist (died 1992)
• 27 December:
  • Sebastian Haffner, journalist (died 1999)
  • Johann Trollmann, boxer (died 1943)
• 28 December
  • Franz Ehrlich, architect (died 1984)
  • Erich Mielke, politician (died 2000)
  • Heinz Förstendorf, field hockey player (died 1988)
• 31 December – Walter Huppenkothen, lawyer (died 1978)

Deaths

• 9 January – Marie of Saxe-Altenburg, Queen of Hanover (born 1818)
• 30 January – Ludwig Woltmann, German zoologist (born 1871)
• 5 February – Ludwig Thuille, composer (born 1861)
• 8 February – Alfred Kirchhoff, German geographer (born 1838)
• 14 February – Adolf Seel, painter (born 1829)
• 17 February – Wilhelm von Bezold, physicist (born 1837)
• 24 February – Otto Goldschmidt, composer (born 1829)
• 6 March – Karl Heinrich von Boetticher, FKP politician (born 1833)
• 13 March – Fritz Scheel, conductor (born 1852)
• 20 March – Ottomar Rosenbach, physician (born 1851)
• 25 March – Ernst von Bergmann, surgeon (born 1836)
• 1 April – Johann Friedrich Jaennicke, entomologist (born 1831)
• 30 April – Julius Langbehn, art historian (born 1851)
• 3 May – Hermann Tietz, merchant (born 1837)
• 13 May – Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg, nobleman (born 1829)
• 30 May – Ottomar Anschütz, inventor (born 1846)
• 5 July – Kuno Fischer, philosopher (born 1824)
• 13 July – Heinrich Kreutz, astronomer (born 1854)
• 10 August – Hermann Ende architect (born 1829)
• 13 August – Hermann Carl Vogel, astronomer (born 1841)
• 13 September – Jacob Friedrich Behrend, jurist (born 1833)
• 28 September – Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden, nobleman (born 1826)
• 3 October – Alfred Reisenauer, pianist (born 1863)
• 10 October – Adolf Furtwängler, archaeologist (born 1853)
• 12 November – Prince Arnulf of Bavaria, nobleman and General (born 1852)
• 16 November – Gustav Hertzberg, historian (born 1826)
• 21 November – Paula Modersohn-Becker, painter (born 1876)
• 25 November – Heinrich Dernburg, jurist (born 1829)
• 30 November – Ludwig Levy, German architect (born 1854)
• 21 December – Klara Hitler, mother of Adolf Hitler (born 1860)

Notes and References

1. Tim Kirk, Cassell's Dictionary of Modern German History, London, 2002, p. 421