Noautocat: | no |
Conventional Long Name: | Province of Kurhessen |
Common Name: | Kurhessen |
Subdivision: | Province |
Nation: | Prussia |
Status Text: | Province of Prussia |
Government Type: | Province |
Title Leader: | High President |
Leader1: | Karl Gerland |
Year Leader1: | 1944–1945 |
Capital: | Kassel |
Year Start: | 1944 |
Year End: | 1945 |
Date Start: | 1 July |
Date End: | 19 September |
Era: | World War II |
Image Map Caption: | The Province of Kurhessen in 1944. |
P1: | Hesse-Nassau |
Flag P1: | Flagge Preußen - Provinz Hessen-Nassau.svg |
S1: | Greater Hesse |
Flag S1: | Flag of Hesse.svg |
Stat Year1: | 1944 |
Stat Area1: | 9200 |
Stat Pop1: | 971887 |
The Province of 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]
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.