Bavarian Group Administration
Encyclopedia
The Bavarian Group Administration or Gruppenverwaltung Bayern was a largely autonomous railway administration within the Deutsche Reichsbahn
(German Imperial Railways) between the two world wars. It was formed on 1 April 1920 from the former Bavarian State Railways, and was unique, Bavaria
being the only former German state to have such status after the merger of the seven state railway companiess into the Reichsbahn. The rest of Germany
was simply divided into various regional Reichsbahn railway divisions.
The Bavarian Group Administration itself also had four railway divisions: Augsburg
, Munich
, Nuremberg
and Regensburg
which reported to it and not, as in the rest of Germany, to the Reichsbahn directly. The former Palatinate Railway
formed the Ludwigshafen division. On 1 October 1933, as the only group administration within the Deutsche Reichsbahn, the Gruppenverwaltung Bayern, was disbanded.
Between 1920 and about 1924 when the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft
was created as a company to run the railways, wagons of the Bavarian Group Administration continued to display the blue and white Bavarian state shield.
Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
(German Imperial Railways) between the two world wars. It was formed on 1 April 1920 from the former Bavarian State Railways, and was unique, Bavaria
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
being the only former German state to have such status after the merger of the seven state railway companiess into the Reichsbahn. The rest of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
was simply divided into various regional Reichsbahn railway divisions.
The Bavarian Group Administration itself also had four railway divisions: Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
and Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
which reported to it and not, as in the rest of Germany, to the Reichsbahn directly. The former Palatinate Railway
Palatinate Railway
The Palatinate Railway or Pfalzbahn was an early German railway company in the period of the German Empire prior to the First World War. It was formed on 1 January 1870, as the United Palatinate Railway based in Ludwigshafen, by the amalgamation of the following railway companies:*The Palatine...
formed the Ludwigshafen division. On 1 October 1933, as the only group administration within the Deutsche Reichsbahn, the Gruppenverwaltung Bayern, was disbanded.
Between 1920 and about 1924 when the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft
Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft
The Deutsche Reichsbahn – was the name of the German national railway created from the railways of the individual states of the German Empire following the end of World War I....
was created as a company to run the railways, wagons of the Bavarian Group Administration continued to display the blue and white Bavarian state shield.
Sources
- Geschäftsordnung der Deutschen Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft, ss. 14, 15, 20, 21 und 24 (Regulations of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft, Section III, paragraphs 14, 15, 20, 21 and 24). See http://www.hs-merseburg.de/~nosske/EpocheII/dg/e2d_2106.html.
See also
- History of rail transport in GermanyHistory of rail transport in GermanyGerman Railway history began with the opening of the steam-hauled Bavarian Ludwig Railway between Nuremberg and Fürth on 7 December 1835. This had been preceded by the opening of the horse-hauled Prince William Railway on 20 September 1831...
- Royal Bavarian State RailwaysRoyal Bavarian State RailwaysAs a nation-state, Germany did not come into being until the creation of the German Empire in 1871 from the various German-speaking states such as Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Baden and Württemberg. By then each of the major states had formed its own state railway and these continued to remain...
- List of Bavarian locomotives and railbuses
External links
- There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany