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The Province of Saxony (German: Provinz Sachsen) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1945. Its capital was Magdeburg.
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History
The province was created in 1816 out of the following territories:
- the former Duchy of Magdeburg and Principality of Halberstadt, which had previously been part of the Kingdom of Westphalia from 1807-1813;
- the former Margraviate of Brandenburg situated west of the Elbe River, such as the Altmark
- territory gained from the Kingdom of Saxony after the Battle of Leipzig in 1813: the towns and surrounding territories of Wittenberg, Merseburg, Naumburg, Mansfeld, Querfurt, and Henneberg;
- and territory given to Prussia after the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss: lands around Erfurt and the Eichsfeld (formerly belonging to the Archbishopric of Mainz) and the former Imperial Cities of Mühlhausen and Nordhausen.
The Province of Saxony was one of the richest regions of Prussia with highly developed agriculture and industry. In 1932 the province was enlarged with the addition of the regions around Ilfeld and Elbingerode, which had previously been part of the Province of Hanover. On 1 July 1944, the Province of Saxony was divided along the lines of its three administrative regions. The Erfurt Regierungsbezirk was merged with the Herrschaft Schmalkalden district of the Province of Hesse-Nassau to become the Reichsstatthalter of the new state of Thuringia. The Magdeburg Regierungsbezirk merged with the former state of Anhalt to become the Gau of Magdeburg and the Merseburg Regierungsbezirk became the Gau of Halle-Merseburg, but the Gaue of Magdeburg and Halle-Merseburg were merged to reform the Province of Saxony in 1945. Before the end of 1945, the reduced Province of Saxony was merged with some exclaves of the former state of Brunswick to form the new state of Saxony-Anhalt. Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt were abolished in 1952, but were recreated after the reunification of Germany in 1990 with some slight border changes as modern states of Germany.
Subdivisions
Prior to 1944, the province of Saxony was divided into three Regierungsbezirke. In 1945, only the provinces of Magdeburg and Halle-Merseburg were re-merged.
Regierungsbezirk Magdeburg
Urban districts (Stadtkreise)
- Aschersleben (1901-1950)
- Burg bei Magdeburg (1924-1950)
- Halberstadt (1817-1825 and 1891-1950)
- Magdeburg
- Quedlinburg (1911-1950)
- Stendal (1909-1950)
Rural districts (Landkreise)
- Calbe a./S.
- Gardelegen
- Haldensleben
- Jerichow I
- Jerichow II
- Oschersleben (Bode)
- Osterburg
- Quedlinburg
- Salzwedel
- Stendal
- Wanzleben
- Wernigerode
- Wolmirstedt
Regierungsbezirk Merseburg
Urban districts (Stadtkreise)
- Eisleben (1908-1950)
- Halle a. d. Saale
- Merseburg (1921-1950)
- Naumburg a. d. Saale (1914-1950)
- Weißenfels (1899-1950)
- Wittenberg (Lutherstadt)
- Zeitz (1901-1950)
Rural districts (Landkreise)
- Bitterfeld
- Delitzsch
- Eckartsberga
- Liebenwerda
- Mansfelder Gebirgskreis
- Mansfelder Seekreis
- Merseburg
- Querfurt
- Saalkreis
- Sangerhausen
- Schweinitz
- Torgau
- Weißenfels
- Wittenberg
- Zeitz
Regierungsbezirk Erfurt
Urban districts (Stadtkreise)
- Erfurt (1816-1818 and 1872-present)
- Mühlhausen (1892-1950)
- Nordhausen (1882-1950)
Rural districts (Landkreise)
- Hohenstein county
- Heiligenstadt
- Langensalza
- Mühlhausen
- Schleusingen
- Weißensee
- Worbis
- Ziegenrück
Territories and Provinces of 
