1899 in Germany

Incumbents

National level

• Kaiser – Wilhelm II
• Chancellor – Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst

  State level

Kingdoms

• King of Bavaria – Otto of Bavaria
• King of Prussia – Kaiser Wilhelm II
• King of Saxony – Albert of Saxony
• King of Württemberg – William II of Württemberg

  Grand Duchies

• Grand Duke of Baden – Frederick I
• Grand Duke of Hesse – Ernest Louis
• Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin – Frederick Francis IV
• Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Frederick William
• Grand Duke of Oldenburg – Peter II
• Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach – Charles Alexander

  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 – Alexander, Prince of Lippe
• Reuss Elder Line – Heinrich XXII, Prince Reuss of Greiz
• Reuss Younger Line – Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line
• Waldeck and Pyrmont – Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

  Duchies

• Duke of Anhalt – Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt
• Duke of Brunswick – Prince Albert of Prussia
• Duke of Saxe-Altenburg – Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
• Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
• Duke of Saxe-Meiningen – Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

  Colonial Governors

• Cameroon – Jesko von Puttkamer '
• Kiaochow – Carl Rosendahl to 19 February, then Otto Jäschke
• German East Africa – Eduard von Liebert
• German New Guinea – Hugo Skopnik '' to 31 March, then Rudolf von Bennigsen '
• German South-West Africa – Theodor Leutwein
• Togoland – August Köhler

  Events

• 1 April – The German Imperial Army is expanded with the establishment of the XIX Corps, the XVIII Corps and the 37th, 38th, 39th and 40th Divisions.
• 12 February – German-Spanish Treaty
• 18 April – Cargo ship SS Saxonia launched.
• 1 June – Battleship launched.
• 18 July – Light cruiser launched.
• 20 September – Ocean liner SS Rhein launched.
• 9–14 October – The Hanover Congress of the Social Democratic Party of Germany is held in Hanover.
• 18 October – Battleship launched.
• 18 October – Battleship launched.
• 25 November – Transport ship SS Hamburg launched.
• 2 December:
• * The Tripartite Convention, which brings an end to the Samoan Civil War by dividing the islands between Germany and the United States of America, is signed by Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, pursuant to which the colony of German Samoa in established in 1900.
• * Transport ship SS Grosser Kurfürst, launched.
• 11 December – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Bernhard von Bülow delivers his 'hammer and anvil' speech to the Reichstag calling for Germany to continue its drive to becoming one of the world's greatest powers. The speech was greeted with rapture from the right and anger from the left.

  Undated

• The political career of future Chancellor Wilhelm Marx of the Centre Party begins when he is elected to the Prussian Landtag.
• The German–Spanish Treaty is signed, ending the interests of Spain in the Pacific Ocean and ensuring German control of the Caroline Islands, the Mariana Islands and Palau.
• Max Wolf and Friedrich Karl Arnold Schwassmann discover the asteroids 442 Eichsfeldia, 443 Photographica, 446 Aeternitas, 447 Valentine, 448 Natalie, 449 Hamburga and 450 Brigitta at the University of Heidelberg.
• The chemist Felix Hoffmann patents the drug aspirin.
• Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft began archaeological excavations of Babylon.
• The 80 cm refracting telescope is completed at Potsdam Observatory.
• Biologist Ernst Haeckel published his Kunstformen der Natur.
• Two ships of the of protected cruiser are commissioned—the lead ship of the class in February and in September.
• The ocean liner SS Köln is launched.
• The automotive company Hella is established under the name Westfälische Metall-Industrie Aktien-Gesellschaft.
• The Horch car company is established at Ehrenfeld by August Horch and his partner Salli Herz.

  Popular culture

Arts

• The Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin was opened.

  Sport

• 4 February – SV Werder Bremen is founded.
• 23 February – FC Germania 1899 Mühlhausen is founded.
• 8 March – The Frankfurter Fußball-Club Victoria von 1899 is founded.
• 17 April – VfL Osnabrück is founded.
• 1 June – FC Bremerhaven is founded.
• 1 July – Turnverein Hoffenheim is founded.
• 21 September – Stuttgarter Kickers founded.
• 29 September – SC Naumburg is founded.
• 1 November – FC Bavaria 1899 München is founded.
• 2 December – Chemnitzer BC is founded.
• Other association football clubs are established include 1. Bockenheimer FC 1899, SC Germania 1899 Bremen, FSV Frankfurt, SC Neukirchen, Sportfreunde Siegen and SV Wiesbaden.
• The Southern German football championship is won by Straßburger FV whilst the Brandenburg football championship is won by BFC Preussen.

  Births

• 2 January – Hermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski, equestrian and general
• 12 January – Josef Wagner, Nazi Gauleiter
• 13 January – Karl Friedrich Bonhoeffer, chemist
• 18 January – Princess Marie Melita of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, noblewoman
• 29 January – Heinrich Blücher, poet and philosopher
• 15 February – Ernst Biberstein, SS Officer
• 23 February:
• * Erich Kästner, author
• * Elisabeth Langgässer, author
• 25 February – Leo Weisgerber, linguist
• 28 February – Kurt Freiherr von Liebenstein, Army general
• 1 March – Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, SS Officer
• 3 March:
• * Eugen Fischer, historian
• * Albert Krebs, Nazi official
• 4 March – Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg, noblewoman
• 16 March – Hans Otfried von Linstow, German colonel
• 27 March – Kurt Neubauer, Nazi 'martyr'
• 13 March – Ernst Friedrich Lohndorff, author
• 15 March – Ernst Simon, Jewish educator and religious philosopher
• 16 March – Hans Otfried von Linstow, Army officer
• 23 March – Dora Gerson, actress
• 31 March – Franz Völker, opera singer
• 4 April – Hillel Oppenheimer, botanist
• 6 April – Peter Adolf Thiessen, physical chemist
• 9 April – Hans Jeschonnek, Luftwaffe officer
• 15 April:
• * Hugo Grau, veterinarian
• * Curtis Bernhardt, film director
• 16 April – Karl Schumm, Olympic diver
• 4 May – Fritz von Opel, German automotive pioneer
• 14 May – Charlotte Auerbach, geneticist
• 17 May – Robert Richter, film producer
• 23 May – Charlotte Riefenstahl, physicist
• 27 May – Hans Brausewetter, film actor
• 12 June – Fritz Albert Lipmann, biochemist
• 22 June – Hans Zehrer, journalist
• 23 June:
• * Gerhard von Schwerin, Army general
• * Paul Schmidt, interpreter
• 25 June – Charlotte von Kirschbaum, theologian
• 3 July – Ludwig Guttmann, neurologist and Paralympic Games founder
• 22 July – Wolfgang Metzger, psychologist
• 23 July – Gustav Heinemann, President of Germany
• 26 July – Hermann Josef Wehrle, German Roman Catholic priest
• 1 August – William Steinberg, conductor
• 12 August – Peter Altmeier, politician
• 14 August – Fritz Schwarz, bobsledder
• 20 August – Hanns Lilje, Lutheran bishop
• 26 August – Wolfgang Krull, mathematician
• 1 September – Karl-Gustav Sauberzweig, Army officer
• 5 September – Georg Leibbrandt, Nazi Party activist
• 13 September – Bolko von Richthofen, archaeologist
• 20 September – Leo Strauss, political philosopher
• 22 September – Veit Harlan, film director and actor
• 23 September – Sigismund-Helmut von Dawans, Wehrmacht general
• 24 September – Siegfried Adolf Kummer, mystic
• 6 October – Hansjoachim von der Esch, explorer
• 10 October – Wilhelm Röpke, economist
• 22 October – Felix Scheder-Bieschin, Olympic sailor
• 7 November – Eberhard Finckh, Army officer
• 10 November – Wessel von Freytag-Loringhoven, Army officer
• 12 November – Wilhelm Lachnit, German painter
• 24 November – Hilmar Wäckerle, commandant of Dachau concentration camp
• 26 November:
• * Bruno Hauptmann, convicted murderer
• * Walter Gerwig, musician
• 4 December – Karl-Günther Heimsoth, physician and polygraph
• 5 December – Wolfgang Kaden, U-boat commander
• 11 December – Alexander zu Dohna-Schlobitten, businessman
• 13 December – Wilhelm Decker, Nazi Germany official
• 22 December:
• * Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, noblewoman
• * Gustaf Gründgens, actor
• 24 December – Carl Troll, geographer
• Date unknown – Kurt Roth, painter

  Deaths

• 9 January – Ernst Julius Gurlt, surgeon
• 18 January:
• * Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Claus, zoologist
• * Heinrich Kirchweger, railway engineer
• 1 February – Ernst Melzer, philosopher
• 6 February:
• * Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, nobleman
• * Leo von Caprivi, Chancellor of Germany
• 8 February – Ferdinand Wüstenfeld, orientalist
• 9 February – Karl Müller, bryologist
• 11 February – Johann August Kaupert, topographer
• 20 February – Ernst Philipp Karl Lange, novelist
• 8 March – Johann Baptist Weiss, historian
• 14 March:
• * Ludwig Bamberger, economist and politician
• * Heymann Steinthal, philologist
• 24 March – Gustav Heinrich Wiedemann, physicist
• 15 April:
• * Lambert Heinrich von Babo, chemist
• * Karl Ludwig Kahlbaum, psychiatrist
• 25 April – Hermann Wislicenus, painter
• 1 May – Ludwig Büchner, philosopher
• 2 May – Eduard von Simson, jurist and politician
• 6 May – Philipp Krementz, Archbishop of Cologne
• 15 May – Elise Polko, novelist
• 1 June – Klaus Groth, poet
• 19 June – Eugen von Lommel, physicist
• 12 July – Azriel Hildesheimer, founder of Modern Orthodox Judaism
• 27 July – Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa, chess player
• 29 July – Adolf Schreyer, painter
• 30 July – Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe, noblewoman
• 4 August – Karl, Freiherr von Prel, philosopher
• 7 August – Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Alfred Fleckeisen, philologist
• 13 August:
• * Karl Heinrich Weizsäcker, theologian
• * Gustav von Mevissen, politician
• 16 August – Robert Bunsen, chemist and inventor
• 28 October – Ottmar Mergenthaler, inventor of linotype
• 30 October – Hermann Blumenau, German pharmacist
• 13 November – Ulrike von Levetzow, 'muse' to Goethe
• 14 November – Ferdinand Tiemann, chemist
• 16 November – Julius Hermann Moritz Busch, publicist
• 3 December – Georg Ratzinger, priest and politician
• 4 December – Leopold Ullstein, company founder and publisher
• 8 December – Max Lange, chess player
• 28 December – Karl Friedrich August Rammelsberg, mineralogist