1903 in Germany

Incumbents

National level

• Kaiser – Wilhelm II
• Chancellor – Bernhard von Bülow

  State level

Kingdoms

• King of Bavaria – Otto of Bavaria
• King of Prussia – Kaiser Wilhelm II
• King of Saxony – George 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 – 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 – Alexander, Prince of Lippe
• Reuss Elder Line – Heinrich XXIV, 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 – Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
• Duke of Saxe-Meiningen – Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

  Colonial Governors

• Cameroon – Jesko von Puttkamer '
• Kiaochow – Oskar von Truppel
• German East Africa – Gustav Adolf von Götzen
• German New Guinea – Albert Hahl '
• German Samoa – Wilhelm Solf
• German South-West Africa – Theodor Leutwein
• Togoland – Waldemar Horn

  Events

• 13 February – Venezuelan crisis. After agreeing to arbitration in Washington, Britain, Germany and Italy reach a settlement with Venezuela, resulting in the Washington Protocols. The naval blockade that began in December 1902 will be lifted, and Venezuela commit 30% of its customs duties to settling claims.
• 16 June – German federal election, 1903: The Centre Party remains the largest party in the Reichstag. Shortly after the election, the National-Social Association is dissolved by its leader Friedrich Naumann, and its members join the Free-minded Union.

  Undated

• German company August Storck is founded.

  Births

• 7 January – Albrecht Haushofer, German geographer, diplomat and writer
• 18 January – Werner Hinz, German actor
• 10 February – Karl Deichgräber, classical philologist
• 24 February – Franz Burda I, German publisher
• 6 March – Franz Wessel, German judge
• 24 March – Adolf Butenandt, German chemist
• 26 April – Alex Möller, German politician
• 27 April – Karl Maron, German politician
• 8 June – Eduard Brücklmeier, German diplomat
• 10 June:
• * Robert A. Stemmle, German film director and screenwriter
• * Theo Lingen, German actor, screenwriter and film director
• 16 July – Fritz Bauer, German judge
• 22 July:
• * Willi Dehnkamp, German politician
• * Anton Saefkow, German politician
• 26 July – Kurt Mahler, German mathematician
• 31 July – Emil Hirschfeld, German athlete
• 29 August – Ernst Kreuder, German writer
• 3 August – Rudolf Wolters, German architect
• 11 September:
• * Theodor W. Adorno, German philosopher
• * Carl Joseph Leiprecht, German bishop of Roman-Catholic Church
• 11 October – Hans Söhnker, film actor
• 23 October – Werner Klingler, German film director and actor
• 5 December – Johannes Heesters, German actor
• 26 December – Herbert Albert, German conductor
• Date unknown – Ernst David Bergmann, German-born Israeli nuclear scientist and chemist

  Deaths

• 14 June – Karl Gegenbaur, German anatomist
• 4 September – Hermann Zumpe, German conductor
• 1 November – Theodor Mommsen, German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician, archaeologist