1949 in Germany

Decades:	1920s ; 1930s ; 1940s ; 1950s ; 1960s ;
See also:	Other events of 1949 ; History of Germany • Timeline • Years

Last updated January 04, 2026

Events in the year 1949 in the Allied-occupied Germany, then in West Germany and East Germany .

Incumbents

West Germany

President – Theodor Heuss (starting 13 September)
Chancellor – Konrad Adenauer (starting 20 September)

East Germany

Head of State – Wilhelm Pieck (starting 11 October)
Head of Government – Otto Grotewohl (starting 12 October)

Events

8 May - The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany was approved in Bonn.
8 May - The Soviet War Memorial in East-Berlin is established.
12 May - The Berlin Blockade ends.
15/16 May - East German Constitutional Assembly election, 1949
14 August - West German federal election, 1949
16 September - Hamburger Morgenpost is first published.
20 September - The First Adenauer cabinet led by Konrad Adenauer was sworn in.
7 October - Constitution of East Germany
Date unknown: Liebherr, a multinational equipment manufacturer, is founded in Baden-Württemberg, to build the mobile tower crane devised by Hans Liebherr.^[1]
Date unknown: Germany company Heckler & Koch was founded.
Date unknown: German company Adidas was founded.
Date unknown: The Currywurst is invented by Herta Heuwer in Berlin.

Births

January 9 - Mary Roos, German singer
January 15 - Jürgen Roters, German politician
January 24 - Nikolaus Brender, German journalist
February 5 - Kurt Beck, German politician
February 13 - Jo Baier, German film director
February 22 - Joachim Witt, German singer
March 2 - Wolfgang Sandner, German physicist (died 2015)
March 5 - Franz Josef Jung, German politician
March 11 - Georg Schramm, German psychologist and Kabarett artist
March 26 - Patrick Süskind, German writer
April 5 - Klara Höfels, German actress and theatre director (died 2022)
April 6 - Horst Ludwig Störmer, German physicist
April 7 - Evelyn Haas, German judge
April 11 - Bernd Eichinger, German film producer, director and screenwriter (died 2011)
May 10 - Hans Reichel, German guitarist (died 2011)
May 12
- Raimund Hoghe, German choreographer (died 2021)
- Hans Leyendecker, German journalist
June 8 - Hildegard Falck, German athlete
June 12 - Jens Böhrnsen, German politician
June 13 - Ulla Schmidt, German politician
June 15 - Elmar Hörig, German television presenter
June 27 - Günther Schumacher, German track cyclist
June 28 - Peter Gruss, German biologist
June 29 - Kurt Schrimm, German prosecutor
July 4 - Horst Seehofer, German politician
July 19 - Maren Kroymann, German actress and singer
August 3 - Fritz Egner, German television host
August 22 - Christoph, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein, German nobleman, head of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
August 30 - Peter Maffay, German singer
September 2 - Frank Ripploh, German actor and film director (died 2002)
September 3 - Volker Kauder, German politician
September 19 - Richard Rogler, German Kabarett performer and comedian
September 22 - Ludwig Schick, German bishop of Roman Catholic Church
October 4 - Albrecht von Boeselager, German lawyer and forester
October 18 - Erwin Sellering, German politician
November 8 - Gabriele Krone-Schmalz, German journalist
November 24 - Bruno Weil, German conductor

Deaths

January 5 - Max Bockmühl, German chemist (born 1882)
January 10 - Erich von Drygalski, German geographer, geophysicist and polar scientist (born 1865)
March 4 - Joannes Baptista Sproll, German bishop of Roman Catholic Church (born 1870)
March 12 - August Bier, German surgeon (born 1861)
March 25 - Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia, German nobleman (born 1887)
March 28 - Theodor Seitz, German colonial politician (born 1863)
March 30 - Friedrich Bergius, German chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (born 1884)
April 8 – Wilhelm Adam, German general (born 1877)
May 21 — Klaus Mann, German writer (born 1906)
May 22 - Hans Pfitzner, German composer (born 1869)
June 23 - Heinrich Schnee, German lawyer, colonial civil servant, politician, writer, and association official (born 1871)
July 18 - Bernhard Hoetger, German painter and sculptor (born 1874)
September 4 - Herbert Eulenberg, German author and poet (born 1876)
September 8 - Richard Strauss, German composer (born 1864)
September 14 - Gottfried Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen, German politician (born 1901)
October 21 - Johannes Bell, German politician (born 1868)
November 23- Gustav Radbruch, German legal scholar and politician (born 1878)
December 23 - Arthur Eichengrün, German chemist (born 1867)
December 30 - Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe, sovereign of the Principality of Lippe (born 1871)

References

↑ "The foundation of the Group". Liebherr. Retrieved 2020-11-25.

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[1] "The foundation of the Group". Liebherr. Retrieved 2020-11-25.

[1]

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