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Abstract

German cities experienced enormous growth during the Bismarckian and Wilhelmine periods. The population of Berlin, for example, more than doubled between 1875 and 1910. In addition to reflecting astounding growth rates, the population figures below document one significant consequence of German industrialization: migration from the country to the city, where people hoped to find new work. The table illustrates the extent of this shift. But a closer analysis of the statistics for the period 1875–1910 also reveals important disparities in the growth rates of particular cities. (Here, the year 1890 can be used as a “before and after” point for analyzing population growth.) For example, the population growth rate of Magdeburg, a city in central Germany, declined after 1890, as did the growth rate of Leipzig, a city in the Kingdom of Saxony, but Leipzig still continued to grow at twice the rate of Magdeburg. By contrast, cities like Duisburg and Essen, located in the Ruhr district of western Germany, grew more rapidly after 1890 than they had up to that point.

Population Growth in Major Cities (1875–1910)

Source

I. The Growth of Major German Cities: Population

City

1875

1890

1910

Berlin

966,859

1,587,794

2,071,257

Bremen

102,532

125,684

217,437

Breslau

239,050

335,186

512,105

Charlottenburg

25,847

76,859

305,978

Chemnitz

78,209

138,954

287,807

Dortmund

57,742

89,663

214,226

Dresden

197,295

276,522

548,308

Düsseldorf

80,695

144,642

358,728

Duisburg

37,380

59,285

229,438

Essen/Ruhr

54,790

78,706

294,653

Frankfurt/M.

103,136

179,985

414,576

Hamburg

264,675

323,923

931,035

Hanover

106,677

163,593

302,375

Kiel

37,246

69,172

211,627

Cologne

135,371

281,681

516,527

Königsberg

122,636

161,666

245,994

Leipzig

127,387

295,025

589,850

Magdeburg

87,925

202,234

279,629

Munich

193,024

349,024

596,467

Nuremberg

91,018

142,590

333,142

Stettin

80,972

116,228

236,113

Stuttgart

107,273

139,817

286,218

Number of cities with more than 10,000 residents

271

394

576

II. The Growth of Major German Cities: Population Growth Rate in %

City

1875–1910

1875–1890

1890–1910

Berlin

114.2

64.2

30.4

Bremen

112.1

22.6

73.0

Breslau

114.2

40.2

52.8

Charlottenburg

1,083.8

197.4

298.1

Chemnitz

268.0

77.7

107.1

Dortmund

271.0

55.3

138.9

Dresden

177.9

40.2

98.3

Düsseldorf

344.5

79.2

148.0

Duisburg

513.8

58.6

287.0

Essen/Ruhr

437.8

43.7

274.4

Frankfurt/M.

302.0

74.5

130.3

Hamburg

251.8

22.4

187.4

Hanover

183.4

53.4

84.8

Kiel

468.2

85.7

205.9

Cologne

281.6

108.1

83.4

Königsberg

100.6

31.8

52.2

Leipzig

363.0

131.6

99.9

Magdeburg

218.0

130.0

38.3

Munich

209.0

80.8

70.9

Nuremberg

266.0

56.7

133.6

Stettin

191.6

43.5

103.1

Stuttgart

166.8

30.3

104.7

Number of cities with more than 10,000 residents

112.5

45.4

46.2

Source: Statistisches Jahrbuch für das Deutsche Reich 1881, pp. 3ff (for 1875); 1893, pp. 9ff (for 1890); 1914, pp. 12ff (for 1910). Original German table reprinted in Gerd Hohorst, Jürgen Kocka, and Gerhard Ritter, eds., Sozialgeschichtliches Arbeitsbuch: Materialien zur Statistik des Kaiserreichs 1870–1914, vol. 2. Munich: C.H. Beck, 1975, pp. 45–46.

Translation: Thomas Dunlap