List of presidents of Germany
A number of presidential offices have existed in Germany since the fall of the monarchies in 1918. During the 1919-1933 Weimar Republic the head of state was the President of Germany ({{lang-de|Reichspretz, Basic Law) of May 1949 created the office of President of Germany (‹See Tfd›German: Bundespräsident). Since Germany was reunited in 1990 the President has been the head of state for all of Germany.
The East German constitution of October 1949 created the office of Präsident der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (DDR) ("President of the [[East äsident}}). Upon the death of Paul von Hindenburg in August 1934 the office was left vacant, with Adolf Hitler becoming head of state as Führer und Reichskanzler. In 1945, Karl Dönitz briefly became President.
The West German constitution (GrundgesGermany|German Democratic Republic]]"). Upon the death of Wilhelm Pieck in 1960, the office of Präsident der DDR was abolished and replaced by a collective head of state, the Staatsrat (State Council). The Staatsrat was abolished by a constitutional amendment of the Volkskammer ("People's Chamber") on 5 April 1990. From then until the GDR joined the Federal Republic on 3 October 1990, the president of the Volkskammer also served as the GDR head of state.
Weimar Republic (1919–1933)
- Political Party
- Status
| № | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of Office | Political Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took Office | Left Office | ||||
| President of the Reich (Reichspräsident) | |||||
| style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" | 1 | 
|
Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925) |
11 February 1919 | 28 February 1925 (died in office) |
SPD |
| style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;"| – | 
|
Hans Luther[A] (1879–1962) |
28 February 1925 | 12 March 1925 | Non-partisan |
| style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;"| – | 
|
Walter Simons[B] (1861–1937) |
12 March 1925 | 12 May 1925 | Non-partisan |
| style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;" | 2 | 
|
General Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934) |
12 May 1925 | Untill 2 August 1934 (died in office) |
Non-partisan |
A Acting President, as Chancellor of Germany.
B Acting President, as President of the Reichsgericht.
Nazi Germany (1933–1945)
- Political Party
| № | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of Office | Political Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took Office | Left Office | ||||
| style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;" | 2 |
|
General Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934) |
Since 12 May 1925 |
2 August 1934 (died in office) |
Non-partisan |
| rowspan=2 style="background:Template:Nazi Party/meta/color; color:white" | – | 
|
Führer und Reichskanzler | 2 August 1934 | 30 April 1945 (committed suicide) |
NSDAP |
| Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) | |||||
| rowspan=2 style="background:Template:Nazi Party/meta/color; color:white" | – | 
|
Reichspräsident | 1 May 1945 | 23 May 1945 (arrested by the Allies) |
NSDAP |
| Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz (1891–1980) | |||||
Partitioned Germany (1949–1990)
West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany)
Acting President
C Acting President, as President of the Bundesrat. |
East Germany (German Democratic Republic)
Acting head of state
D Acting President, as President of the People's Chamber. E Acting Chairman of the State Council, as Deputy Chairman of the State Council. F Acting head of state, as President of the People's Chamber. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reunified Germany (since 1990)
- Political Party
- Status
| № | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of Office | Political Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took Office | Left Office | ||||
| Federal President (Bundespräsident) | |||||
| style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color; color:white;" | 6 | 
|
Richard von Weizsäcker (born 1920) |
since 1 July 1984 |
30 June 1994 | CDU |
| style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color; color:white;" | 7 | 
|
Roman Herzog (born 1934) |
1 July 1994 | 30 June 1999 | CDU |
| style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" | 8 | 
|
Johannes Rau (1931–2006) |
1 July 1999 | 30 June 2004 | SPD |
| style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color; color:white;" | 9 | 
|
Horst Köhler (born 1943) |
1 July 2004 | 31 May 2010 (resigned) |
CDU |
| style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" | – | 
|
Jens Böhrnsen[C] (born 1949) |
31 May 2010 | 30 June 2010 | SPD |
| style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color; color:white;" | 10 | 
|
Christian Wulff (born 1959) |
30 June 2010 | 17 February 2012 (resigned) |
CDU |
| style="background:Template:Christian Social Union in Bavaria/meta/color; color:white;" | – | 
|
Horst Seehofer[C] (born 1949) |
17 February 2012 | 18 March 2012 | CSU |
| style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;" | 11 | .jpg)
|
Joachim Gauck (born 1940) |
18 March 2012 | Incumbent | Independent |
C Acting President, as President of the Bundesrat.
