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Following the redrawing of Germany's national boundaries after 1945, there were five states or Länder in the Soviet occupation zone:
- Brandenburg,
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern),
- Saxony (Sachsen),
- Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt), and
- Thuringia (Thüringen),
which, together with East Berlin formed the German Democratic Republic in 1949.
In the East German Administrative Reform of 1952, the Länder of East Germany were abolished, and the GDR was divided into Bezirke (districts), each named after the largest city. These districts were again divided into smaller districts, namely in rural districts and urban districts (Kreise & Stadtkreise):
| Region (Bezirk) |
Urban districts (Stadtkreis) |
Rural districts (Landkreis) |
|---|---|---|
| Cottbus | Cottbus | Bad Liebenwerda • Calau (Lower Sorbian: Wokrejs Kalawa) • Cottbus-Land (Lower Sorbian: Wokrejs Chośebuz) • Finsterwalde • Forst (Lower Sorbian: Wokrejs Baršć) • Guben (Lower Sorbian: Wokrejs Gubin) • Herzberg • Hoyerswerda (Lower Sorbian: Wokrjes Wojerecy) • Jessen • Luckau • Lübben (Lower Sorbian: Wokrejs Lubin) • Senftenberg (Lower Sorbian: Wokrejs Zły Komorow) • Spremberg (Lower Sorbian: Wokrejs Grodk) • Weißwasser (Lower Sorbian: Wokrjes Bĕła Woda) |
| Dresden | Dresden • Görlitz | Bautzen (Lower Sorbian: Wokrjes Budyšin) • Bischofswerda • Dippoldiswalde • Dresden-Land • Freital • Görlitz-Land • Großenhain • Kamenz • Löbau • Meißen • Niesky • Pirna • Riesa • Sebnitz • Zittau |
| Erfurt | Erfurt • Weimar | Apolda • Arnstadt • Eisenach • Erfurt-Land • Gotha • Heiligenstadt • Langensalza • Mühlhausen • Nordhausen • Sömmerda • Sondershausen • Weimar-Land |
| Frankfurt (Oder) | Frankfurt (Oder) • Eisenhüttenstadt • Schwedt/Oder | Angermünde • Bad Freienwalde • Beeskow • Bernau • Eberswalde • Eisenhüttenstadt • Fürstenwalde • Seelow • Strausberg |
| Gera | Gera • Jena | Eisenberg • Gera-Land • Greiz • Jena • Lobenstein • Pößneck • Rudolstadt • Saalfeld • Schleiz • Stadtroda • Zeulenroda |
| Halle | Halle • Dessau • Halle-Neustadt (since 12 May 1967) | Artern • Aschersleben • Bernburg • Bitterfeld • Eisleben • Gräfenhainichen • Hettstedt • Hohenmölsen • Köthen • Merseburg • Naumburg • Nebra • Quedlinburg • Querfurt • Roßlau • Saalkreis • Sangerhausen • Weißenfels • Wittenberg • Zeitz |
| Karl-Marx-Stadt | Karl-Marx-Stadt (since 1990: Chemnitz) • Plauen • Zwickau • Johanngeorgenstadt (until 1957) • Schneeberg (until 1958) | Annaberg • Aue • Auerbach • Brand-Erbisdorf • Flöha • Freiberg • Glauchau • Hainichen • Hohenstein-Ernstthal • Karl-Marx-Stadt-Land • Klingenthal • Marienberg • Oelsnitz • Plauen-Land • Reichenbach • Rochlitz • Schwarzenberg • Stollberg • Werdau • Zschopau • Zwickau-Land |
| Leipzig | Leipzig | Altenburg • Borna • Delitzsch • Döbeln • Eilenburg • Geithain • Grimma • Leipzig-Land • Oschatz • Schmölln • Torgau • Wurzen |
| Magdeburg | Magdeburg | Burg • Gardelegen • Genthin • Halberstadt • Haldensleben • Havelberg • Kalbe (Milde) (until December 1987) • Klötze • Loburg (until June 1957) • Oschersleben • Osterburg • Salzwedel • Schönebeck • Seehausen (until July 1965) • Staßfurt • Stendal • Tangerhütte (until December 1987) • Wanzleben • Wernigerode • Wolmirstedt • Zerbst |
| Neubrandenburg | Neubrandenburg (from January 1969) | Altentreptow • Anklam • Demmin • Malchin • Neubrandenburg-Land • Neustrelitz • Pasewalk • Prenzlau • Röbel/Müritz • Strasburg • Templin • Teterow • Ueckermünde • Waren |
| Potsdam | Potsdam • Brandenburg an der Havel | Belzig • Brandenburg • Gransee • Jüterbog • Königs-Wusterhausen • Kyritz • Luckenwalde • Nauen • Neuruppin • Oranienburg • Potsdam • Pritzwalk • Rathenow • Wittstock • Zossen |
| Rostock | Rostock • Greifswald (from January 1974) • Stralsund • Wismar | Bad Doberan • Greifswald Land • Grevesmühlen • Grimmen • Ribnitz-Damgarten • Rostock-Land • Rügen • Stralsund • Wismar • Wolgast |
| Schwerin | Schwerin | Bützow • Gadebusch • Güstrow • Hagenow • Ludwigslust • Lübz • Parchim • Perleberg • Schwerin-Land • Sternberg |
| Suhl | Suhl | Bad Salzungen • Hildburghausen • Ilmenau • Meiningen • Neuhaus • Schmalkalden • Sonneberg • Suhl-Land |
East Berlin was claimed as capital city, not a Bezirk, and was described either as Berlin or Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR ("Berlin, Capital of the GDR"). (West Berlin was known as Westberlin until the final years of the GDR, when Berlin (West), the term used in West Germany, began also to be used.)
In 1990, the Länder were reinstated and acceded to the Federal Republic of Germany. Each Land is divided into districts, or Kreise, as in West Germany and the Bezirke were abolished.
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