1893 in Germany

Incumbents

National level

• Kaiser – Wilhelm II
• Chancellor – Leo von Caprivi

  State level

Kingdoms

• King of Bavaria – Otto of Bavaria
• King of Prussia – Kaiser Wilhelm II
• King of Saxony – Albert 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 III
• Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Frederick William
• Grand Duke of Oldenburg – Peter II
• Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach - Charles Alexander

  Principalities

• Schaumburg-Lippe – Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe to 8 May, then George, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
• Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt – Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
• Schwarzburg-Sondershausen – Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
• Principality of Lippe – Woldemar, Prince of Lippe
• Reuss Elder Line – Heinrich XXII, Prince Reuss of Greiz
• Reuss Younger Line – Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line
• Waldeck and Pyrmont – George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont to 12 May, then 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 – Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to 22 August, then Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 23 August
• Duke of Saxe-Meiningen – Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

  Colonial Governors

• Cameroon – Eugen von Zimmerer ' to 27 June, then Leist
• German East Africa – Julius Freiherr von Soden to 15 September, then Friedrich Radbod Freiher von Schele
• German New Guinea – Georg Schmiele ''
• German South-West Africa – Curt von François '
• Togoland – Jesko von Puttkamer ' '

  Events

• 15 June – In the federal election the Social Democratic Party of Germany come top with 1.7 million votes but still only finish fourth overall in terms of seats, behind the Centre Party, German Conservative Party and the National Liberal Party. Anti-Semitic parties see their vote share increase five times over.

  Undated

• Cholera Riots break out in Hamburg resulting in the deaths of a sanitary officer and a policeman. The riots are eventually quashed by bayonet-wielding troops.
• Eugen Richter leads his followers in a split from the German Free-minded Party to form the Free-minded People's Party.

  Arts

• 23 December – Engelbert Humperdinck's opera Hänsel und Gretel receives its premiere in Weimar.

  Undated

• Franz Kaim establishes the Munich Philharmonic.
• Johannes Brahms completes his Six Pieces for Piano, Op. 118.
• Oskar Panizza publishes the novel The Operated Jew, a satirical, anti-Semitic novel with scientific racism overtones.

  Commerce

• 20 June – Zentis, a confectionery and preserve concern, begins trading in Aachen.
• 1 September – Franz Ramesohl and Franz Schmidt open a milk separator-producing workshop under the name of Ramesohl & Schmidt oHG in Oelde. The workshop forms the basis of the still extant company GEA Westfalia Separator.

  Science

• Rudolf Diesel operates the first successful diesel engine.
• Wilhelm Dörpfeld begins his excavations on the site of the ancient city of Troy.
• Wilhelm Wien formulates Wien's displacement law.

  Sport

Association football clubs established

• 6 March – Leipziger BC 1893
• 10 May – Minerva Berlin
• 2 July – TSF Ditzingen
• 29 July – Altonaer FC von 1893
• 9 September – Stuttgarter Fußballverein
• 1 October – SV Nord Wedding 1893
• 18 November – Akademischer SC 1893 Berlin
• 22 November – Berliner Fussball Club vom Jahre 1893
• November – Sportbrüder Leipzig

  Date unknown

• FC Association 1893 Hamburg
• FC Hanau 93
• KSV Hessen Kassel
• VfB Einheit zu Pankow

  Transport

• The Bremer Vulkan shipbuilding company opens at the Johann Lange shipyard in Bremen.
• The Prussian S 3 steam locomotive begins production.
• First flight of Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat by Otto Lilienthal

  Births

• 2 January – Walter Hörnlein, Wehrmacht general
• 12 January:
• * Hermann Göring, World War I fighter ace and Reichsmarschall of Nazi Germany
• * Alfred Rosenberg, Nazi ideologue
• 15 January – George of Saxony, Crown prince of Saxony
• 18 January:
• * Wolfgang Klemperer, Austro-American scientist
• * Hans Schlemmer, Wehrmacht general
• 19 January – Johannes Dieckmann, politician
• 22 January – Otto Herfurth, Wehrmacht general and July 20 conspirator

• 8 February – Werner Willikens, German politician
• 13 February – Franz Brandt, World War I flying ace
• 17 February:
• * Gustav Höhne, Wehrmacht general
• * Wolff von Stutterheim, Wehrmacht general
• 21 February – Friedrich Manschott, World War I German flying ace
• 26 February – Otto Kissenberth, World War I German flying ace
• 28 February – Gerhard Roßbach, Freikorps leader

• 6 March – Fritz Otto Bernert, World War I German flying ace
• 12 March – Erwin Planck, German politician
• 16 March – Herbert von Bose, German publicist
• 20 March – Kurt Wissemann, World War I German flying ace
• 21 March – Walter Schreiber, Austro-Hungarian Imperial Army and Wehrmacht general
• 23 March – Andreas von Aulock, Imperial Army officer and Wehrmacht general
• 24 March:
• * Walter Baade, German astronomer
• * Emmy Göring, German actress
• 30 March – Theodor Krancke, Kriegsmarine admiral

• 3 April – Hans Riegel, Sr., German inventor entrepreneur
• 6 April:
• * Friedrich Karl of Prussia, Prince of Prussia
• * Alfred Gerstenberg, Luftwaffe general
• 13 April – Günther Krappe, Wehrmacht officer
• 17 April – Maximilian von Herff, Waffen-SS officer
• 18 April – Johann Mickl, Austrian Imperial Army officer and Wehrmacht general
• 23 April – Thomas-Emil von Wickede, Wehrmacht general
• 25 April – Ernst Torgler, German politician
• 29 April – Johann Reichhart, German executioner
• 30 April – Viktor Schobinger, German flying ace in both world wars
• 30 April – Joachim von Ribbentrop, German politician

• 6 May – Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf, German politician
• 11 May – Augustin Rösch, German Catholic priest
• 12 May – Hasso von Wedel, World War I German flying ace
• 14 May – Joachim von Busse, World War I German flying ace
• 17 May – Hans von Häbler, World War I German flying ace
• 19 May – Karl Thom, World War I German flying ace
• 20 May – Helmuth Schlömer, Wehrmacht general
• 25 May – Mortimer von Kessel, Wehrmacht general
• 27 May:
• * Hermann Dörnemann, German supercentenarian
• * Paul Helwig, Germany psychologist

• 6 June – Karl von Graffen, Wehrmacht general
• 10 June – Rudolf Querner, Waffen-SS general
• 13 June – Reinhold Tiling, German engineer
• 20 June – Wilhelm Zaisser, East German politician
• 22 June:
• * Friedrich Köchling, Wehrmacht general
• * Conrad Veidt, German-American actor
• 24 June – Albert Graf von der Goltz, German aristocrat and Wehrmacht officer
• 26 June – Karl Freiherr von Thüngen, German general
• 30 June – Walter Ulbricht, East German politician

• 6 July – Hans Böhning, World War I German flying ace
• 9 July – Max Ritter von Mulzer, World War I German flying ace
• 15 July – William Dieterle, actor and film director
• 18 July – Werner Lange, Kriegsmarine admiral
• 20 July – Arno von Lenski, German officer
• 21 July – Hans Fallada, German writer
• 23 July – Adolf Fischer, Wehrmacht general
• 26 July – George Grosz, painter

• 1 August – Friedrich Zickwolff, Wehrmacht general
• 7 August:
• * Hans-Georg von der Marwitz, World War I German flying ace
• * Günther Rittau, German film director
• 9 August – Ferdinand Schumann-Heink, German actor
• 16 August – Hans Koch, lawyer
• 17 August – Walter Noddack, chemist
• 22 August – Ernst Sieler, general
• 22 August – Ernst Waldow, actor
• 24 August – Haim Ernst Wertheimer biochemist
• 25 August – Oskar Freiherr von Boenigk, flying ace and general
• 26 August – Rolf Wuthmann, general

• 4 September – Friedrich Karst, general
• 7 September – Ernst Schirlitz, admiral
• 12 September – Wolfgang Zeller, composer
• 17 September – Willibald Borowietz, general
• 20 September – Hans Scharoun, architect
• 21 September – Erna Scheffler, judge
• 22 September – Hans Leip poet and playwright
• 29 September – Friedrich Ritter von Röth, flying ace
• 30 September – Otto Wernicke, actor

• 9 October – Heinrich George, actor
• 12 October – Hans von Greiffenberg, general
• 13 October – Kurt Reidemeister, mathematician
• 16 October – Adolf Kratzer, physicist
• 21 October – Werner Richter, general
• 30 October:
• * Roland Freisler, judge
• * Karl von Oberkamp, general

• 6 November – Alfred Schulze-Hinrichs, naval officer
• 10 November – Martin Hering, entomologist
• 14 November – Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, nobleman
• 19 November – Rudolf Freiherr von Roman, general

• 1 December – Ernst Toller, playwright
• 7 December – Hermann Balck, general
• 8 December – Albert Brendel, officer
• 9 December – Albert Abicht, politician
• 20 December – Ernst Pfeiffer, entomologist
• 23 December – Walther von Axthelm, general
• 26 December – Josef Rieder, cyclist
• 31 December – Friedrich Christian, Margrave of Meissen, nobleman

  Deaths

• 30 January – Victor I, Duke of Ratibor, nobleman
• 14 February – Ludwig Lindenschmit the Elder, painter
• 18 February – Gerson von Bleichröder, banker
• 24 February – Karl Anton Eugen Prantl, botanist
• 25 April – Hermann Gundert, missionary
• 3 May – Adolf Kiessling, philologist
• 8 May – Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
• 12 May – George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
• 14 May – Ernst Kummer, mathematician
• 6 June – Karl Josef von Hefele, theologian
• 7 June – Hermann Julius Grüneberg, chemist
• 12 June – Duke Maximilian Emanuel in Bavaria, nobleman
• 14 June – Jakob Frohschammer, philosopher
• 19 June – Hermann Baumgarten, historian
• 23 June – Rudolf von Roth, indologist
• 8 July – Eduard von Lutz, general
• 5 August – Friedrich Wilhelm Adami, author
• 22 August – Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
• 26 August – Friedrich Gustav Carl Ulrich Franz von Schnehen, nobleman
• 15 September – Hermann Sauppe, philologist
• 7 October – Maximilian von Versen, nobleman
• 12 October – Georg von Kameke, general
• 29 October – Gustav Mützel, artist
• 9 November – Hermann August Hagen, entomologist
• 21 November – Rudolf Kaltenbach, gynaecologist
• 25 November – Johann Bauschinger, mathematician
• 11 December – Georg von der Gabelentz, linguist
• 15 December – Karl Ludwig Michelet, philosopher