Our State

Baden-Württemberg is poor in natural resources, but its population is overflowing with ingenuity, inventive spirit and an appetite for hard work. The people have made Germany’s Southwest one of the world‘s most successful regions. Characteristic of Baden-Württemberg are its diverse and varied landscapes and its outstanding quality of life.

Baden-Württemberg is the only Federal State created as the result of a referendum. In 1952, the States of Württemberg-Baden, Baden and Württemberg-Hohenzollern merged to form a single cohesive State in Germany’s southwest. But the eventful history of the individual states in the Southwest stretches back much further.

Baden-Württemberg’s unity and diversity are expressed in the State coat of arms, which revisits the historic origins of Baden-Württemberg and symbolically unites them in one cohesive emblem.

Alongside the functions of the State Government, Baden-Württemberg’s constitution also regulates the rights and obligations of the State Parliament, the State Court of Justice and the State Accounting Office. The division of power is focal to our democracy.

The administration in Baden-Württemberg operates on a three-tier system with the ministries at the top. The next tier down comprises the four regional commissioners. Beyond this, Baden-Württemberg is broken down into 35 rural districts and 9 urban districts, and 1,101 local authorities, which form the lower administrative tier.

Together with the population, the State Government aims to create a Baden-Württemberg which is fit for the future, successful, astute, fair and in touch with the people. The policy of the State Government is founded on the twin precepts of renewal and preservation.