Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
After this guide, you will know where Baden-Württemberg is, which city is its capital, what its flag and coat of arms look like, how the state is governed and where to find information about politics.
The state and its capital
Baden-Württemberg is a federal state (Bundesland) in the south-west of Germany. Germany has 16 states, and each state has its own government.
The city that is the state capital (Landeshauptstadt) is where the state government has its seat. The capital of Baden-Württemberg is Stuttgart.
Coat of arms and flag
Baden-Württemberg has its own coat of arms (Wappen) and its own state flag (Landesflagge). The coat of arms is the official sign of the state. Look closely at the coat of arms in the picture question so you can recognise it.
The state flag has the two colours black and gold (schwarz-gold). These are the colours of the flag of Baden-Württemberg.
State parliament and government
Each state has a state parliament (Landtag). Its members are elected by the people, and the parliament makes the laws for the state. In Baden-Württemberg, the state parliament election (Landtagswahl) takes place every five years.
The head of the state government is called the minister-president (Ministerpräsident). A minister-president is not a mayor, because a mayor leads only one city or municipality.
The state has several ministries, for example:
- Minister of Finance (Finanzminister): responsible for the state budget.
- Minister of Justice (Justizminister): responsible for the courts and the state's legal system.
- Minister of the Interior (Innenminister): responsible for the police and public safety in the state.
Districts, municipalities and local elections
A state is divided into districts (Landkreis) and some independent cities. Each district contains several municipalities (Gemeinde). For example, the Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis is a district in Baden-Württemberg.
In local elections (Kommunalwahl) in Baden-Württemberg, people aged 16 and over may vote. The state's law sets this age, so it can differ between states.
To learn about political topics in Baden-Württemberg, you can go to the State Agency for Civic Education (Landeszentrale für politische Bildung). It is an agency of the state that gives neutral information. It is not a municipal office or a church.