The Province of Hanover was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1866 to 1946. During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, along with some other member states of the German Confederation. After Hanover voted in favour of mobilising confederation troops against Prussia on 14 June 1866, Prussia saw this as a just cause for declaring war; the Kingdom of Hanover was soon dissolved and annexed by Prussia. The private wealth of the dethroned House of Hanover was then used by Otto von Bismarck to finance his continuing efforts against Ludwig II of Bavaria. In August 1946, the British military administration recreated the State of Hanover based on the former Kingdom of Hanover but, three months later, it was merged into the new state (Bundesland) of Lower Saxony along with the states of Oldenburg, Brunswick, and Schaumburg-Lippe, with the city of Hanover as the capital of this new state.

Hanoverian regions

Hanover was subdivided into six regions first called Landdrostei[en] (High-Bailiwick[s]), which were reorganised into Prussian standard Regierungsbezirke (governorates) on 1 April 1885.

Administrative divisions from 1885

On 1 April 1885 the six Landdrosteien were turned into regional administrative districts called Regierungsbezirke: The Regierungsbezirke were subdivided into new urban and rural counties (Stadtkreise and Landkreise), the old Amt structure being disbanded. Where the name of the county town differs from that of the county, it is shown in brackets:

Regierungsbezirk Aurich

Stadtkreise

Landkreise

Regierungsbezirk Hannover

Stadtkreise

Landkreise

Regierungsbezirk Hildesheim

Stadtkreise

Landkreise

Regierungsbezirk Lüneburg

Stadtkreise

Landkreise

Regierungsbezirk Osnabrück

Stadtkreise

Landkreise

Regierungsbezirk Stade

Stadtkreise

Landkreise

Presidents of the Province of Hanover

The heads of the provinces, appointed by the central Prussian government, were called Oberpräsident (Upper President). The provincial executive, the Landesdirektor (provincial director), was elected by the provincial parliament (Provinziallandtag).