Gauliga Hessen
Encyclopedia
| Gauliga Hessen |
|---|
| Gauliga Kurhessen |
| Founded |
| 1933 |
| Disbanded |
| 1945 |
| Nation |
 Nazi Germany Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by... |
 |
| State States of Germany Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries... & Province Provinces of Prussia The Provinces of Prussia constituted the main administrative divisions of Prussia. Following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 and the Congress of Vienna in 1815 the various princely states in Germany gained their nominal sovereignty, but the reunification process that culminated in... |
| People's State of Hesse |
| Hesse-Nassau |
| Gau (from 1934) |
| Electoral Hesse |
| Number of Seasons |
| 12 |
| Replaced by |
| Oberliga Süd Oberliga Süd (1945-63) The Oberliga Süd was the highest level of the German football league system in the south of Germany from 1945 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963.It covered the three states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hessen.-Overview:... |
| Level on Pyramid |
| Level 1 German football league system The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to a series of hierarchically interconnected leagues for association football clubs in Germany that consists of over 2,300 men's divisions, in which all leagues are bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation... |
| Domestic Cup |
| Tschammerpokal DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga... |
| Last Champions 1943-44 |
| Reichsbahn SG Borussia Fulda Borussia Fulda Borussia Fulda is a German association football club from Fulda, Hesse. The club was founded 4 July 1904 as FC Borussia 1904 Fulda and underwent a number of changes in 1923 when they were first joined by Radsportclub 1907 Fulda in July, and then by Kraftsportklub Germania Fulda in September. On 6... |
The Gauliga Hessen was the highest football league in the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
state of Hesse and the Prussian
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
province of Hesse-Nassau from 1933 to 1945. From 1941, it was renamed Gauliga Kurhessen. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the Gau Electoral Hesse replaced the Prussian province and the Peoples State.
Overview
The league was introduced in 1933, after the Nazi take over of powerMachtergreifung
Machtergreifung is a German word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi takeover of power in the democratic Weimar Republic on 30 January 1933, the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, turning it into the Nazi German dictatorship.-Term:The...
in Germany and Baden. It replaced the Bezirksliga
Bezirksklasse
The Bezirksliga, Bezirksklasse or Landesklasse is the 8th tier of football in Germany. The Bezirksliga exists in all regions of German football. Below the Bezirksliga usually ranks the Kreisliga...
as the highest level of play in German football competitions.
The Gauliga Hessen was established with ten clubs, all from the region of Hesse.
The Gauliga replaced as such the Bezirksliga Main-Hessen
Bezirksliga Main-Hessen
The Bezirksliga Main-Hessen was the highest association football league in the German state of Hesse and the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau from 1927 to 1933...
and Bezirksliga Hessen-Hannover, the highest leagues in the region until then. As such, it mixed clubs which had previously belonged to different Football Associations, the Southern German FA (Main/Hessen) and the West German FA (Hessen/Hannover).
The region it covered was never particularly successful in German football and this didn't change with the establishment of the Gauliga. No club from this league reached any German cup or championship final in this period.
In its first season, the league had ten clubs, playing each other once at home and once away. The league winner qualified for the German championship
German football champions
The German football champions are the annual winners of the highest association football competition in Germany. The history of the German football championship is complex and reflects the turbulent history of the country through the course of the 20th century.Brought to the country by English...
while the bottom two teams were relegated. The league remained unchanged until the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
In 1939-40 and 1940-41, the league played in two separate groups of six teams with a home-and-away final at the end to determined the leagues champion.
In 1941, the league returned to a single-division format and renamed Gauliga Kurhessen, but with only nine clubs. Also, some of the clubs from the south, like FC Hanau 93
FC Hanau 93
FC Hanau 93 is a German association football club based in Hanau, Hesse.-Early history:Founded in 1893, the club is Hesse's oldest. In its first year, the club was winless in a half dozen matches, but the next season emerged as south German champion and earned an appearance in a national...
, left the league for the new Gauliga Hessen-Nassau. The 1942-43 season was played in the same modus.
The worsening war situation and lack of players forced many clubs to merge and form KSG's, Kriegsspielgemeinschaften (combined wartime side) and therefore the league only had seven clubs in 1943-44.
For the Gauligas final season, it was split in three regional divisions with a varying number of clubs.
The imminent collapse of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in 1945 gravely affected all Gauligas and football in Hessen ceased in early 1945 with none of the groups having absolved their full program.
With the end of the Nazi era, the Gauligas ceased to exist. In the US occupation zone
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
, which the newly created federal state of Hessen was part of, the Oberliga Süd
Oberliga Süd (1945-63)
The Oberliga Süd was the highest level of the German football league system in the south of Germany from 1945 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963.It covered the three states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hessen.-Overview:...
was formed in late 1945, to replace this league.
Founding members of the league
The ten founding members and their positions in the 1932-33 Bezirksliga Main/Hessen and Bezirksliga Hessen/Hannover season were:- Borussia FuldaBorussia FuldaBorussia Fulda is a German association football club from Fulda, Hesse. The club was founded 4 July 1904 as FC Borussia 1904 Fulda and underwent a number of changes in 1923 when they were first joined by Radsportclub 1907 Fulda in July, and then by Kraftsportklub Germania Fulda in September. On 6...
, winner Hessen division - VfB Friedberg, 10th Main division
- FC Hanau 93FC Hanau 93FC Hanau 93 is a German association football club based in Hanau, Hesse.-Early history:Founded in 1893, the club is Hesse's oldest. In its first year, the club was winless in a half dozen matches, but the next season emerged as south German champion and earned an appearance in a national...
, 9th Main division - Kurhessen Kassel, Hessen division
- CSC 03 Kassel, Hessen division
- SG Hessen Hersfeld, Hessen division
- SV 06 Kassel, Hessen division
- BC Sport Kassel, Hessen division
- VfB MarburgVfB MarburgVfB Marburg is a German football club based in Marburg, Hesse, currently playing in the Hessenliga.- History :VfB Marburg was established on 13 May 1905 as Marburger Fußball Club and in its first two years boasted over 100 members...
, Hessen division - Hermannia Kassel, Hessen division
Winners and runners-up of the Gauliga Hessen
| Season | Winner | Runner-Up |
| 1933-34 | Borussia Fulda | VfB Friedberg |
| 1934-35 | FC Hanau 93 | Borussia Fulda |
| 1935-36 | FC Hanau 93 | Borussia Fulda |
| 1936-37 | SV 06 Kassel | SG Hessen Hersfeld |
| 1937-38 | FC Hanau 93 | CSC 03 Kassel |
| 1938-39 | CSC 03 Kassel | FC Hanau 93 |
| 1939-40 | CSC 03 Kassel | FC Hanau 93 |
| 1940-41 | Borussia Fulda | BC Sport Kassel |
| 1941-42 | Borussia Fulda | Kurhessen Kassel |
| 1942-43 | SV 06 Kassel | VfL Marburg |
| 1943-44 | Reichsbahn SG Borussia Fulda | SV Niederzwehren |
Placings in the Gauliga Hessen and Kurhessen 1933-44
| Club | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borussia Fulda Borussia Fulda Borussia Fulda is a German association football club from Fulda, Hesse. The club was founded 4 July 1904 as FC Borussia 1904 Fulda and underwent a number of changes in 1923 when they were first joined by Radsportclub 1907 Fulda in July, and then by Kraftsportklub Germania Fulda in September. On 6... 3 |
1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| VfB Friedberg | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 6 | |||||
| FC Hanau 93 FC Hanau 93 FC Hanau 93 is a German association football club based in Hanau, Hesse.-Early history:Founded in 1893, the club is Hesse's oldest. In its first year, the club was winless in a half dozen matches, but the next season emerged as south German champion and earned an appearance in a national... 1 |
3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Kurhessen Kassel 2 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 7 | |||
| CSC 03 Kassel 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | |
| SG Hessen Hersfeld | 6 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | ||||
| SV 06 Kassel | 7 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| BC Sport Kassel 2 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||
| VfB Marburg VfB Marburg VfB Marburg is a German football club based in Marburg, Hesse, currently playing in the Hessenliga.- History :VfB Marburg was established on 13 May 1905 as Marburger Fußball Club and in its first two years boasted over 100 members... |
9 | 6 | 9 | ||||||||
| Hermania Kassel | 10 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | ||||||
| Germania Fulda | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | |||||||
| SpVgg Langenselbold | 9 | 6 | |||||||||
| SV Bad Nauheim | 10 | ||||||||||
| Kewa Wachenbuchen | 4 | 7 | 10 | 6 | |||||||
| SV Niederzwehren | 10 | 9 | 2 | ||||||||
| VfB Großauheim 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
| Dunlop Hanau 1 | 8 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| VfL/TuRa Kassel 2 | 6 | ||||||||||
| TSV 1860 Hanau 1 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||
| VfL Marburg VfL Marburg VfL Marburg is the oldest sports club of the Universitätsstadt Marburg, Germany, having been established in 1860 as a gymnastics club.- Sporting spectrum :... |
6 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||
| BV 06 Kassel 2 | 7 | 8 | |||||||||
| SV Petersberg | 9 | ||||||||||
| KSG Kurhessen/SC 03 Kassel 2 | 3 | ||||||||||
| KSG TuRa/TuSpo 86/09 Kassel 2 | 7 | ||||||||||
| KSG BC Sport/BV 06 Kassel 2 | 8 | ||||||||||
Source:
- 1 These four clubs joined the new Gauliga Hessen-Nassau in 1941.
- 2 In 1943, a number of clubs from Kassel formed “war sport unions” (German: KSG), those being:
- Kurhessen and SC 03 formed KSG Kurhessen/SC 03 Kassel.
- TuRa and TuSpo formed KSG TuRa/TuSpo 86/09 Kassel.
- BC Sport and BV 06 formed KSG BC Sport/BV 06 Kassel.
- 3 Played in 1943-44 as Reichsbahn SG Borussia Fulda.
Sources
- Die deutschen Gauligen 1933-45 - Heft 1-3 Tables of the Gauligas 1933-45, publisher: DSFS
- Kicker Almanach, The yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the Kicker Sports MagazineKicker (sports magazine)kicker Sportmagazin is Germany's leading sports magazine and is focused primarily on football. The magazine was founded in 1920 by German football pioneer Walther Bensemann and is published twice a week, usually Monday and Thursday, in Nuremberg...
- Süddeutschlands Fussballgeschichte in Tabellenform 1897-1988 History of Southern German football in tables, publisher & author: Ludolf Hyll
External links
The Gauligas Das Deutsche Fussball Archiv- Germany - Championships 1902-1945 at RSSSF.com