1917 in Germany
Events in the year 1917 in Germany.Incumbents
National level
Kingdoms
- King of Bavaria – Ludwig III of Bavaria
- King of Prussia – Kaiser Wilhelm II
- King of Saxony – Frederick Augustus III of Saxony
- King of Württemberg – William II of Württemberg
Grand Duchies
- Grand Duke of Baden – Frederick II
- Grand Duke of Hesse – Ernest Louis
- Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin – Frederick Francis IV
- Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Adolphus Frederick VI
- Grand Duke of Oldenburg – Frederick Augustus II
- Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach – William Ernest
Principalities
- Schaumburg-Lippe – Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
- Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt – Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg
- Schwarzburg-Sondershausen – Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg
- Principality of Lippe – Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe
- Reuss Elder Line – Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss of Greiz
- Reuss Younger Line – Heinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line
- Waldeck and Pyrmont – Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Duchies
- Duke of Anhalt – Frederick II, Duke of Anhalt
- Duke of Brunswick – Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick
- Duke of Saxe-Altenburg – Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
- Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
- Duke of Saxe-Meiningen – Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Colonial Governor
- German East Africa – Albert Heinrich Schnee, although much of territory under Allied occupation.
Events
- January/February – Turnip Winter
- 19 January – Zimmermann Telegram
- 13 February – Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Psychiatrie in Munich is officially founded.
- 13 March – German Leather Museum in Offenbach am Main opened by Hugo Eberhardt
- 2 April – United States declaration of war on Germany
- 1 October – The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Physik is officially founded in Berlin.
- 25 October – Hertling cabinet
- 18 December – German filmcompany UFA GmbH is founded in Berlin.
- 22 December – Deutsches Institut für Normung is founded.
Undated
- German company Viessmann is founded.
- German company Leoni AG is founded.
Births
- 5 January – Wieland Wagner, German opera director
- 24 March – Krafft Arnold Ehricke, German rocket-propulsion engineer and advocate for space colonization
- 9 April – Johannes Bobrowski, German poet and writer
- 16 May – Ulrich Matschoss, German actor
- 2 June – Heinz Sielmann, German zoologist, biologist and filmmaker
- 6 September – Philipp von Boeselager, German resistance fighter
- 12 September – Jürgen Seydel, German karateka
- 15 December – Karl-Günther von Hase, German diplomat and journalist
- 21 December – Heinrich Böll, German writer
- 23 December – Armin Zimmermann, German admiral
Deaths
- 23 January – Jesko von Puttkamer, German nobelman and colonial military chief
- 16 February – August Rauber, German anatomist
- 8 March – Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German general and aircraft manufacturer
- 14 March – Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, Prussian princess
- 17 March – Franz Brentano, German philosopher, psychologist, and priest
- 21 March – Alfred Einhorn, German chemist
- 31 March – Emil von Behring, German physiologist who received the 1901 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- 6 April:
- *Hans Berr, soldier turned World War I flying ace
- *Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, German Prussian King
- 14 April – Hartmuth Baldamus, German World War I flying ace
- 21 April – Bernd von Arnim, German naval officer
- 24 April – Oscar Blumenthal, German playwright
- 17 June – Karl Zilgas, German football player
- 27 June – Karl Allmenröder, German World War I flying ace
- 27 June - Gustav von Schmoller, German economist
- 3 August - Ferdinand Georg Frobenius, German mathematician
- 13 August – Eduard Buchner, German chemist and zymologist
- 15 August – Gustav Körte, German archaeologist
- 16 August – Wilhelm Morgner, German painter
- 20 August – Adolf von Baeyer, German chemist
- 15 September – Kurt Wolff, German aviator
- 28 September – Kurt Wissemann, German World War I flying ace
- 25 October:
- * Maximilian Bayer, German founder of Scouting in Germany
- * Hans Olde, German painter
- 15 November – Hans Ritter von Adam, German flying ace in World War I
- 20 November – Ludwig Sütterlin, German graphic artist
