Try it for yourself
200The north of the former GDR

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania lay in the north of the GDR.

Today’s state on the Baltic Sea belongs to the group sought here. Schleswig-Holstein is also in northern Germany, but belonged to the other German state.

About 4 min readReviewed: 20 October 2026
AI-generated empty wooden bench among coastal grasses overlooking a sandy beach and the sea.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State ParliamentState founding in 1990
A fictional coastal scene, not a documented location on Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Baltic coast.
The short answer

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The territory of present-day Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania belonged to the GDR. The former districts of Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg help identify it. The state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was re-established in 1990.

Try it for yourselfExam question · No. 200
Which current German federal state formerly belonged to the territory of the GDR?

Choose one answer. Your result stays on this page only.

Northern Germany did not belong to only one state.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania lies in northeastern Germany on the Baltic Sea. For the historical exam question, however, compass direction alone is not decisive: its territory lay in the GDR, while Schleswig-Holstein belonged to the Federal Republic. “In the north” is therefore not a complete answer.

In 1952, the then state of Mecklenburg, including Western Pomerania, was dissolved. It was largely replaced by the districts of Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg. Today’s federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was established in 1990. The question uses that present-day name for the historical classification.

Three fictional adults with short white hair, long copper curls and a short black bob study at a park table.
An AI-generated present-day study group without an attributed origin or historical role.

The other three answers

The other states belonged to the Federal Republic before reunification.

Hesse

Hesse was already part of the Federal Republic of 1949. It is not among the five states formed in 1990 on former GDR territory.

Schleswig-Holstein

After the war, Schleswig-Holstein belonged to the British occupation zone and from 1949 to the Federal Republic. Its northern location does not make it former GDR territory.

Saarland

Saarland joined the Federal Republic in 1957. That earlier West German accession must be distinguished from the changes on GDR territory in 1990.

The full name identifies one present-day federal state.

Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania are joined in today’s state name. The exam answer means the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, not two separate states. The English name also refers to this one state.

The three district names provide historical orientation, not a claim of completely unchanged boundaries. A region’s former state affiliation likewise says nothing about the personal views of its present-day residents.

State founding in 1990 · Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Parliament ↗
Your memory cue

Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg: northern GDR region, today Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Always add former state affiliation to geographical orientation.

Three words for this question

Mecklenburg-VorpommernMecklenburg-Western Pomerania
The full name of the federal state sought here.
die OstseeBaltic Sea
The sea along Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s northern coast.
die Zugehörigkeitaffiliation / belonging
Here, the classification of a territory as part of a particular state.
Landtag Mecklenburg-Vorpommern · Rückblick: Geburt des Landtages ↗

The complete group includes other states on former GDR territory.

192Which current German federal state formerly belonged to the territory of the GDR?
Catalogue answer

Brandenburg

Brandenburg also belongs to this group of five states.

198Which current German federal state formerly belonged to the territory of the GDR?
Catalogue answer

Saxony

Saxony is another of the five states of 1990.

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Sources & context

An independently written study guide, not an official BAMF publication or advice for an individual case. The sources below were reviewed on 20 October 2026 for the claims explained here; the test question comes from the existing question bank.

The two editorial pictures are AI-generated illustrations. They do not document real events or official proceedings.