Landtag of Baden-Württemberg

The Baden-Württemberg State Parliament is rooted in a tradition of democratic predecessors. During the Weimar Republic, these were the State Parliament of the Republic of Baden and the State Parliament of the Free People's State of Württemberg. Following the end of World War II, three states were established in the territory that would later become Baden-Württemberg: Baden, Württemberg-Hohenzollern, and Württemberg-Baden. The Consultative State Assembly and the State Parliament of Baden convened from 1946 to 1952 in the Historical Merchants' Hall in Freiburg im Breisgau. The Historic Merchants' Hall, a notable Gothic building, served as a significant venue due to its historical and cultural importance in the region. Karl Person served as President of the Baden State Parliament from 1947 to 1951. The State Parliament of Württemberg-Hohenzollern initially met in 1946 as a Consultative State Assembly in the Bebenhausen Abbey in Tübingen. The choice of the Bebenhausen Monastery, a former Cistercian abbey, reflected the region’s historical heritage and its temporary use for governmental functions. Karl Gengler was the President of the Württemberg-Hohenzollern State Parliament from 1947 to 1952. The Constitutional State Assembly and the State Parliament of Württemberg-Baden held their sessions from 1946 to 1952 in Stuttgart. Stuttgart, as the administrative and economic hub of the region, was a natural choice for these assemblies. The presidents of the Württemberg-Baden State Parliament were Wilhelm Simpfendörfer in 1946 and Wilhelm Keil from 1947 to 1952. From 1947, the sessions took place in the Eduard-Pfeiffer-Haus, built in 1889 by the Workers’ Home Foundation, located at Heusteigstrasse 45 in Stuttgart. This building, designed to support workers’ welfare, was a fitting symbol of post-war reconstruction efforts. The Baden-Württemberg State Parliament continued to use this building until 1961. After 1961, the State Parliament moved to a new, purpose-built parliament building in Stuttgart, reflecting the growing needs of the unified state. == Building ==

The facilities of the Baden-Württemberg State Parliament consist of two main structures: the square-shaped Parliament House, completed in 1961 and situated in the upper Schlossgarten, and the House of Representatives, inaugurated in 1987 on the opposite side of Konrad-Adenauer-Strasse. These are linked by an underground pedestrian tunnel for convenient access. The Parliament House holds historical significance as the first purpose-built parliamentary structure in Europe following World War II and is designated as a protected landmark. It was constructed under the direction of architects Erwin Heinle, a Stuttgart-based professor, and Horst Linde, head of the building administration at the time, based on a design by Kurt Viertel from Mainz. Notably, the initial winning proposal by Peter C. von Seidlein and Ulrich Schmidt von Altenstadt was instead implemented in 1964 as a university facility in Tübingen. The interiors of both buildings feature prominent artworks by renowned artists. From autumn 2013 through spring 2016, the Parliament House underwent a comprehensive modernization and refurbishment by Berlin's Staab Architekten at a cost of 52.1 million euros. The project focused on enhancing energy efficiency, updating technical systems, and redesigning the plenary hall's roof to introduce natural daylight, which had previously been absent. Architect Volker Staab was awarded the Hugo-Häring-Prize in 2018 for this overhaul. During the construction period, parliamentary sessions were relocated to the Kunstgebäude from September 25, 2013, until spring 2016. The inaugural session of the 16th Baden-Württemberg State Parliament took place in the revamped Parliament House on May 11, 2016. == 17th legislative period ==

Following the Baden-Württemberg state election on March 14, 2021, the initial seat distribution for the 17th legislative period (May 1, 2021–April 30, 2026) was as follows: Elections are conducted using a mixed-member proportional representation system, with a minimum of 5% vote share to receive any seats. However, there are some exceptions, making the Baden-Württemberg election system one of the most complicated in Germany. The minimum size of the Landtag is 120 members, of which 70 members are elected in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post voting, and 50 are pulled from the party lists according to the principle of proportional representation. Overhang and levelling seats may be added. The main difference in their electoral system compared to the federal Bundestag is that there are no list members, making all members local. Proportionality is maintained by parties awarding remaining seats to candidates within a party who didn't win a geographic district (a , or "second mandate") ordered by most to least popular (e.g. a candidate losing with 47% of the vote would be placed ahead of a candidate losing with 20% of votes in their district). This does mean that a candidate who placed second within their district isn't guaranteed a seat, if other losers in their party were more popular and if their party only needs a small number of seats to maintain proportionality. ==Presidents of the Landtag==

So far, the presidents of the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg have been: • 1952–1960 Carl Neinhaus, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) • 1960–1968 Franz Gurk, CDU • 1968–1976 Camill Wurz, CDU • 1976–1980 Erich Ganzenmüller, CDU • 1980–1982 Lothar Gaa, CDU • 1982–1992 Erich Schneider, CDU • 1992–1996 Fritz Hopmeier, CDU • 1996–2011 Peter Straub, CDU • 2011 Willi Stächele, CDU • 2011–2015 Guido Wolf, CDU • 2015-2016 Wilfried Klenk, CDU • 2016–present Muhterem Aras, Alliance 90/The Greens In the 17th legislative period, there are two vice presidents, after the parliament had only one vice president in the 16th legislative period. == Historical composition ==

BW Landtagswahl 1952.svg|1st Landtag, following 1952 election BW Landtagswahl 1956.svg|2nd Landtag, following 1958 election BW Landtagswahl 1960.svg|3rd Landtag, following 1960 election BW Landtagswahl 1964.svg|4th Landtag, following 1964 election BW Landtagswahl 1968.svg|5th Landtag, following 1968 election BW Landtagswahl 1972.svg|6th Landtag, following 1972 election BW Landtagswahl 1976.svg|7th Landtag, following 1976 election 1980 Baden-Württemberg Landtag.svg|8th Landtag, following 1980 election 1984 Baden-Württemberg Landtag.svg|9th Landtag, following 1984 election 1988 Baden-Württemberg Landtag.svg|10th Landtag, following 1988 election 1992 Baden-Württemberg Landtag.svg|11th Landtag, following 1992 election 1996 Baden-Württemberg Landtag.svg|12th Landtag, following 1996 election 2001 Baden-Württemberg Landtag.svg|13th Landtag, following 2001 election 2006 Baden-Württemberg Landtag.svg|14th Landtag, following 2006 election 2011 Baden-Württemberg Landtag.svg|15th Landtag, following 2011 election 2016 Baden-Württemberg Landtag.svg|16th Landtag, following 2016 election 2021 Baden-Württemberg Landtag.svg|17th Landtag, following 2021 election ==See also==