German units of measurement

The units of measurement of German-speaking countries consist of a variety of units, with varying local standard definitions. While many were made redundant with the introduction of the metric system, some of these units are still used in everyday speech and even in stores and on street markets as shorthand for similar amounts in the metric system. For example, some customers ask for one pound (ein Pfund) of something when they want 500 grams.

The metric system became compulsory on 1 January 1872, in Germany, and on 1 January 1876, in Austria.[1]

Some obsolete German units have names similar to units that were traditionally used in other countries, and that are still used in a limited number of cases in both the United Kingdom (imperial units) and the United States (United States customary units).

German system

Before the introduction of the metric system in Germany, almost every town had its own definitions of the units shown below. Often, towns posted local definitions on a wall of the city hall. For example, the front wall of the old city hall of Rudolstadt (still standing) has two marks that show the "Rudolstädter Elle", the proper length of the Elle in that city. Supposedly, by 1810, there were 112 different standards for the Elle around Germany.

"... the measure of cloth, for example, was elle which in each region stood for a different length. An elle of textile material brought in Frankfurt would get you 54.7 cm of cloth, in Mainz 55.1 cm, in Nuremberg 65.6 cm, in Freiburg 53.5 cm ..."

Length

Meile (mile)

A German geographic mile (geographische Meile) is defined as 1⁄15 equatorial degrees, equal to 7,420.54 m (24,345.6 ft). A common German mile, land mile, or post mile (Gemeine deutsche Meile, Landmeile, Postmeile) was defined in various ways at different places and different times. After the introduction of the metric system in the 19th century, the Landmeile was generally fixed at 7500 m (the Reichsmeile), but before then there were many local and regional variants (of which some are shown below):

Some kinds of Meile
Place Metricequivalent Notes
Breslau (Wrocław) 6700 mUsed in all Silesia[2][3]
Bavaria (Bayern) 7415 mConnected to a 1⁄15 equatorial degree as 25,406 Bavarian feet.
Württemberg 7449 m
Reichsmeile 7500 m'imperial mile' – New mile when the metric system was introduced. Prohibited by law in 1908.
Anhalt 7532 m
Denmark, Prussia 7532 m24,000 Prussian feet. Also known as "(Dänische/Preußische) Landmeile". In 1816, king Frederick William III of Prussia adopted the Danish mile at 7532 m, or 24000 Prussian feet.
Saxony (Sachsen) 7500 mIn the 17th–18th century or so, 9062 m = 32000 (Saxon) feet; later 7500 m (as in Prussia and the rest of Germany).
Schleswig-Holstein 8803 m
Baden 8000 m8889 m before 1810, 8944 m before 1871
Hesse-Kassel 9206 m
Lippe-Detmold 9264 m
Saxony (Sachsen) 9062 m32000 (Saxon) feet (in the 19th century 7500 m, see above).
Westfalia (Westfalen) 11100 mbut also 9250 m
Oldenburg 9894 m
Rhineland (Rheinland) 4119 m
Palatinate (Pfalz) 4630 m
Osnabrück/France 5160 m
Wiesbaden 1000 m

Wegstunde

One hour's travel, used up to the 19th century. In Germany 1⁄2 Meile or 3.71 km (2.31 mi). After 1722 in Saxony1⁄2 post mile = 1000 Dresden rods = 4531 m.[4] In Switzerland 16,000 ft or 4.88 km.

Fuß (foot)

The Fuß or German foot varied widely from place to place in the German-speaking world, and also with time. In some places, more than one type of Fuß was in use. One source from 1830[5] gives the following values:

Some kinds of Fuß
Place Name Local equivalent Metric equivalent
 
Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) Feldmaßfuß 1⁄6 Klafter 282 mm
Aachen Baufuß 1⁄16 Ruthe 288 mm
Aargau, Canton ofFuß 300 mm
Aichstadt, Bavariaold Fuß 307 mm
Altona, HolsteinFuß 286 mm
Anspach, Bavaria Werkfuß 299 mm
Appenzell, Canton ofFuß 313 mm
Aschaffenburg, Bavaria Fuß 288 mm
Augsburg, Bavaria Werkschuh 296 mm
BadenReichsfuß 10 Zoll, 1⁄10 Ruthe 300 mm
Baireuth, Bavaria Fuß 298 mm
Bamberg, Bavaria Fuß 303 mm
Basel, Canton ofStadtschuh 304 mm
Bavaria Fuß 292 mm
Bergamo, AustriaFuß 1⁄6 Cavezzo 435 mm
BerlinPrussian Reichsfuß 313.8536 mm[6]
Bern, Canton ofgewöhnlicher Fuß 12 Zoll 298 mm
Bern, Canton of Steinbrecherfuß 13 Zoll 317 mm
BohemiaFuß or Stopa 296 mm
Bozen, Austria Tyroler-Fuß 334 mm
Braunschweig (Brunswick) Fuß 1⁄16 Ruthe 285 mm
BremenFuß 1⁄16 Ruthe 289 mm
Breslauold Silesian Fuß 1⁄16 Ruthe 283 mm
Bünden, Canton ofchurischer Fuß 322 mm
Calenberg LandFuß 1⁄16 Ruthe 292 mm
Carlsruhe (as Baden) Fuß 300 mm
Cassel, HessenFuß 1⁄14 Ruthe 287 mm
Cleve, Prussia Fuß 295 mm
Cöln am Rhein (Cologne), Prussia Fuß 287 mm
Cremona, Austria old Fuß 480 mm
Danzig, Prussia old Fuß 1⁄2 Elle 287 mm
DarmstadtHessian Reichsfuß 10 Zoll 250 mm
Darmstadt old Darmstadt Fuß 12 Zoll 288 mm
Dordrecht, Netherlands Fuß 361 mm
Dresden, SaxonyFuß 260 mm
Duderstadt, HanoverFuß 290 mm
Durlach (as Baden) Fuß 300 mm
Durlach old Fuß 291 mm
Emden, Hanover Fuß 296 mm
Erfurt, Prussia old Fuß 1⁄14 Feldruthe, 1⁄16 Bauruthe 283 mm
Frankfurt am MainFuß 285 mm
Freiburg, Canton ofWerkfuß 12 Zoll, 1⁄10 Werkklafter 293 mm
Friedberg in der Wetterau, OberhessenFuß 291 mm
Friedrichsstadt, Denmark Fuß 296 mm
Fulda, KurhessenWerkfuß 1⁄2 Elle 250 mm
Genf (Geneva), Canton of Fuß 1⁄8 Ruthe 325 mm
Gießen, Oberhessen Fuß 298 mm
Glarus, Canton ofFuß 300 mm
Glatz, Prussia Werkfuß 287 mm
Göttingen, Hanover Fuß 291 mm
Gotha, Saxe-Coburg-GothaFuß 287 mm
Halle an der Saale, Prussia Werkfuß 288 mm
Halle an der Saale, Prussia Feldfuß 433 mm
HamburgFuß 1⁄6 Klafter, 1⁄16 Geestruthe 286 mm
Hanau, Hessen Fuß 2⁄25 Ruthe 285 mm
Hanover, capital of the Kingdom Fuß 1⁄2 Elle, 1⁄16 Ruthe 292 mm
Heidelberg, Baden Fuß 278 mm
Heilbronn, WürttembergFuß 278 mm
Heiligenstadt, Prussia old Fuß 283 mm
Herford, Prussia old Fuß 295 mm
Hildesheim, Hanover Fuß 1⁄16 Ruthe 280 mm
Holstein Fuß 296 mm
Innsbruck, Austria Tyroler-Fuß 317 mm
Königsberg, Prussia old Fuß 1⁄15 Ruthe 307 mm
KrakauFuß or Stopa 356 mm
Lausanne, Canton of WaadtFuß 293 mm
Leipzig, Saxony gewöhnlicher Fuß 1⁄2 Elle, 1⁄6 Klafter 1⁄16 Ruthe 282 mm
Lemberg, Austria Galizian Fuß 297 mm
Lemgo, LippeFuß 287 mm
Lindau, Bavaria Fuß 307 mm
Lindau, Bavaria Feldmeßschuh, Bauschuh 289 mm
Linz, Austria Fuß Klafter 303 mm
LübeckFuß 291 mm
Lucern, Canton ofFuß (for wood measure) 314 mm
Lucern, Canton of Zimmerwerkschuh 304 mm
Lucern, Canton of Bau- and Feldmeßschuh 284 mm
Milan, Austria old Fuß 398 mm
Mainz, Hessen Werkfuß 314 mm
Mainz, Hessen Kameralfuß (for firewood) 287 mm
Mannheim, Baden Fuß 290 mm
MecklenburgFuß 1⁄2 Elle, 1⁄16 Ruthe 291 mm
Metz, France old Fuß 406 mm
Mühlhausen, Prussia Fuß 1⁄16 Ruthe 281 mm
Neufchatel, Principality ofWerkfuß 293 mm
Neufchatel, Principality of Feldmeßfuß 318 mm
Nordhausen, Prussia old Fuß 292 mm
Nuremberg, Bavaria Stadtfuß 1⁄16 Ruthe 304 mm
Nuremberg, Bavaria Artillery Fuß 292 mm
OldenburgFuß 1⁄20 Ruthe 296 mm
Osnabrück, Hanover Fuß 279 mm
Padua, AustriaFuß 1⁄6 Cavezzo 428 mm
Prague, AustriaBohemian Fuß or Česká stopa 296 mm
Prussia, RheinlandReichsfuß 313.8536 mm[6]
Ratzeburg, Mecklenburg-SchwerinFuß 291 mm
Regensburg, Bavaria Fuß 313 mm
RheinbaiernFuß 12 Zoll, 1⁄3 metre 333 mm
RheinlandRheinländischer Fuß 313.8536 mm[6]
Rostock, Mecklenburg-Schwerin Fuß 1⁄2 Elle, 1⁄16 Ruthe 286 mm
Sanct Gallen, Canton ofFuß 313 mm
Schaffhausen, Canton ofFuß 298 mm
Silesia (Austrian part) Fuß 289 mm
Solothurn, Canton ofFuß 293 mm
Stade, Hanover Fuß 291 mm
Stettin, Prussia old Pomeranian Fuß 285 mm
Stralsund, Prussia old Fuß 291 mm
Strassburg, France Fuß 289 mm
StuttgartReichsfuß 1⁄2 Elle, 1⁄10 Ruthe 286 mm
Tessin, Canton ofFuß 397 mm
Thorn, Prussia old Fuß 297 mm
Trento, Austria Fuß 366 mm
Trier, Prussia Land- and Werkfuß 294 mm
Trier, Prussia Waldfuß 310 mm
Trier, Prussia Zimmermannsfuß 305 mm
Tyrol, Austria Fuß 334 mm
Udine, Austria Fuß 329 mm
Ulm, Württemberg Fuß 289 mm
Venice, Austria Fuß 1⁄5 Passo 348 mm
Verden, Hanover Fuß 291 mm
Verona, AustriaFuß 1⁄6 Cavezzo 347 mm
Vienna, Austria Fuß 1⁄6 Klafter 316 mm
Waadt, Canton ofFuß 10 Zoll, 1⁄10 Ruthe 300 mm
Wallis, Canton ofFuß 325 mm
WeimarFuß 282 mm
Wesel, Prussia old Fuß 236 mm
Wetzlar, Prussia old Fuß 274 mm
Wiesbaden, NassauFuß 288 mm
Wismar, Mecklenburg-Schwerin Fuß 292 mm
Wittenberg, Prussia old Fuß 283 mm
Worbis, Prussia old Fuß 286 mm
Württemberg Reichsfuß 1⁄2 Elle, 1⁄10 Ruthe 286 mm
Würzburg, Bavaria Fuß 1⁄2 Elle 294 mm
Zug, Canton ofFuß 301 mm
Zug, Canton of Steinfuß 268 mm
Zürich, Canton ofFuß 1⁄6 Klafter, 1⁄10 Ruthe 301 mm
Except where noted, based on Niemann (1830).[5] The values of the other local units mentioned also varied widely.

Rute (rod)

A standard at the City Hall in Münster, Germany from 1816; the bar shown is one "Prussian half rod" long.

The Rute or Ruthe is of Carolingian origin, and was used as a land measure. Many different kinds of Ruthe were used at various times in various parts of the German-speaking world. They were subdivided into differing numbers of local Fuß, and were of many different lengths. One source from 1830[5] lists the following:

Some kinds of Ruthe
Place Name Local equivalent Metric equivalent
Aachen (Aix-la-Capelle) Feldmeßruthe 16 Fuß 4.512 m
Baden Ruthe 10 Fuß 3 m
Basel, Canton of Ruthe 16 Fuss 4.864 m
Bern, Canton of Ruthe 10 Fuss 2.932 m
Braunschweig (Brunswick) Ruthe 16 Fuß 4.565 m
Bremen Ruthe 8 Ellen or 16 Fuß 4.626 m
Calenberg Ruthe 16 Fuß 4.677 m
Cassel, Hessen Ruthe 14 Fuß 4.026 m
Hamburg Geestruthe 16 Fuß 4.583 m
Hamburg Marschruthe 14 Fuß 4.010 m
Hannover Ruthe 16 Fuß 4.671 m
Lever, Oldenburg Ruthe 20 Fuß 4.377
Mecklenburg Ruthe 16 Fuß 4.655 m
Nuremberg, Bavaria Ruthe 16 Fuß 4.861 m
Oldenburg Ruthe 20 Fuß 5.927 m
Prussia, Rheinland Ruthe 12 Fuß 3.766 m
Saxony Ruthe 16 Leipziger Fuß 4.512 m
Württemberg Reichsruthe 10 Fuß 2.865 m
Württemberg old Ruthe 16 Fuß 4.583 m
Zürich, Canton of Ruthe 10 Fuss 3.009 m
Except where noted, based on Niemann (1830).[5] The value of the local Fuß also varied widely.

Klafter

Typically 6 feet. Regional variants from 1.75 m in Baden to 3 m in Switzerland.

Lachter

The Lachter was the most common unit of length used in mining in German-speaking areas. Its exact length varied from place to place but was roughly between 1.9 and 2.1 m.

Elle (ell)

Distance between elbow and fingertip. In the North, often 2 feet, in Prussia 17⁄8 feet, in the South variable, often 2+1⁄2 feet. The smallest known German Elle is 402.8 mm (15.86 in), the longest 811 mm (31.9 in).

Zoll (inch)

Usually 1⁄12 foot, but also 1⁄11 and 1⁄10.

Linie

Usually 1⁄12 inch, but also 1⁄10.

Volume

Quent

Being 1/5 of any measure

Malter

Is a larger volume unit of around one large sack of wheat a person could carry. However, the exact volumetric size and weight was locally very different in each feudal state. For more details, see [1].

Klafter

For firewood, 2.905 m3 (102.6 cu ft)

Nösel

In general, the Nösel (also spelled Össel) was a measure of liquid volume equal to half a Kanne ("jar," "jug," "bottle," "can"). Volume often varied depending on whether it was beer or wine. Its subdivisions were the Halbnösel ("Half-Nösel") and the Viertelnösel ("Quarter-Nösel).

An Ahm was a measure used for wine or beer. An Eimer ("Bucket") was a container that was a fifth of an Ahm. A Viertel ("Fourth") was a fourth of an Eimer. A Stübchen ("Cozy Room") also a Stauf was a measure of wine or beer that was equal to two Kannen. It was the approximate amount of wine or beer that could serve an entire room in a tavern. A Kanne was a measure of wine or beer large enough to fill a humpen (tankard) or krug (wine flagon or beer pitcher). A Quartier ("quarter-measure") was a fourth of a Stübchen. A Nösel was a cup or mug of wine or beer.

Actual volumes so measured, however, varied from one state or even one city to another. Within Saxony, for example, the "Dresden jar" held approximately 1 USquart or 0.95 litres or 0.83 imperialquarts, so a nösel in Dresden was about 1 US pint (0.47 L; 0.83 imp pt). The full volume of a "Leipzig jar" measured 1.2 liters (1.3 U.S. qt; 1.1 imp qt); the Leipzig nösel was therefore 0.6 liters (0.63 U.S. qt; 0.53 imp qt).

1⁄320 Ahm = 1⁄64 Eimer = 1⁄16 Viertel = 1⁄8 Stübchen / Stauf = 1⁄4 Kannen = 1⁄2 Quartiers = 1 Nösel = 2 Halbnöseln = 4 Viertelnöseln

The nösel was used in minor commerce, as well as in the household to measure meal, grain, and such. These units of measure were officially valid in Saxony until 1868, when the metric system was introduced. Nevertheless, the old measures have continued in private use for decades.

One modification was introduced in Thuringia. There, the nösel was, by extension, also a measure of area; namely, the area of land which could be sown with one nösel of seed – or about 19.36 square yards (16.19 m2; 0.00400 acres)

Mass

Pfund

Mark

1⁄2Pfund. Equal to 233.856 g (Cologne).

Unze

1⁄16Pfund. Roughly equal to 29.23 g.

Loth

1⁄32Pfund, or 1⁄16Mark. Equal to 14.606 g (Prussia).

Quentchen

1⁄96Pfund. Roughly equal to 4.872 g.

Quint

1⁄128Pfund. Roughly equal to 3.65 g.

Pfennig

1⁄512Pfund. Roughly equal to 0.9135 g.

Gran

1⁄7690Pfund. Roughly equal to 0.0609 g.

See also

References

  1. ^Barnard, Frederick Augustus Porter (1879). The Metric system of weights and measures. American Metric Bureau. pp. 220–2. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  2. ^Harasimowicz, Jan[in Polish]; Suleja, Włodzimierz[in Polish] (2000). Encyklopedia Wrocławia (in Polish) (Wyd. 1 ed.). Wrocław: Wydawn. Dolnośląskie. ISBN 9788370237493. OCLC 46420892.
  3. ^Davies, Norman; Moorhouse, Roger (2002). Mikrokosmos : portret miasta środkowoeuropejskiego : Vratislava, Breslau, Wrocław (in Polish). Translated by Pawelec, Andrzej (Wyd. 1 ed.). Kraków: Wydawn. Znak. ISBN 9788324001729. OCLC 50928641.
  4. ^"Historie der Postsäulen" (in German). Forschungsgruppe Kursächsische Postmeilensäulen e.V. und 1. Sächsischer Postkutschenverein e.V. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  5. ^ abcdNiemann, Friedrich (1830) Vollständiges Handbuch der Münzen, Masse, und Gewichte aller Länder der Erde fur Kaufleute, Banquiers ...: in alphabetischer Ordnung. Quedlinburg und Leipzig, G. Basse. p. 286
  6. ^ abcTate (1868), p. 49

Bibliography

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