Can you name the capitals of Germany’s states?
Each round highlights one of Germany’s states on the map; type its capital. The quiz asks for 13 capitals, leaving out the places whose capital gives the answer away. English and German spellings both count, such as Munich or München. There is no timer, and a wrong guess can be tried again.
How to play
- Each round highlights one state on the map of Germany and names it below the map; a place too small to see is circled. Type its capital in the box at the bottom. Capital letters, accents and punctuation do not matter, and alternative spellings are accepted.
- A correct capital is accepted by itself after a short pause: the place turns green and the next one is highlighted. Press Enter to check any other answer.
- A wrong guess is marked so you can try again, as often as you like. There is no timer.
- Stuck? Press Finish to end the run: the capital is revealed and that place counts as missed.
- The 13 states come in shuffled order, each once. Your score counts up to 13 at the top of the board, and naming the last capital completes the run. The answer review below the board lists every round.
- Your result is saved in this browser. Once enough people have played a game, the results also show how your score ranks, and you can copy or share an image of your result, or replay.
Tips for playing
Several capitals are not their state’s biggest city: Düsseldorf rather than Cologne, Wiesbaden rather than Frankfurt, Dresden rather than Leipzig and Schwerin rather than Rostock.
All 13 capitals in the quiz
Show all 13 answers
| State | Capital | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | Stuttgart | — |
| Bavaria | Munich | München, Munchen, Muenchen |
| Brandenburg | Potsdam | — |
| Hesse | Wiesbaden | — |
| Lower Saxony | Hanover | Hannover |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | Schwerin | — |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | Düsseldorf | Dusseldorf, Duesseldorf |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | Mainz | — |
| Saarland | Saarbrücken | Saarbrucken, Saarbruecken |
| Saxony | Dresden | — |
| Saxony-Anhalt | Magdeburg | — |
| Schleswig-Holstein | Kiel | — |
| Thuringia | Erfurt | — |
Every name in the last column is accepted too. Not asked: Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg, whose capital shares the place’s name.
Frequently asked questions
How many capitals are in the quiz?
13 of the 16 states. Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg, whose capitals’ names give the answer away, are left out.
Which other spellings are accepted?
“München”, “Munchen” and “Muenchen” for Munich, “Hannover” for Hanover, “Dusseldorf” and “Duesseldorf” for Düsseldorf and “Saarbrucken” and “Saarbruecken” for Saarbrücken. Capital letters, accents and punctuation never matter.
Is Bonn a state capital?
No. Bonn was the capital of West Germany, but the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, where it lies, is Düsseldorf.
Is there a time limit?
No. Take as long as you like: a wrong guess can be tried again, and Finish ends the run whenever you want to stop.
Which capitals count?
The quiz asks for the capitals of 13 of the 16 states of Germany, as listed in the answer key below and checked against the references under Sources. Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg are left out because the capital contains the place’s name or the other way round.
Where a place shares its capital, splits it between two cities or has a separate seat of government, every listed city is accepted. The map quiz for the same country asks for the places themselves.
More about Germany
Sources
Source: Natural Earth · Admin-1 states and provinces, 1:10m, v5.1.2
Public domain boundaries, simplified for a quiz. Projection: Lambert conformal conic, standard parallels 48.5°N and 54°N, central meridian 10.5°E. Names, groups, alternative names and capitals are curated from the references below; codes follow ISO 3166-2. The map is not a surveying or legal reference.
Found an incorrect answer or a source that needs updating? Send a correction with the game name and a reference.