German units of measurement
Encyclopedia
Germany had an indigenous system of German units of measurement prior to its adoption of the international metric system
. These units are now mainly of historical interest.
(Opinion - Source?)
Rheinfuß – Rhine foot, used in the North, 31.387 cm.
," "jug
," "bottle
," "can
"). Actual volumes so measured, however, varied from one state
or even one city to another. Within Saxony
, for example, the "Dresden
jar" held approximately one US-quart
(qt) or 0.94 liter
s (ℓ), so a nösel in Dresden was about a US-pint
. The full volume of a "Leipzig
jar" measured 1.2ℓ or 1.3qt; the Leipzig nösel was therefore 0.6ℓ.
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 interesting 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 or 16.19 m² (0.004 acre (0.001618744 ha)).
Metric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...
. These units are now mainly of historical interest.
German system
Before the introduction of the metric system in German, almost every town had its own definitions of the units shown below, and supposedly by 1810, in Baden alone, there were 112 different standards for the Elle around Germany. The metric system was a much-needed standardisation in Germany.(Opinion - Source?)
Meile (mile)
A German geographic mile (geographische Meile) is defined as 1/15 equatorial degrees, equal to 7420.54 m. 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):| Bavaria (Bayern) | 7415 m | Connected to a 1/15 Equatorial degree as 25,406 Bavarian feet. |
| Württemberg | 7449 m | |
| Reichsmeile | 7.5 km | 'imperial mile' – New mile when the metric system was introduced. Prohibited by law in 1908. |
| Anhalt | 7532 m | |
| Denmark, Prussia | 7532 m | 24,000 Prussian feet. Also known as "(Dänische/Preußische) Landmeile". In 1816, king Frederick William III of Prussia adopted the Danish mile at 7532 m, or 24,000 Prussian feet. |
| Saxony (Sachsen) | 7500 m | In 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 m | 8889 m before 1810, 8944 m before 1871 |
| Hessen-Kassel | 9206 m | |
| Lippe-Detmold | 9264 m | |
| Saxony (Sachsen) | 9062 m | 32,000 (Saxon) feet (in the 19th century 7500 m; s.a.). |
| Westfalia (Westfalen) | 11,100 m | but also 9250 m |
| Oldenburg | 9894 m | |
| Rhineland (Rheinland) | 4119 m | |
| Palatinate (Pfalz) | 4630 m | |
| Brabant | about 5000 m | |
| Osnabrück/Frankreich | 5160 m | |
| Wiesbaden | 1000 m |
Rute (rod)
This is of Carolingian origin, used as a land measure.| Saxony (Sachsen) | 1 alte Rute = 1 Feldmesser-Rute = 7.5 Ellen = 4.295 m |
| Saxony (Sachsen) | 1 neue Straßen-Rute = 16 Fuß (feet) = 4.531 m |
| Rhineland (Rheinland), Prussia (Preußen) | 1 Rheinische Rute = 12 Fuß (feet) = 3.766 m |
| Bavaria (Bayern) | 1 Rute = 10 Fuß (feet) = 2.919 m |
| Baden, Switzerland | 1 Rute = 10 Fuß (feet) = 3 m |
| Sweden | 1 Rute = 16 Fot (feet) = 4.749 m |
| Denmark | 1 Rute = 10 Fod (feet) = 3.766 m |
Wegstunde
One hours travel, used up to the 18th century. In Germany ½ Meile or 3.71 km, in Switzerland 16,000 feet or 4.8 km.Klafter (fathom)
Originally 6 feet, after introduction of the metric system 10 feet. Regional changes 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. It's exact length varied from place to place but was roughly between 1.9 and 2.1 metres long.Elle (ell)
Distance between elbow and finger tip. In the North, often 2 feet, In Prussia 17 / 8 feet, in the South variable, often 2½ feet. The smallest known German elle is 402.8 mm, the longest 811 mm.Fuß (foot)
The foot varied between 23.51 cm in Wesel and 40.83 cm in Trier.Rheinfuß – Rhine foot, used in the North, 31.387 cm.
Nösel
In general, the Nösel was a measure of liquid volume equal to half a Kanne ("jarJar
A jar is a rigid, approximately cylindrical container with a wide mouth or opening. Jars are typically made of glass, ceramic, or plastic. They are used for foods, cosmetics, medications, and chemicals that are relatively thick or viscous...
," "jug
Jug (container)
A jug is a type of container used to hold liquid. It has an opening, often narrow, from which to pour or drink, and nearly always has a handle. One could imagine a jug being made from nearly any watertight material, but most jugs throughout history have been made from clay, glass, or plastic...
," "bottle
Bottle
A bottle is a rigid container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth". By contrast, a jar has a relatively large mouth or opening. Bottles are often made of glass, clay, plastic, aluminum or other impervious materials, and typically used to store liquids such as water, milk, soft...
," "can
Can
Can may refer to:-Container:* Aluminum can* Steel can, an airtight tinplate container for storing food and other predominantly liquid products* Beverage can, a can designed to hold a single serving of a beverage* Oil can...
"). Actual volumes so measured, however, varied from one state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
or even one city to another. Within Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, for example, the "Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
jar" held approximately one US-quart
Quart
The quart is a unit of volume equal to a quarter of a gallon, two pints, or four cups. Since gallons of various sizes have historically been in use, quarts of various sizes have also existed; see gallon for further discussion. Three of these kinds of quarts remain in current use, all approximately...
(qt) or 0.94 liter
Litér
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s (ℓ), so a nösel in Dresden was about a US-pint
Pint
The pint is a unit of volume or capacity that was once used across much of Europe with values varying from state to state from less than half a litre to over one litre. Within continental Europe, the pint was replaced with the metric system during the nineteenth century...
. The full volume of a "Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
jar" measured 1.2ℓ or 1.3qt; the Leipzig nösel was therefore 0.6ℓ.
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
Metric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...
was introduced. Nevertheless, the old measures have continued in private use for decades.
One interesting modification was introduced in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
. 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 or 16.19 m² (0.004 acre (0.001618744 ha)).