Citizenship test Hesse: the state questions

Striped lion, Wiesbaden not Frankfurt, voting age 18: the ten Hesse questions with answers and English translation, plus a mock exam.

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Was ist eine Aufgabe von Wahlhelferinnen/Wahlhelfern in Deutschland?

What is one task of election helpers in Germany?

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Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · BAMF question catalogue of 7 May 2025 · laws checked on 22 October 2026

In Hesse, three questions about the state appear in the citizenship test. The main trap is the capital: it is Wiesbaden, not Frankfurt, even though Frankfurt am Main is Hesse’s largest city and a well-known financial centre; Kassel and Darmstadt are also wrong. The coat of arms shows a lion striped red and white on blue, and the state flag is red and white. In municipal elections you can only vote from 18 in Hesse, unlike in many other states. The state parliament is elected for five years. The head of government is the Minister-President, and there is no foreign ministry. The Main-Taunus-Kreis is the correct district. On the map Hesse lies in the centre of the country, towards the west. Information comes from the state agency for civic education. Voting age and capital are the two questions where most mistakes happen.

The ten Hesse questions

The correct answer is marked, with our translation; picture questions are described in words.

  1. Hessen 1 Welches Wappen gehört zum Bundesland Hessen?Which coat of arms belongs to the state of Hesse?

    Shown as a picture in the test; described in words here.

    1. rot-weiß gestreifter Löwe auf Blau (red and white striped lion on blue) (correct answer)
    2. schwarzer Bär auf Weiß (black bear on white)
    3. zwei blaue Löwen auf Gold und ein weißes Nesselblatt auf Rot (two blue lions on gold and a white nettle leaf on red)
    4. schwarz-gold gestreift mit grünem Rautenkranz (black and gold stripes with a green crancelin)

  2. Hessen 2 Welches ist ein Landkreis in Hessen?Which is a district (Landkreis) in Hesse?

    1. Ammerland (Ammerland)
    2. Altötting (Altötting)
    3. Prignitz (Prignitz)
    4. Main-Taunus-Kreis (Main-Taunus-Kreis) (correct answer)

  3. Hessen 3 Für wie viele Jahre wird der Landtag in Hessen gewählt?For how many years is the state parliament of Hesse elected?

    1. 3 (3)
    2. 4 (4)
    3. 5 (5) (correct answer)
    4. 6 (6)

  4. Hessen 4 Ab welchem Alter darf man in Hessen bei Kommunalwahlen wählen?From what age may you vote in municipal elections in Hesse?

    1. 14 (14)
    2. 16 (16)
    3. 18 (18) (correct answer)
    4. 20 (20)

  5. Hessen 5 Welche Farben hat die Landesflagge von Hessen?What colours does the state flag of Hesse have?

    1. blau-weiß-rot (blue, white and red)
    2. rot-weiß (red and white) (correct answer)
    3. schwarz-gold (black and gold)
    4. grün-weiß-rot (green, white and red)

  6. Hessen 6 Wo können Sie sich in Hessen über politische Themen informieren?Where can you find information on political topics in Hesse?

    1. bei der Landeszentrale für politische Bildung (at the state agency for civic education (Landeszentrale für politische Bildung)) (correct answer)
    2. bei der Verbraucherzentrale (at the consumer advice centre)
    3. beim Ordnungsamt der Gemeinde (at the municipal public order office)
    4. bei den Kirchen (at the churches)

  7. Hessen 7 Die Landeshauptstadt von Hessen heißt …The state capital of Hesse is …

    1. Kassel. (Kassel.)
    2. Darmstadt. (Darmstadt.)
    3. Frankfurt. (Frankfurt.)
    4. Wiesbaden. (Wiesbaden.) (correct answer)

  8. Hessen 8 Welches Bundesland ist Hessen?Which federal state is Hesse?

    Shown as a picture in the test; described in words here.

    1. Fläche im Westen an den Niederlanden und Belgien (area in the west bordering the Netherlands and Belgium)
    2. Fläche im Westen an Luxemburg und Frankreich (area in the west bordering Luxembourg and France)
    3. Fläche in der Landesmitte, eher westlich (area in the centre of the country, towards the west) (correct answer)
    4. Fläche in der Landesmitte, eher östlich (area in the centre of the country, towards the east)

  9. Hessen 9 Wie nennt man die Regierungschefin/den Regierungschef in Hessen?What is the head of government of Hesse called?

    1. Erste Ministerin/Erster Minister (First Minister)
    2. Premierministerin/Premierminister (Prime Minister)
    3. Bürgermeisterin/Bürgermeister (mayor)
    4. Ministerpräsidentin/Ministerpräsident (Minister-President (Ministerpräsident)) (correct answer)

  10. Hessen 10 Welche Ministerin/welchen Minister hat Hessen nicht?Which minister does Hesse not have?

    1. Justizministerin/Justizminister (justice minister)
    2. Außenministerin/Außenminister (foreign minister) (correct answer)
    3. Finanzministerin/Finanzminister (finance minister)
    4. Innenministerin/Innenminister (interior minister)

Behind the answers

The striped lion is known in heraldry as the “Bunter Löwe” and goes back to the Landgraves of Hesse. In the exam it appears next to the Thuringian lion, which is also striped red and white but surrounded by eight white stars. The Hessian lion has no stars.

One simple rule helps with the capital: in several states the capital is not the largest city, and Hesse is the best-known example. Parliament and government sit in Wiesbaden on the Rhine. Frankfurt hosts the European Central Bank, Darmstadt is a science city, Kassel the large city in the north.

The Main-Taunus-Kreis lies west of Frankfurt between the Main river and the Taunus hills. The other options are Ammerland in Lower Saxony, Altötting in Bavaria and Prignitz in Brandenburg. The map question is easily confused with Thuringia, which lies in the centre but towards the east.

After the test

The test is one of several conditions for applying in Hesse. The tool works out when the others are met:

Earliest application

Earliest application

January 2027

Deadline (s. 10 StAG: 5 years’ residence)January 2027
Length of residencefrom January 2027
Residence titlemet
Livelihoodmet
Check every requirement →

The 300 general questions are in the question catalogue; to book, see booking the citizenship test.

Common questions

Is Frankfurt the capital of Hesse?

No. The capital is Wiesbaden. Frankfurt am Main is the largest city in the state and one of the options in the test, but the state parliament and government sit in Wiesbaden. Kassel and Darmstadt are wrong too. This question is one of the most frequent sources of mistakes among the Hesse questions.

From what age can you vote in local elections in Hesse?

From 18. Hesse has not lowered the voting age for municipal and district elections to 16. If you moved from another state, or studied alongside a friend from Lower Saxony, it is easy to tick 16. In the catalogue, 18 is the correct answer for Hesse.

How do you tell the Hessian coat of arms from the Thuringian one?

Both show a lion striped red and white on blue. The Thuringian lion, however, is surrounded by eight white stars, and the Hessian one is not. In the exam, look for the stars. On this site both arms are described in words, because the catalogue’s images may not be reused freely.

Keep going

All questions with answers

The 300 general questions, by topic, with answers

Booking the test

Test centres, the 25 € fee, what happens on the day

Lower Saxony

Capital Hanover: the 10 state questions with answers

Schleswig-Holstein

Capital Kiel: the 10 state questions with answers

Official sources for this page

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As of 2026, laws and question catalogue checked on