German Lorraine

Following its annexation by France in the 18th century, it became part of the German Empire following the Franco-Prussian War and ceased to exist permanently following Nazi Germany's surrender.

The name is also used more specifically to refer to Bezirk Lothringen, the part of Lorraine that belonged to the German Empire from 1871 to 1918 and to Nazi Germany from 1940 to 1945.

After the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, part of Lorraine was annexed by the newly founded German Empire and, together with Alsace formed the Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine (Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen) until 1918.

The newly formed Bezirk Lothringen, which was created from parts of the former French départements of Meurthe and Moselle, covered not just the majority of historical German Lorraine but also the French-speaking regions west of the Franco-German language boundary around Metz and Château-Salins.

Bezirk Lothringen, with Metz as its capital, remained unchanged in its territorial composition after the return of the region to France in 1919 and formed the present département of Moselle.