Editing Lower Saxony (section)

=== Historical subdivisions ===
Between 1946 and 2004, the state's districts and independent towns were grouped into eight regions, with a different status for two regions (''Verwaltungsbezirke''), comprising the formerly free states of Brunswick and Oldenburg. In 1978 these regions were merged into four governorates (''[[Regierungsbezirk]]e''). In 2005 the [[Regierungsbezirk|Bezirksregierungen]] (regional governments) were again split into separate bodies.

1946–1978:
* [[Aurich (region)|Governorate of Aurich]]
* [[Brunswick (administrative region)|Administrative Region of Brunswick]] (''Braunschweig'')
* [[Hanover (region)|Governorate of Hanover]] (''Hannover'')
* [[Hildesheim (region)|Governorate of Hildesheim]]
* [[Lüneburg (region)|Governorate of Lunenburg]] (''Lüneburg'')
* [[Oldenburg (administrative region)|Administrative Region of Oldenburg]]
* [[Osnabrück (administrative region)|Administrative Region of Osnabrück]]
* [[Stade (region)|Governorate of Stade]]
1978–2004:
* [[Braunschweig (region)|Governorate of Brunswick]] (''Braunschweig'')
* [[Hanover (region)|Governorate of Hanover]] (''Hannover'')
* [[Lüneburg (region)|Governorate of Lunenburg]] (''Lüneburg'')
* [[Weser-Ems|Governorate of Weser-Ems]]

On 1 January 2005 the four administrative regions or governorates (''[[Regierungsbezirk]]e''), into which Lower Saxony had been hitherto divided, were dissolved.<ref name="GModVerw">siehe Text [https://web.archive.org/web/20050522124640/http://cdl.niedersachsen.de/blob/images/C5932147_L20.pdf Gesetz zur Modernisierung der Verwaltung in Niedersachsen] vom 5.&nbsp;November 2004 (Nds. GVBl. S.&nbsp;394–401), siehe dort Artikel&nbsp;1 Gesetz zur Auflösung der Bezirksregierungen</ref> These were the governorates of Braunschweig, Hanover, Lüneburg and Weser-Ems.