Ministry of the Interior and for Sport

The Ministerium des Innern und für Sport (Ministry of the Interior and for Sport) is one of the nine ministries of the state government of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a supreme state authority (oberste Landesbehörde) seated in the Bassenheimer Hof at Schillerplatz 3–5 in the state capital Mainz. The ministry is headed by Minister Achim Schwickert (CDU), supported by State Secretaries Markus Wolf and Dirk Herber. Its portfolio covers internal security, the state police, civil protection and disaster management, rescue services including air rescue, fire services, constitutional protection (Verfassungsschutz), integration, and sport. The ministry's responsibilities are broad and operational. It oversees the Rhineland-Palatinate police force, including the state criminal police office (Landeskriminalamt), several police presidencies, and the police university. It manages civil protection and crisis management, including the state crisis team, warning of the population, protection of critical infrastructure, and civil defense. It is responsible for rescue services, including the organization of emergency medical services, integrated control centers and the 112 emergency number, air rescue, and training of rescue personnel. It also oversees fire services, including volunteer fire departments, fire service personnel, financing, and the state fire and disaster protection academy. The ministry's constitutional protection division publishes the annual Verfassungsschutzbericht (report on the protection of the constitution), covering right-wing extremism, Islamism, left-wing extremism, and espionage. The ministry also handles integration and sport, as reflected in its current name. Its subordinate authorities include the Aufsichts- und Dienstleistungsdirektion (ADD), the Struktur- und Genehmigungsdirektionen Nord and Süd, the Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe, the Statistical Office, the State Office for Surveying and Geobasis Information, the State Criminal Police Office, several police presidencies, the Police University, the University of Applied Sciences for Public Administration, the Central Administrative School, and the Fire and Disaster Protection Academy. The ministry communicates through its official website mdi.rlp.de, which publishes press releases, security reports, and information on its policy areas. Recent news items include the inauguration of a new air rescue station for "Christoph 66" in Dörnbach, the presentation of the 2025 Verfassungsschutzbericht by Minister Schwickert, the equipping of all 375 patrol cars with "Seelentröster-Teddys" (comfort teddy bears) for children in distress, the extension of the Sunday and holiday truck driving ban exemption due to low water levels in the Rhine, and funding for county roads in the Trier-Saarburg district. The ministry is a public authority rather than a commercial brand, but it functions as an institutional brand with a distinct identity, logo, and public-facing communication.

The Ministry of the Interior of Rhineland-Palatinate was established in 1946, the year the state of Rhineland-Palatinate was founded. As a supreme state authority, it has been one of the ministries of the state government since then. Its seat is the Bassenheimer Hof in Mainz, a historic noble court at Schillerplatz. The ministry's name and portfolio have changed over time. In earlier decades it was known as the Ministerium des Innern und für Sport, reflecting responsibilities for internal affairs and sport. Later, integration and transport were added, and the official name became Ministerium des Innern, für Integration und Verkehr des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz. The website and public communications still use the shorter form Ministerium des Innern und für Sport, and the ministry is commonly referred to as the Innenministerium. The ministry has been led by a series of ministers since 1946. The current minister, Achim Schwickert (CDU), took office on 18 May 2026. He is supported by State Secretaries Markus Wolf and Dirk Herber. The ministry's structure includes several departments and a large number of subordinate authorities. These include the Aufsichts- und Dienstleistungsdirektion (ADD), the Struktur- und Genehmigungsdirektion Nord and Süd, the Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe, the Statistical Office, the State Office for Surveying and Geobasis Information, the State Criminal Police Office, the Police Presidiums of Mainz, Rheinpfalz, Westpfalz, Koblenz, and Trier, the Police Presidium for Deployment, Logistics and Technology, the Police University, the University of Applied Sciences for Public Administration, the Central Administrative School, and the Fire and Disaster Protection Academy. Over the decades, the ministry has been responsible for internal security, police, civil protection, rescue services, fire services, and constitutional protection. It publishes the annual Verfassungsschutzbericht, which reports on extremist threats and politically motivated crime. In recent years, the ministry has also focused on integration and sport, as well as on transport and mobility, including the extension of the Sunday and holiday truck driving ban exemption due to low water levels in the Rhine. The ministry maintains an official website at mdi.rlp.de, which provides press releases, information on policy areas, and details about its organizational structure. It also uses social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, and X, with published privacy policies and a netiquette. The ministry's public communication includes campaigns such as the TerminalFix campaign on cyber risks and phishing warnings.

• 2026

  Achim Schwickert (CDU) takes office as Minister of the Interior, for Integration and Transport on 18 May 2026.

• 2026

  New air rescue station for "Christoph 66" inaugurated in Dörnbach.

• 2026

  All 375 patrol cars of the Rhineland-Palatinate police equipped with comfort teddy bears.

• 2026

  Extension of the suspension of the Sunday and holiday truck driving ban until 31 October 2026 due to low water levels in the Rhine.

• 1946

  Establishment of the Ministry of the Interior of Rhineland-Palatinate as one of the state's ministries.

A supreme state authority of Rhineland-Palatinate responsible for internal security, civil protection, rescue services, fire services, constitutional protection, integration, and sport.

• Rhineland-Palatinate State Police

  The state police force, including patrol, criminal police, and specialized units.

• Verfassungsschutzbericht

  Annual report on the protection of the constitution, covering extremism and politically motivated crime.

• Air rescue station "Christoph 66"

  Newly inaugurated air rescue station in Dörnbach, energy-efficient with green roof, heat pump, and photovoltaic system.

• Integrated control centers and emergency number 112

  Emergency call handling and dispatch for rescue services and fire services.

1. 1Startseite . Ministerium des Innern und für Sport des Landes Rheinland-Pfalzmdi.rlp.de
2. 2Sitemap . Ministerium des Innern und für Sport des Landes Rheinland-Pfalzmdi.rlp.de
3. 3Impressum . Ministerium des Innern und für Sport des Landes Rheinland-Pfalzmdi.rlp.de
4. 4Datenschutz . Ministerium des Innern und für Sport des Landes Rheinland-Pfalzmdi.rlp.de
5. 5Wikidata: Ministerium des Innern und für Sportwikidata.org
6. 6Wikipedia: Ministerium des Innern, für Integration und Verkehr des Landes Rheinland-Pfalzde.wikipedia.org