The Deutsche Bundesbahn was formed in West Germany in 1949 after Germany formally split into two independent nations, commonly referred to as West Germany and East Germany. When this split took place, East Germany took control over the Deutsche Reichsbahn on its territory, continuing to use the traditional Deutsche Reichsbahn name, while the railway in West Germany became the Deutsche Bundesbahn.
The DB and DR continued to operate as separate entities until 1994, when they merged to form the Deutsche Bahn.
