Java classes in Germany

import java.util.Arrays;

public class LaenderTree {

    static class Node {
        String name;
        Node left, right;
        Node(String name) { this.name = name; }
    }

    static Node insert(Node node, String name) {
        if (node == null) return new Node(name);
        if (name.compareTo(node.name) < 0) node.left = insert(node.left, name);
        else node.right = insert(node.right, name);
        return node;
    }

    static int height(Node node) {
        if (node == null) return 0;
        return 1 + Math.max(height(node.left), height(node.right));
    }

    static int build(String[] names) {
        Node root = null;
        for (String name : names) root = insert(root, name);
        return height(root);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // the 16 Länder in the order of their official codes, 01 to 16
        String[] byCode = {"Schleswig-Holstein", "Hamburg", "Niedersachsen", "Bremen",
            "Nordrhein-Westfalen", "Hessen", "Rheinland-Pfalz", "Baden-Württemberg",
            "Bayern", "Saarland", "Berlin", "Brandenburg", "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern",
            "Sachsen", "Sachsen-Anhalt", "Thüringen"};
        String[] alphabetical = byCode.clone();
        Arrays.sort(alphabetical);

        System.out.println("Inserted by code:         height " + build(byCode));
        System.out.println("Inserted alphabetically:  height " + build(alphabetical));
    }
}

It prints Inserted by code: height 8 and Inserted alphabetically: height 16.

    // Version 2: insert the middle name first, then the middle of each half
    static Node balanced(Node root, String[] sorted, int lo, int hi) {
        if (lo > hi) return root;
        int mid = (lo + hi) / 2;
        root = insert(root, sorted[mid]);
        root = balanced(root, sorted, lo, mid - 1);
        return balanced(root, sorted, mid + 1, hi);
    }

    static int steps(Node node, String name) {
        int count = 1;
        while (!node.name.equals(name)) {
            node = name.compareTo(node.name) < 0 ? node.left : node.right;
            count++;
        }
        return count;
    }

    // and at the end of main:
        Node fromSorted = null;
        for (String name : alphabetical) fromSorted = insert(fromSorted, name);
        Node middleFirst = balanced(null, alphabetical, 0, alphabetical.length - 1);
        System.out.println("Inserted middle first:    height " + height(middleFirst));
        System.out.println("Steps to find Thüringen:  " + steps(fromSorted, "Thüringen")
            + " in the alphabetical tree, " + steps(middleFirst, "Thüringen") + " in the balanced one");

With these methods added to the class and these lines at the end of main, it also prints Inserted middle first: height 5 and Steps to find Thüringen: 16 in the alphabetical tree, 5 in the balanced one.