The shrinkage mechanism of BaTiO3 powder compacts containing 10 mol%BaGeO3, synthesized by a precursor route and a conventional mixed-oxide method, aredescribed herein. The calcination of a barium titanium germanium 1,2-ethanediolato complexprecursor - [Ba(HOC2H4OH)4][Ti0.9Ge0.1(OC2H4O)3] (1) - at 730 °C leads to a nm-sizedBa(Ti0.9/Ge0.1)O3 powder (1a) (SBET = 16.9 m2/g) consisting of BaTiO3 and BaGeO3. Whereasthe conventional mixed-oxide method yields a powder (2) with a specific surface area of SBET= 2.0 m2/g. Powder compacts of 1a start to shrink at 790 °C and the shrinkage rate reaches amaximum at 908 °C. Dense ceramic bodies can be obtained below the appearance of theliquid melt (1120 °C), therefore the shrinkage of 1a can be described by a solid-state sinteringmechanism. Otherwise the beginning of the shrinkage of powder 2 is shifted to highertemperatures and the formation of the liquid melt is necessary to obtain dense ceramic bodies. Isothermal dilatometric investigations indicate that the initial stage of sintering is dominatedby sliding processes. XRD investigations show that below a sintering temperature of 1200 °Cceramic bodies of 1a consist of tetragonal BaTiO3 and hexagonal BaGeO3, whereastemperatures above 1200 °C lead to ceramics containing orthorhombic BaGeO3, and atemperature of 1350 °C causes the formation of a Ba2TiGe2O8 phase. The phase evolution ofceramic bodies of 2 is similar to 1a, however a Ba2GeO4 phase is observed below atemperature of 1100 °C.