TheLandrat (German pronunciation:[ˈlantˌʁaːt]ⓘ) is thechief administrative officer of a GermanLandkreis orKreis and thus the highest municipal official.[1][2] In most states they are also the lower state administrative authority (so-called "dual position"[a] of the Landrat). They represent theKreis externally and are elected in mostStates of Germany directly.[1][2]
The titleLandrat was adopted for the lowest administrative authorities in individual small German states, namely inSaxe-Altenburg,Saxe-Coburg and Gotha,Saxe-Meiningen, as well as in theImperial County of Reuss and in the Schwarzburg principalities (Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt andSchwarzburg-Sondershausen). In theKingdom of Bavaria, where with their introduction in right-wing districts since 1828 Landräte[3] elected, the assembly appointed to represent aKreisgemeinde [de] was calledLandrat [de]. InMecklenburg, the eight representatives of the native or receivednobility in the ständisches Direktorium were called Landrats. Two Landrats belonged to theEngeren Ausschuss [de] of the Knights and Countryside.
The official title of aLandrat could differ. InAlsace-Lorraine from 1871 to 1918, the official titleKreisdirektor [de].[4] In Hesse-Darmstadt it was calledKreisrat. In theDuchy of Nassau 1849 to 1853 it wasKreisamtmann [de].
InLower Saxony andNorth Rhine-Westphalia, according to the old legal situation, theOberkreisdirektor (OKD) was the main administrative official. The honoraryLandrat performed only representative duties (so-called "Zweigleisigkeit" or "Doppelspitze").[5] The Kreisordnung in North Rhine-Westphalia stipulated that from themunicipal election of 1999, the Landräte should be full-timeWahlbeamter [de] and thus also principal administrative officials. However, the counties were given the option to make this change as early as 1994. Since 1999, the district administrator was directly elected for a five year term, and since 2009 for six years. If the district administrator left prematurely, a Landrat election took place, with the term of office then lasting until the end of the next municipal election period, i.e. longer than five years. In Lower Saxony, the dual leadership was abolished in 1996.[5]
