In 13German states,[a] the primary administrative subdivision higher than aGemeinde (municipality) is theLandkreis[b] (German pronunciation:[ˈlantˌkʁaɪs]ⓘ) orKreis[c][d] ([kʁaɪs]ⓘ). Most major cities in Germany are not part of anyKreis, but instead combine the functions of a municipality and aKreis; such a city is referred to as akreisfreie Stadt[e] ([ˈkʁaɪsfʁaɪəˈʃtat]) orStadtkreis[f] ([ˈʃtatˌkʁaɪs]ⓘ).
Previously, the similar titleImperial Circle (Reichskreis) referred to groups of states in theHoly Roman Empire. The related termLandeskommissariat was used for similar administrative divisions in some German territories until the 19th century.
Administrative divisions of Germany (clickableimage)
The majority ofGerman districts are "rural districts"[1] (German:Landkreise,pronounced[ˈlantˌkʁaɪ̯zə]ⓘ), of which there are 294 as of 2017[update]. Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants (and smaller towns in some states) do not usually belong to a district, but take on district responsibilities themselves, similar to the concept ofindependent cities. These are known as "urban districts" (German:kreisfreie Städte orStadtkreise)—cities which constitute a district in their own right—and there are 106 of them,[2] bringing the total number of districts to 400.
InNorth Rhine-Westphalia, there are some cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants which are not urban districts, these beingRecklinghausen,Gütersloh,Siegen,Paderborn,Bergisch Gladbach,Neuss andMoers. Nevertheless, these cities take over many district responsibilities themselves, although they are still part of a larger rural district. Midsize towns can perform particular administrative functions of the district as well, especially to provide common services to the local citizens. The classification as "midsize" town is usually based on a town's registered population, but varies from state to state.
A special type of rural districts includes the threeKommunalverbände besonderer Art (Municipal unions of special kind), a fusion of a district-free town with its adjacent rural district: besides theRegionalverband Saarbrücken (Saarbrücken regional association), from 1974 until 2007 called "Stadtverband Saarbrücken" (Saarbrücken town association), there is theHanover Region since 2001 and theStädteregion Aachen (Aachen region of towns) since 2009. Aachen, Hanover andGöttingen retain certain rights of an urban district (Kreisfreie Stadt); Saarbrücken has not explicitly determined a similar provision in its legislation.
All these tasks are carried out by local (municipal) authorities operating together. Urban districts have these responsibilities and also those of the municipalities.
The district council (German:Kreistag,pronounced[ˈkʁaɪ̯sˌtaːk]ⓘ) is the highest institution of a rural district and is responsible for all fundamental guidelines of regional self-administration. This council is elected directly every five years, except inBavaria where it is elected every six years. Usually the administrative seat of a rural district is located in one of its largest towns. However, district council and administrative seat of some rural districts are not situated within the district proper, but in an adjacent district-free city. Most of those rural districts are named after this central city as well (e.g.Bamberg andKarlsruhe).Moers is the biggest city in Germany (and at present time the only one with more than 100,000 inhabitants) that is neither an urban district, nor the district seat of its rural district.
The highest administrative position of a rural district is an officer known asLandrat orLandrätin, who is responsible for the district's day-to-day administration and acts as its representative for official purposes. In parts of northern Germany,Landrat is also the name of the entire district administration, which in southern Germany is known asKreisverwaltung orLandratsamt.
In urban districts similar administrative functions are performed by a mayor, in most greater cities usually by anOberbürgermeister, which is sometimes translated aslord mayor.
Rural districts in some German states have an additional administrative committee calledKreisausschuss. This committee is generally led by the Landrat and includes a number of additional voluntary members. It takes over certain administrative functions for the district, following decisions of the district council. However, the exact role and regulations of this panel vary greatly between different states.
The city where the office of the district's administration is located is calledKreisstadt ("district city"), orKreishauptort ("district main community") if it is not a city. Often the district is named after its district city.
Linguistically, any city within a district could be called a "Kreisstadt", especially those that aren't district-free to distinguish them from district-free cities. This term has to be distinguished from the legal term "Kreisstadt" that only denotes the location of the administrative office. In everyday language, district cities are also calledKreishauptstadt ("district capital").
^In either case, the plural of the noun is formed by suffixing it with "e". In Germany, the termKreis is also used informally for any rural district, and (for example in statistical summaries) for a district of any type.
^literally "district-free city"; official term in all states, except Baden-Württemberg
^AKreis is not to be confused with aRegierungsbezirk. These are state administrative subdivision above Landkreis-level and below state-level. Currently only four states make use of this administrational level: North Rhine-Westphalia,Bavaria,Baden-Württemberg andHesse.
