| Municipalities of Germany Deutsche Gemeinden (German) | |
|---|---|
| Category | Municipality |
| Location | Germany |
| Found in | District (Kreis) Regierungsbezirk |
| Populations | 11 (Gröde) - 3,600,000 (Berlin) |
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Politics of Germany |
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Head of state |
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Municipalities[1] (German:Gemeinden,pronounced[ɡəˌmaɪ̯ndn̩]ⓘ;singularGemeinde[ɡəˈmaɪ̯ndə]ⓘ) are the lowest level of official territorial division inGermany. This can be the second, third, fourth or fifth level of territorial division, depending on the status of the municipality and theLand (federal state) it is part of. The city-states Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg are second-level divisions. AGemeinde is one level lower in thosestates which also includeRegierungsbezirke (singular:Regierungsbezirk) as an intermediate territorial division (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia). TheGemeinde is one level higher if it is not part of aGemeindeverband ("municipal association").[1]
The highest degree of autonomy may be found in theGemeinden which are not part of aKreis ("district").[1] TheseGemeinden are referred to asKreisfreie Städte orStadtkreise, often translated as "urban district". In some states they retained a higher measure of autonomy than the other municipalities of theKreis (e.g.Große Kreisstadt). Municipalities titledStadt (town or city) are urban municipalities while those titledGemeinde are classified as rural municipalities.
With more than 3,600,000 inhabitants, the most populous municipality of Germany is the city ofBerlin; and the least populous isGröde inSchleswig-Holstein.
Status as of January 2024.
| Federal state | Municipalities[2] | Municipalities with town status[2] | Municipalities that are urban districts[2] | Average no. of inhabitants[2][3] | Average area (km2)[2] | Lists(Cities,Towns, Municipalities) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | 1,101 | 313 | 9 | 10,012 | 32.5 | C,T,M |
| Bavaria | 2,056 | 317 | 25 | 6,321 | 34.3 | C,T,M |
| Berlin | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3,613,000 | 891.0 | Berlin |
| Brandenburg | 413 | 113 | 4 | 6,005 | 71.1 | C,T,M |
| Bremen | 2 | 2 | 2 | 340,500 | 209.5 | Bremen,Bremerhaven |
| Hamburg | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1,831,000 | 755.2 | Hamburg |
| Hesse | 422 | 191 | 5 | 14,759 | 49.9 | C,T,M |
| Lower Saxony | 939 | 159 | 8 | 8,426 | 50.5 | C,T,M |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 725 | 84 | 2 | 2,148 | 31.1 | C,T,M |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 396 | 271 | 22 | 45,232 | 86.1 | C,T,M |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 2,301 | 129 | 12 | 1,768 | 8.6 | C,T,M |
| Saarland | 52 | 17 | 0 | 19,115 | 49.4 | C,T,M |
| Saxony | 418 | 169 | 3 | 9,694 | 43.8 | C,T,M |
| Saxony-Anhalt | 218 | 104 | 3 | 10,197 | 93.8 | C,T,M |
| Schleswig-Holstein | 1,104 | 63 | 4 | 2,613 | 14.3 | C,T,M |
| Thuringia | 605 | 117 | 5 | 3,515 | 26.7 | C,T,M |
| Germany | 10,753 | 2,056 | 106 | 7,517 | 32.5 | C,T,M |
The number of municipalities of Germany has decreased strongly over the years: in 1968 there were 24,282 municipalities inWest Germany, and in 1980 there were 8,409.[4] The same trend occurred in theNew states of Germany after the German reunification: from 7,612 municipalities in 1990[5] to 2,380 as of 1 January 2024.[2] While in some cases growing cities absorbed neighbouring municipalities, most of these mergers were driven by a need to increase the efficiency and reduce costs of administration.[4] At the same time, many districts and also urban districts were merged into larger districts.
There are several types of municipalities in Germany, with different levels of autonomy. Each federal state has its own administrative laws, and its own local government structure. The main types of municipalities are:
In all municipalities, themayor and the members of themunicipal council are appointed bylocal elections that take place on a regular basis. Elections for the municipal councils (Kommunalwahlen) take place every 4 years in Bremen, every 6 years in Bavaria and every 5 years in all other states.[7]
The office of mayor is full-time (hauptamtlich) in larger municipalities, and voluntary (ehrenamtlich) in smaller municipalities, for instance those that are part of a municipal association. Mayors are elected for a specific term, which is different in every state. Since mayoral elections also have to be held when a mayor resigns from office, these do not take place at the same time for all municipalities in a state. The terms for mayors are:[8]
