Back Gemeinde (Deutschland) ALS بلديات ألمانيا Arabic Conceyos d'Alemaña AST Gmoa (Deitschland) BAR Общини в Германия Bulgarian Kumunioù Alamagn Breton Gemeinde (Deutschland) German Municipios de Alemania Spanish Vald (Saksamaa) Estonian Alemaniako udalerriak Basque
| Municipalities of Germany Deutsche Gemeinden (German) | |
|---|---|
| Category | Municipality |
| Location | Germany |
| Found in | District (Kreis) Regierungsbezirk |
| Populations | 12 (Gröde) - 3,600,000 (Berlin) |
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Politics of Germany |
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Municipalities[1] (German: Gemeinden, pronounced [ɡəˌmaɪ̯ndn̩] ; singular Gemeinde [ɡəˈmaɪ̯ndə] ) are the lowest level of official territorial division in Germany. This can be the second, third, fourth or fifth level of territorial division, depending on the status of the municipality and the Land (federal state) it is part of. The city-states Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg are second-level divisions. A Gemeinde is one level lower in those states which also include Regierungsbezirke (singular: Regierungsbezirk) as an intermediate territorial division (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia). The Gemeinde is one level higher if it is not part of a Gemeindeverband ("municipal association").[1]
The highest degree of autonomy may be found in the Gemeinden which are not part of a Kreis ("district").[1] These Gemeinden are referred to as Kreisfreie Städte or Stadtkreise, often translated as "urban district". In some states they retained a higher measure of autonomy than the other municipalities of the Kreis (e.g. Große Kreisstadt). Municipalities titled Stadt (town or city) are urban municipalities while those titled Gemeinde are classified as rural municipalities.
With more than 3,600,000 inhabitants, the most populous municipality of Germany is the city of Berlin; and the least populous is Gröde in Schleswig-Holstein.
- ^ a b c Country Compendium. A companion to the English Style Guide, European Commission, May 2021, pages 58–59.