Districts of Germany facts for kids
German districts (called Kreise in German) are important parts of how Germany is organized. They help manage things for people living in different areas.
These districts fit between the larger German states (called Länder) and the smaller local towns and villages (called Gemeinden). Think of them like counties in other countries, such as the county in the United States or the arrondissement in France.
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Types of German Districts
Germany has two main types of districts. This helps make sure all areas are managed well.
Rural Districts (Landkreise)
Most districts are called Landkreise, which means rural districts. These districts cover larger areas with many smaller towns and villages. They are very common in Germany. There are 295 Landkreise across the country.
Urban Districts (Kreisfreie Städte)
Some big cities are so large that they act like their own districts. These are called Kreisfreie Städte, or urban districts. This means they handle both city tasks and district tasks themselves. Usually, cities with more than 100,000 people are urban districts. There are 107 of these urban districts.
In total, Germany has 402 districts, combining both rural and urban types.
Special Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia
In the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, some big cities with over 100,000 people are a bit different. Cities like Iserlohn, Recklinghausen, and Siegen are part of a rural district. However, they still do many of the district's jobs for their own city, almost as if they were independent.
What Districts Do
Districts have many important jobs to make sure things run smoothly for people.
District Responsibilities by Law
Districts are responsible for many things based on national and state laws:
- Building and maintaining bigger roads (like B roads).
- Planning building projects that affect more than one town.
- Taking care of national parks and natural areas.
- Helping people with social welfare needs.
- Supporting young people and youth programs.
- Building and keeping up hospitals for health care.
- Building and maintaining state high schools.
- Collecting and getting rid of household trash.
- Registering cars and issuing car license plates.
- Electing the Landrat or Landrätin, who is the leader of the district.
Local Responsibilities
Districts also have other jobs that can be different in each German state:
- Supporting local culture and arts.
- Creating pedestrian zones and bicycle lanes for safe travel.
- Helping fund school exchange programs.
- Building and maintaining public libraries.
- Working to improve the local economy.
- Encouraging tourism to their area.
- Managing adult education colleges (called Volkshochschulen).
All these tasks are usually carried out by local towns working together. Urban districts handle all these responsibilities themselves, plus the jobs of a regular town.
District Council (Kreistag)
The district council, known as the Kreistag, is like the local parliament for the district. It makes important decisions about how the district is run. People living in the district vote for members of the Kreistag every five years. In Bavaria, they vote every six years.
District Administration
The main person in charge of the district's government is called the Landrat (for a man) or Landrätin (for a woman). This person leads the district's daily work. In some parts of northern Germany, the entire district office is also called the Landrat. In southern Germany, it's known as the Kreisverwaltung.
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