Kreisfreie stadt facts for kids
A kreisfreie Stadt (pronounced "krice-fry-uh SHTAT") is a special kind of city in Germany. It means the city has its own government that handles most local tasks. This government is independent from the larger county (called a Landkreis) that surrounds it. Think of it like a city that's also its own small county!
Most of these independent cities are quite large, usually with more than 100,000 people living there. However, this idea developed over time, so some very big cities aren't independent, and some smaller ones are.
The smallest independent city is Zweibrücken, with about 35,000 residents. The largest is Munich, home to around 1.3 million people. Even bigger cities like Hamburg and Berlin exist, but they are actually city-states, which are like cities that are also entire federal states of Germany. The city-state of Bremen (state) is unique because it's made up of two independent cities: Bremen (with about half a million people) and Bremerhaven (with about 117,000 people), which is about 60 kilometers north.
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What Makes a City Independent?
A kreisfreie Stadt manages many things on its own. This includes things like local police, schools, roads, and public health services. Normally, these tasks would be handled by the Landkreis (county) government. But an independent city takes care of these duties itself.
Not All Big Cities Are Independent
It might seem like all big cities in Germany would be independent, but that's not always true. Some cities with over 100,000 residents are still part of a larger Landkreis. For example, Recklinghausen and Göttingen both have more than 120,000 people, but they are part of a county, not independent cities.
Cities with Partial Independence
There are a few cities that only handle some of the responsibilities of a Landkreis. These are sometimes called Große selbständige Stadt, which means "Big sovereign city." You can mostly find these in the German state of Lower Saxony.
These cities include:
These cities might manage things like trash collection, but other tasks, like issuing hunting permits, might still be handled by the county.
Similar Ideas Around the World
The idea of a city managing itself, separate from a larger regional government, isn't just in Germany. Other countries have similar concepts. For example, in the United Kingdom, they have what are called Unitary authorities. In the United States, there are "independent cities" that operate in a similar way.
