Municipalities of Germany facts for kids

Administrative divisions of Germany (clickable image)

Municipalities (called Gemeinden in German) are the smallest official areas in Germany. Think of them like local towns or villages. They are the lowest level of government. Depending on where they are in Germany, they can be the second, third, fourth, or even fifth level of how the country is divided.

For example, the big cities of Berlin and Hamburg are special. They are both municipalities and also federal states! This means they are a second-level division. In some German states, there's an extra level called a Regierungsbezirk. In these states, a municipality is one level lower.

Some municipalities have more freedom. These are called Kreisfreie Städte or Stadtkreise, which means "urban districts." They are not part of a larger district. This gives them more control over their own affairs.

Municipalities called Stadt are towns or cities. Those called Gemeinde are usually rural areas. The biggest municipality in Germany is Berlin, with over 3.6 million people. The smallest is Gröde in Schleswig-Holstein, with only 12 people!

German Municipalities by State

This table shows how many municipalities each German federal state has. It also shows how many are towns or cities, and how many are "urban districts." This information is from January 2024.

Changes to Municipalities Over Time

The number of municipalities in Germany has changed a lot. In 1968, there were over 24,000 municipalities in West Germany. By 1980, this number had dropped to about 8,400.

After Germany became one country again in 1990, the same thing happened in the eastern states. The number of municipalities went from over 7,600 down to 2,380 by 2024.

Why did this happen? Often, bigger cities grew and took in smaller towns nearby. But mostly, these changes happened to make local government work better and cost less money. Many districts also joined together to form larger ones.

Different Kinds of Municipalities

Germany has several types of municipalities. Each type has different levels of freedom and control. Every federal state in Germany has its own rules for how local governments work. Here are the main types:

• City-state (Stadtstaat): These are special. Berlin and Hamburg are examples. They are both a municipality and a federal state at the same time.
• Urban district (Kreisfreie Stadt): This is a municipality that is not part of a larger district. It handles both local town duties and district duties. In 2018, there were 107 urban districts, including Berlin and Hamburg.
• Town (Stadt): This is a municipality that has the right to call itself a "Stadt." This title doesn't give them special duties or rights anymore. Many towns got this title a long time ago in the Middle Ages. Others became towns more recently, usually when they reached a certain size, like having over 10,000 people.
• Municipality in a municipal association (Amtsangehörige Gemeinde): These municipalities have a mayor and a local council. But other administrative tasks are handled by a larger group called a "municipal association" (Gemeindeverband).
• Municipality not in a municipal association (Amtsfreie Gemeinde): These municipalities handle all their own local government duties themselves.

Local Elections and Mayors

In all municipalities, people vote in local elections. They choose their mayor and the members of the municipal council. These elections happen regularly.

• In Bremen, municipal council elections happen every 4 years.
• In Bavaria, they happen every 6 years.
• In all other states, they happen every 5 years.

In bigger municipalities, the mayor works full-time. In smaller ones, especially those in a municipal association, the mayor might be a volunteer. Mayors are elected for a set period of time, which is different in each state. If a mayor leaves office early, a new election is held. So, mayoral elections don't always happen at the same time across a state.

Here are the terms for mayors in different states:

• Baden-Württemberg: 8 years
• Bavaria, Hesse, Thuringia: 6 years
• Berlin, Hamburg: 5 years (chosen indirectly)
• Brandenburg, Rhineland-Palatinate: 8 years for full-time mayors, 5 years for volunteer mayors
• Bremen: 4-6 years (chosen indirectly)
• Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia: 5 years
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: 7-9 years for full-time mayors, 5 years for volunteer mayors
• Saarland: 10 years
• Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt: 7 years
• Schleswig-Holstein: 6-8 years for full-time mayors, 5 years for volunteer mayors