Municipalities German Gemeinden pronounced ɡəˌmaɪ ndn singular Gemeinde are the lowest level of official territorial div

Municipalities (German: Gemeinden, pronounced [ɡəˌmaɪ̯ndn̩] ; singular Gemeinde) 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 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").

Municipalities of Germany Deutsche Gemeinden (German)
Category	Municipality
Location	Germany
Found in	District (Kreis) Regierungsbezirk
Populations	12 (Gröde) - 3,600,000 (Berlin)

Administrative divisions of Germany (clickable image)

The highest degree of autonomy may be found in the Gemeinden which are not part of a Kreis ("district"). 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.

Municipalities per federal state

Status as of January 2024.

Federal state	Municipalities	Municipalities with town status	Municipalities that are urban districts	Average no. of inhabitants	Average area (km²)	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

Municipal reforms

The number of municipalities of Germany has decreased strongly over the years: in 1968 there were 24,282 municipalities in West Germany, and in 1980 there were 8,409. The same trend occurred in the New states of Germany after the German reunification: from 7,612 municipalities in 1990 to 2,380 as of 1 January 2024. 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. At the same time, many districts and also urban districts were merged into larger districts.

Types of municipalities

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:

city state (German: Stadtstaat): Berlin and Hamburg are both municipalities and federal states
urban district (Kreisfreie Stadt, in Baden-Württemberg: Stadtkreis): a municipality that is not part of a district, and hence fulfills the responsibilities of both a municipality and a district. As of 2018, there are 107 urban districts (including Berlin and Hamburg)
town (Stadt): a municipality with the right to call itself "Stadt". The title "Stadt" does not imply any duties or rights anymore. Many towns received town privileges in the Middle Ages, others were elevated to town status more recently because they reached a certain size, e.g. more than 10,000 inhabitants
municipality forming part of a municipal association (Amtsangehörige Gemeinde, Verwaltungsgemeinschaftsangehörige Gemeinde, Mitgliedsgemeinde or Ortsgemeinde in Rhineland-Palatinate): a municipality with a mayor and a municipal council, but no other administrative institutions. Administrative duties are performed by the Gemeindeverband ("municipal association")
municipality not forming part of a municipal association (Amtsfreie Gemeinde, Einheitsgemeinde or Verbandsfreie Gemeinde in Rhineland-Palatinate): a municipality that fulfills all responsibilities of a municipality

Local elections

In all municipalities, the mayor and the members of the municipal council are appointed by local 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.

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:

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

References

Country Compendium. A companion to the English Style Guide, European Commission, May 2021, pages 58–59.
"Statistisches Jahrbuch 2019" (PDF). Statistisches Bundesamt. p. 29. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
Populations as of December 31, 2017
Guth, D.; Scheer, J. (November 2010). "Kommunale Gebietsreformem und Vergleichbarkeit von Gemeindestrukturdaten" (PDF). Raum und Mobilität - Arbeitspapiere des Fachgebiets Verkehrswesen und Verkehrsplanung. 20. TU Dortmund.
"Gebietsreformen – politische Entscheidungen und Folgen für die Statistik" (PDF). BBSR-Berichte KOMPAKT. 6. Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung. July 2010.
Übersicht über die Wahlsysteme bei Kommunalwahlen, accessed 12 July 2021.
Kost, A.; Wehling, H.-G. (2010). Kost, Andreas; Wehling, Hans-Georg (eds.). Kommunalpolitik in den deutschen Ländern: Eine Einführung (in German). Springer-Verlag. doi:10.1007/978-3-531-92034-4. ISBN 978-3-531-17007-7.

[styleguide-1] Country Compendium. A companion to the English Style Guide, European Commission, May 2021, pages 58–59.

[jahrbuch19-2] "Statistisches Jahrbuch 2019" (PDF). Statistisches Bundesamt. p. 29. Retrieved 8 July 2021.

[3] Populations as of December 31, 2017

[guth-4] Guth, D.; Scheer, J. (November 2010). "Kommunale Gebietsreformem und Vergleichbarkeit von Gemeindestrukturdaten" (PDF). Raum und Mobilität - Arbeitspapiere des Fachgebiets Verkehrswesen und Verkehrsplanung. 20. TU Dortmund.

[5] "Gebietsreformen – politische Entscheidungen und Folgen für die Statistik" (PDF). BBSR-Berichte KOMPAKT. 6. Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung. July 2010.

[6] Übersicht über die Wahlsysteme bei Kommunalwahlen, accessed 12 July 2021.

[7] Kost, A.; Wehling, H.-G. (2010). Kost, Andreas; Wehling, Hans-Georg (eds.). Kommunalpolitik in den deutschen Ländern: Eine Einführung (in German). Springer-Verlag. doi:10.1007/978-3-531-92034-4. ISBN 978-3-531-17007-7.