Independent cities of Germany

A county-level city (referred to as a city district, in Baden -Württemberg, Bavaria formerly known as immediate circle city) is a local authority. They settled beside the private and the transferred sphere of a municipality (city, market) and a county, the duties of the lower state administration authority on behalf of the State under its own responsibility.

In the field of education and internal administration is the urban area of a circle-free city in Germany so free state ( Vollkommunalisierung ). The mayor of a district-free city stands as a district at least at the same level in the hierarchy. Cities of comparable status is also available in many other countries.

Usually it involves large cities - towns with more than 100,000 inhabitants - or larger medium-sized cities. However, there are in Baden- Württemberg, Lower Saxony and North Rhine -Westphalia and cities that are not cycle-free, and in contrast, (formerly belonging to Bavaria, now part of Rhineland- Palatinate ) in Bavaria and the Palatinate county-level cities, the less than 50,000 inhabitants. Chance of you meet with the special case that kreisangehorige communities "only" some of the duties of a county take over ( for example, the major district towns).

The smallest county-level city in Germany is two bridges in Rhineland-Palatinate with a little less than 35,000 inhabitants ( end of 2010 ), the largest the Bavarian capital Munich with more than 1.3 million inhabitants. Although Berlin and Hamburg are larger, but special cases cycle-free cities, so-called city-states. The state of Bremen, however, consists of two independent cities, which was the city of Bremen and the 60 km northern port of Bremerhaven.

Independent Cities and Immediatstädte have a comparable separate legal status. In Prussia to the City Ordinance of 1808 were cities that had no advice pursuant to a Council Constitution, but were the sovereign directly to the Director, who was also lord of the city so far, called Immediatstädte.

Germany

In the Federal Republic of Germany initially only two county-level cities were rebuilt: Wolfsburg on October 1, 1951, Leverkusen on April 1, 1955 By contrast, the urban district of Konstanz was voluntarily incorporated into the same district on October 1, 1953.. In the course of municipal reforms of the 1970s, many county-level cities, for example Reydt, pan - were either incorporated into the neighboring counties, for example, Cuxhaven, Freising, Fulda, Gladbeck, Hildesheim, Neu-Ulm, victories and Witten or merged with a neighboring town, Eickelmann and Wattenscheid. In Saarland, you tried a new way. Thus, the state capital of Saarbrücken was incorporated into a new Umlandverband on 1 January 1974, in which the former county Saarbruecken opened. This was the birth of the Urban Community of Saarbrücken, the first novel Kommunalverband special kind in Germany. On 1 January 2008 the city was renamed Regional Association of Saarbruecken.

In Lower Saxony, one went a slightly different way than in Saarland: The state capital of Hanover was incorporated on 1 November 2001 in the newly created region of Hanover, while maintaining its status as an independent city. On you will find gem. § 15, paragraph 2 of the Lower Saxon Municipal Constitution Act that apply to county-level cities shall apply, unless otherwise determined by law. Thus, the region of Hannover is the second local government association, a special kind in Germany. Also, it is - as the regional association Saarbrücken - Member of the German County Association.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, a region model is also tested as an example. So the Aachen region was formed as third Municipal Association special kind in Germany as legal successor to the district of Aachen on 21 October 2009. You belong to the city of Aachen, the 2008 continues to hold in accordance with the Aachen- law, the legal status of a district-free city, but in district statistics for systematic reasons often not more than one such is done.

After the reunification of Germany took place in the eastern states plans for municipal and county reclassifications. While in the state of Brandenburg cities Eisenhuettenstadt and Schwedt / Oder on 6 December 1993 in the surrounding new Landkreise eingegliedert were, went to Saxony and Thuringia the umgekehrten way and dismissed two towns from the district, which it uses to angehörten: Hoyerswerda became the 1 January 1996 in Eisenach cycle-free on January 1, 1998. The cities of Görlitz, Hoyerswerda, Plauen and Zwickau but lost on 1 August 2008 on the occasion of the district reform in Saxony her circle of freedom. The state of Mecklenburg- Vorpommern has incorporated in September 2011, all urban districts except Rostock and Schwerin in the new circles surrounding it.

Historical development

Prussia

In the 1816 made ​​Outline of Prussia in circles the provincial capitals Breslau, Danzig, Cologne, Königsberg, Magdeburg, Münster, Poznan, Potsdam and Stettin were assumed as Immediatstädte the direct control of the provincial government, but not the provincial capital Coblenz, which attained this status only in 1887. Aachen, Dusseldorf, Erfurt, Halle, Minden and Trier were also acyclic. Minden lost his circle of freedom in 1817 again, as in 1820 and Dusseldorf and Erfurt, which were reintegrated into the respective counties.

After the annexation of the Kingdom of Hanover, the Electorate of Hesse -Kassel, the Duchy of Nassau and the Free City of Frankfurt in 1866, the former capitals of these states, Hannover, Kassel, Wiesbaden and Frankfurt am Main, were taken as Immediatstädte.

With the growth of cities as a result of industrialization, the demand to the address of the Prussian government after a reorganization of the circles and the formation of Immediatstädten grew louder. Goods Barmen and Elberfeld (both today Wuppertal) been characterized yet, the 1861 Immediatstädte were on June 1, as an exceptional case, as the government had in 1872 approved officially by the formation of Immediatstädten. Erfurt (1 January 1872), Dusseldorf (20 April 1872) and Krefeld (14 October 1872) were the first cities to have benefited from this new rule. On July 1, 1873 Görlitz, 1874 were also Duisburg ( on 28 January ), Elbing, Legnica (1 January ) and Stralsund new Immediatstädte. From 1 April 1887, the previous Immediatstädte received the new designation urban districts.

From 1875 was generally a population of more than 30,000 prerequisite for the formation of Immediatstädten. In some cases, such as Hamborn was directly a county on May 1, 1911 a rapidly grown to more than 100,000 community. This was incorporated on August 1, 1929 Duisburg to city district of Duisburg- Hamborn.

Saxony

Originally only the three regional capitals Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz were excluded as Immediate cities of the division into main office teams. When the city of Plauen, however, was grown in 1904 to a large city with over 100,000 inhabitants, the Saxon government had to respond and granted in 1907 and the fourth largest Saxon town of Plauen and the fifth largest Saxon town of Zwickau the privilege of freedom circle.

The reigning since 1919 Socialist government was the desire of cities according to a district much more open to and granted in 1922 initially cities Bautzen, Freiberg, Meißen and Zittau, in 1924 then many other cities (including chub, Freital, Mitt Weida, Pirna and Riesa ) the privilege of freedom circle. The town of Radebeul was collected in 1935 as the last Saxon city to city circle after they had achieved through the merger with the city Kötzschenbroda the required number of 30,000 residents.

The cities of Görlitz ( acyclic 1873-2008 ) and Hoyerswerda ( acyclic 1996-2008 ) belonged until 1945 to the Prussian province of Lower Silesia.

Bavaria

In Bavaria, initially all mediatized imperial cities were circular immediately, as well as the former residence cities and bishoprics. Therefore, there was until 1972 a very large number circular immediate medium and even small towns. The 1972 circled towns have with the lent as a replacement status as a major district town still has a historically determined status of the other cities of its size in many cases not revert.

In the Bavarian designations must be noted that by the end of 1938, the current government districts were designated as circles and today's counties as districts. Belonged to this system, the name " circular immediate towns " for today's urban districts.

Completely independent of the administrative districts (former counties ) and counties (former districts) are the same area with the districts of authorities of the districts. These districts are the urban districts (county municipalities directly ) not in a over-and subordination, but follow the principle of segregation of duties.

Other German States

The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg granted except the provincial capital of Oldenburg ( Oldb. ) and the cities of Jever ( 1855), Varel (1858 ), Delmenhorst (1903) and Rüstringen (1911 ), which in 1937 was united with Wilhelmshaven, the privilege of the circle of freedom.

The free states of Mecklenburg -Schwerin and Thuringia introduced the usual Prussian system with city and counties in their state restructuring in the years 1920 to 1922. After the union of the two republics Mecklenburg Mecklenburg -Schwerin and Mecklenburg- Strelitz in 1934, the two cities Strelitzer Neubrandenburg and Neustrelitz were adopted as urban districts, the remaining Strelitzer cities but incorporated into the district Stargard.

Baden, Brunswick, Hesse -Darmstadt and Württemberg known to the administrative reform in 1938 with the exception of Württemberg's capital Stuttgart no city circles.

German municipal code of 1935

The German Municipal Code of 1935 introduced the term " county " new one. In the "First Regulation implementing the German church order " from March 23, 1935 all city districts were classified listed by country. In 1942 there was this one supplement. It must be considered that it is with the exception of not acting circles around town in the modern sense in these urban districts in the state of Prussia. They were more akin to " county's cities with special status ", eg large district towns.

See: List of the county's cities with special status in Germany

German Democratic Republic

While in the first years of the Soviet occupation in the GDR still urban districts have been established (for example Beautiful (Elbe ) in 1946 ), eliminated the 1950 and 1952 carried out administrative reforms, the majority of historically grown urban districts.

However, new urban districts were formed in the GDR. For example, Johann George Town was 1951-1957 city circle; because by uranium mining, the population had grown to over 40,000. After 1957, she sank down again. Something similar happened to Snow Mountain, the 1951 to 1958 formed a city circle. The newly built city Stalin (now ironworks city) was raised in 1953 by the East German government to the city circle. Schwedt ( Oder) ( 1961) and Suhl (1967 ) were also among the cities that have urban districts because of their political and economic importance. The large settlement of Halle-Neustadt was declared on 12 May 1967, an independent, Halle (Saale ) detached Town district, but again incorporates on 6 May 1990 in the city hall.

Austria

In Austria, a city is called Statutory. Only between 1938 and 1945, these statutory cities were designated as in the rest of the German Reich as urban districts. This feature, in contrast to independent cities have their own municipal constitution, the statute. A statutory city will also take over the duties of the District Commission, the umbrella term is the district administrative authority (Article 116 paragraph 3 of the Federal Constitution ).

Switzerland

In Switzerland, neither the concept nor the construct exists. The lowest levels of government are municipalities. Even major cities are referred to as community. The parent level is the canton, which is part confidently in Switzerland.

However, the city Basel has no own administration. This is the administration of the canton. Similarly, the Grand Council is the parliament of the canton. The municipality does not have a representation of the people. The canton of Basel-Stadt is, however, still next to the city of Basel from the two other municipalities of Riehen and rings, which have their own local government and a private Einwohnerrat.

Poland

Also, Poland is among the countries, which make a distinction between counties and urban districts. Some cities have already been in the German Empire to the town circle ( Bromberg 1875 Graudenz and Thorn 1900), respectively, during their membership of the imperial monarchy for Statutory collected (for example, Bielsko ). Other cities have been declared only after 1918 the newly founded by the Polish Republic to urban districts, such as Gniezno ( 1925), Inowroclaw ( 1925) and Kalisz ( 1929).

Romania

In Romania there is only one city, namely the capital, Bucharest, which has a special status since the administrative reform of 1950. In the period 1952-1968, the city Constanta had a similar status. As Romania is divided into districts, Bucharest you can not call it a county-level, but at best as a prefecture-level city.

Russia

Two Russian cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg, are independent subjects of the federation and thus belong to any region. In addition, there are 517 county-level cities in Russia, which are incorporated into any Oblast '.

Czechia

In the Czech Republic with the statutory cities developed a similar concept. Administratively, but it is at the latest after the administrative reform 2000-2003 no longer a county- or in the Czech Republic " prefecture-level " cities because the districts ( okres ) were dissolved on 1 January 2003 as administrative units. Historically also took previously only the cities Brno, Ostrava and Plzeň the administrative tasks of a district. The resulting post-1990 statutory cities were not " district -free" even before the administrative reform. A special status as the capital Prague, which is also region ( kraj ).

Hungary

In Hungary, 23 cities the status of a " city with Komitatsrechten " (Hungarian megyei JOGU város ). These cities are treated as 19 counties in the country legally.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom County boroughs were introduced in 1889, but abolished in 1974. The requirements for the granting of status has been a certain minimum number of residents has increased from 50,000 first 75,000 (1926 ) to last 100,000. In 1992, again so-called unitary authorities introduced which correspond to the old county boroughs largely.

United States

In the United States there under the name independent city also the concept of an independent city. Since 1871, all cities in Virginia are cycle-free by law, but also in other states, there are independent cities such as Baltimore, Maryland and St. Louis in Missouri.

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