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, Bremen 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").
7-816: Pfofeld is a municipality in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Franconia , Germany . Pfofeld lies in the West Middle Franconia region, about five kilometres east of Gunzenhausen . In the north of the municipality are parts of the Großer Brombachsee and its forebay , the Kleiner Brombachsee , as well as the Altmühlüberleiter channel. In Roman times the limes ran through
14-628: 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 . Status as of January 2024. The number of municipalities of Germany has decreased strongly over
21-511: 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
28-853: The area. The European watershed runs through the municipality and divides the catchments of the Rhine and Danube . A stream, the Dornhauser Mühlbach flows through Pfofeld; other local streams include the Bachwiesengraben , the Buxbach and the Brombach . The municipality is characterised by low hills and woods, including the Weißenberg and the Gräfensteinberg Forest . Staatsstraße 2222 runs past Pfofeld to
35-511: The north. Within the municipality are the nature reserves of Brombachmoor and Halbinsel im Kleinen Brombachsee . Pfofeld has thirteen subdivisions: Municipalities of Germany 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
42-499: The same time, many districts and also urban districts were merged into larger districts. 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: In all municipalities, the mayor and the members of the municipal council are appointed by local elections that take place on
49-600: 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
#867132