Verbandsgemeinde

A Verbandsgemeinde (plural Verbandsgemeinden) is an administrative unit unique to the German Bundeslands (federal states) of Rhineland-Palatinate and, since 2009, Saxony-Anhalt.

Rhineland-Palatinate
There are 163 Verbandsgemeinden in Rhineland-Palatinate, which are grouped into the 24 districts and subdivided into nearly 2200 Ortsgemeinden.  
Most of these Verbandsgemeinden were established in 1969. Formerly the name of the administrative units was Amt.  Most of the functions of municipal government for several villages are consolidated and administered centrally from a larger or more central village among the group, while the individual villages (Ortsgemeinden) still maintain a limited degree of local autonomy.

Districts
The 24 districts:

 Ahrweiler
 Altenkirchen
 Alzey-Worms
 Bad Dürkheim
 Bad Kreuznach
 Bernkastel-Wittlich
 Birkenfeld
 Cochem-Zell<li> Donnersbergkreis
<li> Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm
<li> Germersheim
<li> Kaiserslautern 
<li> Kusel
<li> Mainz-Bingen
<li> Mayen-Koblenz
<li> Neuwied<li> Rhein-Hunsrück
<li> Rhein-Lahn
<li> Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis
<li> Südliche Weinstraße
<li> Südwestpfalz
<li> Trier-Saarburg
<li> Vulkaneifel
<li> Westerwaldkreis

Category:Settlements in Rhineland-Palatinate
Category:Settlements in Saxony-Anhalt
Category:Collective municipalities in Germany