| Germany
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| This article is part of a series on thepolitics and government ofGermany |
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**German districts** (German: *Kreise*) are administrative units used in Germany for local government. 

The districts are in between the *Länder* (German states) and the local / municipal levels (*Gemeinden*). They are not to be confused with the larger *Regierungsbezirk*. 

Their equivalent in other nations is the county or arrondissement.

Types of districts
------------------

Most of the districts are rural districts (*Landkreise*). There are 295 *Landkreise*. 

Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants (and smaller towns in some states) are not usually part of a district, but do the work of a district themselves. These are known as urban districts (*Kreisfreie Städte* or *Stadtkreise*) The equivalent in the United Kingdom is a unitary authority, they do the work of a town and a county. There are 107 of these Kreisfreie Städte.

This makes a total of 402 districts.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, there are some cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants which are not urban districts, for example Iserlohn, Recklinghausen, Siegen, Paderborn, Bergisch Gladbach, Witten and Neuss. These cities belong to a district, but still do so the districts jobs themselves, as though they were independent.

Responsibilities
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The districts are responsible for the following:

* according to federal and regional laws:
	+ the building and upkeep of B roads
	+ other building plans which cover more than one local authority's area
	+ caring for national parks
	+ social welfare
	+ youth welfare
	+ the building and upkeep of hospitals
	+ the building and upkeep of state institutes of secondary education
	+ household waste collection and disposal
	+ car registration
	+ electing the *Landrat* or *Landrätin*, the chairperson of the district

* according to local laws: (differ in each region)
	+ financial support for culture
	+ the building of pedestrian zones and bicycle lanes
	+ financial support for school exchanges
	+ the building and upkeep of public libraries
	+ revitalisation of the economy
	+ encouraging tourism
	+ the management of *Volkshochschulen* (state run adult education colleges)

All these tasks are carried out by local (municipal) authorities operating together. Urban districts have these responsibilities and also those of the municipalities.

District council
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The district council, the *Kreistag*, is the legislative body of the district and is responsible for local self-administration. The parliament is elected every five years, except in Bavaria where it is elected every six years.

District administration
-----------------------

The person in charge of the district's government is the *Landrat* or *Landrätin*. In parts of northern Germany, this is also the name of the district administration, in southern Germany it is known as *Kreisverwaltung*.

Related pages
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* List of German districts
* List of German urban districts
* List of German rural districts