A circle-free city (called in Baden-Wuerttemberg urban area) is a local regional administrative body, which settles its tasks within own competence after the local legislation of Germany. Usually it acts thereby around large cities, thus cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants or larger medium-sized towns.

However it gives to Hildesheim, Moers, Neuss, Paderborn, Recklinghausen, Reutlingen or Witten in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia also large cities, which are not circle-free, e.g. and in contrast to it in Bavaria and Rheinland-Pfalz urban areas and/or circle-free cities, which have less than 50,000 inhabitants, e.g. Schwabach and Amberg.

The smallest circle-free city in Germany is two-bridges in Rhineland-Palatinate with approximately 35,000 inhabitants (2005), the largest urban area the Bavarian state capital Munich with 1.3 million inhabitants. Berlin and Hamburg are larger, but not circle-free cities, but city states. The city state Bremen consists even of two circle-free cities, i.e. the city Bremen and that approx. 60 km sea-side town Bremerhaven lain north.

Historical development

Prussia

With the 1816 took place arrangement of Prussia into districts the province capitals Aachen, Breslau, Danzig, Erfurt, resound, Magdeburg, Minden, Posen, Potsdam and Stettin as urban areas of direct control of the province government subordinated Cologne, king mountain. Its circle liberty lost Minden already already 1817 again, just as 1820 also Duesseldorf and Erfurt, which were integrated again into the respective districts.

After the Annexion of the Kingdom of Hanover, the cure principality Hessen Kassel, the duchy Nassau and the free city Frankfurt in the year 1866 the former capitals of these states, Hanover, Kassel, Wiesbaden and Frankfurt/Main were transferred, as urban areas.

By the strong growth of the cities due to the industrialization the demand on the address of the Prussian government became ever louder after a reorganisation of the districts and the formation of urban areas. Goods Barmen and Elberfeld, which became 1861 urban areas, still characterized as exceptional case, then the government had to agree 1872 officially the reorganisation of urban areas. Duesseldorf, Erfurt and Krefeld were the first cities, which profited from this new regulation. 1873 became 1874 became also Duisburg, Elbing, Liegnitz and Stralsund new urban areas.

Starting from 1875 a number of inhabitants of more than 30,000 a condition for the formation of urban areas was general. In some cases like Hamborn 1911 e.g. became from one rapidly on 100.000 inhabitants village grown directly an urban area. This was combined 18 years later in the year 1929 with Duisburg to the urban area Duisburg Hamborn.

Saxonia

Originally only the three district capitals Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz were excluded as direct cities from the organization into office main crews. When the city Plauen was grown up over 100.000 inhabitants however around 1904 to a large city also, the Saxonian government had to react and granted to 1907 also the fourth largest Saxonian city Plauen and the fifth-largest Saxonian city Zwickau the privilege of the circle liberty.

The social-democratic government officiating since 1919 faced the desire of the cities for circle liberty clearly openly and granted 1922 first to the cities Bautzen, free mountain, Meissen and Zittau, in the year 1924 then also many further cities (among other things free valley, Mittweida, Pirna and Riesa) the privilege of the circle liberty. The city Radebeul was raised 1935 as last Saxonian city to the urban area, after it had achieved the demanded number of inhabitants of 30.000 inhabitants by the union with the city

The cities (urban area since 1873) and Hoyerswerda (urban area since 1996) belonged until 1945 to the Prussian province Niederschlesien.

Remaining German states

The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg granted except the state capital Oldenburg (Oldb.) also to the cities Jever (1855), Varel (1858), Delmenhorst (1903) and preparation rings (1911), which 1937 with Wilhelmshaven was combined, the privilege of the circle liberty.

The Free States Mecklenburg Schwerin and Thuringia introduced the system with city and districts, usual in Prussia, during their national reorganisation in the years 1920 to 1922. After the combination of the two Mecklenburgian Free States Mecklenburg Schwerin and Mecklenburg Strelitz in the year 1934 the two Strelitzer cities new Brandenburg and Neustrelitz were taken over as urban areas, the remaining Strelitzer of cities however the district Stargard was integrated.

Bathe, Braunschweig, Hessen darmstadt and knew up to the administrative reform 1938 with exception of the state capital Stuttgart no urban areas.

The German Gemeindeordnung of 1935

The German Gemeindeordnung of 1935 introduced the term "“urban area"” again. In the "“first regulation for the execution of the German Gemeindeordnung"” of 23. March 1935 all urban areas were enumerated, arranged according to Federal States. 1942 gave it for this an addition. It must be considered that it did not concern with these urban areas with exception in the state Prussia urban areas in the today's sense. They were rather to compare with "“cities circle-belonging with special status"”, thus large district towns.

See for this: List of the cities circle-belonging with special status in Germany.

Federal Republic of Germany

In the Federal Republic of Germany at the beginning of only two circle-free cities were again established: Wolf castle on 1 October 1951 and Leverkusen on 1 April 1955. On the other hand in the course of the regional reorganizations of the 1970er years many circle-free cities were integrated either into the neighbouring districts, e.g. Cuxhaven, Fulda, Gladbeck, Hildesheim, or however combined new Ulm, victories and Witten with a neighbour city, e.g. Rheydt, tub Eickel and cotton wool-separate.

German Democratic Republic

While in years of of the Soviet crew still urban areas (e.g. (Elbe) in the year 1946) were furnished the first, the 1950 to 1952 eliminated accomplished administrative reform the majority of the urban areas grown historically.

However in the GDR government also new urban areas were formed. So Johanngeorgenstadt from 1951 was e.g. to 1957 urban area; because by the uranium dismantling the number of the inhabitants had grown on over 40.000. After 1957 it dropped again. Also the newly established Stalinstadt (today ironworks city) was raised 1953 from the GDR government to the urban area. Schwedt (or) (1961) and Suhl (1967) belonged likewise to the cities, which became because of their political and economic meaning urban areas. The 1967 created and large housing estate resounding new city designated because of missing infrastructure as "“dormitory suburb"” 1971 were often explained as the circle-free city, 1990 however again to the city resounded (Saale) integrates.

Austria

In Austria a circle-free city is called Statutarstadt. Only between 1938 and 1945 this was called as in the rest of German Reich urban areas. These have the statute in the Gegensatzzu circle-free cities their own municipal constitution. A Statutarstadt takes over at the same time the tasks the district captain shank.

Poland

Also Poland belongs to the countries, with respect to which between districts and urban areas one differentiates. Some cities became already in the German empire the urban area (bromine mountain 1875, Graudenz and Thorn 1900) and/or in the KuK realm to the Statutarstadt raised (e.g. Bielitz). Other cities were only explained after 1918 from the again created Polish republic to urban areas, e.g. Gniezno (1925), Inowroclaw (1925) and Kalisz (1929).

United kingdom

To the united kingdom County Boroughs were introduced 1889, abolished 1974 however again. The condition for the grant of the status was a certain minimum number of inhabitants, which was increased from first 50,000 over 75.000 (1926) to last 100,000. 1992 was introduced again Unitary so mentioned Authority, which correspond to the old "“County to a large extent boroughs"”.

The USA

In the USA there is likewise the concept of a circle-free city under the name independent town center (in English). Since the year 1871 all cities are circle-free by law in Virginia, in addition, in other Federal States there is "“independent cities"”, e.g. Baltimore in Maryland or Saint Louis in Missouri.

See also

• Municipality
• City
• District town
• City state
• Municipality
• Kinds of municipality
• Local election
• List of the circle-free cities in Germany
• Statutarstadt in Austria

Articles in category "Circle-free city"

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