County

According to German law, a district is an association of municipalities which represents a regional authority. The district administers its territory according to the principles of self-government. All districts of the Federal Republic of Germany are divided into municipalities. The number of municipalities in the individual districts varies greatly, ranging from 6 to 235 municipalities per district. There are a total of 313 districts in the Federal Republic of Germany. They are combined at federal level in the German District Association.

Today`s counties can be compared to counties from the Middle Ages. From the 19th century to the First World War there were around 1000 districts in the Federal Republic of Germany. The size of the counties was calculated in such a way that it took no more than a day to travel from one county to the other on horseback, including the return journey. Since January 1, 1939, these district-like areas have officially been called districts.