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Administrative division of the German Democratic Republic

 

 
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Administrative division of the German Democratic Republic
 
 
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Following the redrawing of Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
's national boundaries after 1945, there were five states or Länder
States of Germany

Germany is a federation consisting of sixteen states, known in German language as L?nder . Since Land is the literal German word for "country", the term Bundesl?nder is commonly used colloquially, as it is more specific, though technically incorrect within the corpus of German law....
 in the Soviet
Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
 occupation zone
Soviet occupation zone

The Soviet Occupation Zone was the area of eastern Germany occupied by the Soviet Union from 1945 on, at the end of World War II. On 7 October 1949, the Soviet occupation zone became the German Democratic Republic ....
: which, together with East Berlin
East Berlin

East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet Union Allied Occupation Zones in Germany of Berlin that was established in 1945....
 formed the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic

The German Democratic Republic was a self-declared socialist state created in the Soviet Zone of occupied Germany and the East Berlin of Allied Occupation Zones in Germany....
 in 1949.

In 1952, the Länder of East Germany were abolished, and the GDR was divided into Bezirke (districts), each named after the largest city. These districts were again divided into smaller districts, namely in rural districts and urban districts (Kreise & Stadtkreise):





























East Berlin
East Berlin

East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet Union Allied Occupation Zones in Germany of Berlin that was established in 1945....
 was claimed as capital city, not a Bezirk, and was described either as Berlin or Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR ("Berlin, Capital of the GDR").






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Following the redrawing of Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
's national boundaries after 1945, there were five states or Länder
States of Germany

Germany is a federation consisting of sixteen states, known in German language as L?nder . Since Land is the literal German word for "country", the term Bundesl?nder is commonly used colloquially, as it is more specific, though technically incorrect within the corpus of German law....
 in the Soviet
Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
 occupation zone
Soviet occupation zone

The Soviet Occupation Zone was the area of eastern Germany occupied by the Soviet Union from 1945 on, at the end of World War II. On 7 October 1949, the Soviet occupation zone became the German Democratic Republic ....
:
  • Brandenburg
    Brandenburg

    Brandenburg is one of the sixteen states of Germany of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany....
    ,
  • Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
    Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

    Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, sometimes translated as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania or Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, is a States of Germany in northern Germany comprised of two regions, Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania ....
     (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern),
  • Saxony
    Saxony

    The Free State of Saxony is a States of Germany of Germany. Located in the southeastern part of present-day Germany. It is the tenth-largest German state in area and the sixth largest in population , of Germany's sixteen states....
     (Sachsen),
  • Saxony-Anhalt
    Saxony-Anhalt

    Saxony-Anhalt is one of the sixteen States of Germany that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of , and a population of 2.45 million ....
     (Sachsen-Anhalt), and
  • Thuringia
    Thuringia

    The Free State of Thuringia is located in central Germany. It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen States of Germany ....
     (Thüringen),
which, together with East Berlin
East Berlin

East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet Union Allied Occupation Zones in Germany of Berlin that was established in 1945....
 formed the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic

The German Democratic Republic was a self-declared socialist state created in the Soviet Zone of occupied Germany and the East Berlin of Allied Occupation Zones in Germany....
 in 1949.

In 1952, the Länder of East Germany were abolished, and the GDR was divided into Bezirke (districts), each named after the largest city. These districts were again divided into smaller districts, namely in rural districts and urban districts (Kreise & Stadtkreise):

  • Bezirk Cottbus
    • Stadtkreis Cottbus
      Cottbus

      Cottbus is a city in Brandenburg, Germany, situated around 125 km southeast of Berlin on the River Spree. In 31 December, 2005, its population was 106,415....
    • Kreis Bad Liebenwerda
    • Kreis Calau (Lower Sorbian: Wokrejs Kalawa)
    • Kreis Cottbus-Land (Lower Sorbian: Wokrejs Chosebuz)
    • Kreis Finsterwalde
    • Kreis Forst (Lower Sorbian: Wokrejs Baršc)
    • Kreis Guben (Lower Sorbian: Wokrejs Gubin)
    • Kreis Herzberg
    • Kreis Hoyerswerda (Lower Sorbian: Wokrjes Wojerecy)
    • Kreis Jessen
    • Kreis Luckau
    • Kreis Lübben (Lower Sorbian: Wokrejs Lubin)
    • Kreis Senftenberg (Lower Sorbian: Wokrejs Zly Komorow)
    • Kreis Spremberg (Lower Sorbian: Wokrejs Grodk)
    • Kreis Weißwasser (Lower Sorbian: Wokrjes Bela Woda)


  • Bezirk Dresden
    • Stadtkreis Dresden
      Dresden

      Dresden is the capital city of the Germany Federal Free state of Saxony. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon triangle metropolitan area....
    • Stadtkreis Görlitz
      Görlitz

      File:Typisches Haus der G?rlitzer Innenstadt.jpgG?rlitz is a town in Germany on the Lusatian Neisse River, in the States of Germany of Saxony....
    • Kreis Bautzen (Lower Sorbian: Wokrjes Budyšin)
    • Kreis Bischofswerda
    • Kreis Dippoldiswalde
    • Kreis Dresden-Land
    • Kreis Freital
    • Kreis Görlitz-Land
    • Kreis Großenhain
    • Kreis Kamenz
    • Kreis Löbau
    • Kreis Meißen
    • Kreis Niesky
    • Kreis Pirna
    • Kreis Riesa
    • Kreis Sebnitz
    • Kreis Zittau


  • Bezirk Erfurt
    • Stadtkreis Erfurt
      Erfurt

      Erfurt is a city in central Germany. It is the Capital of the state of Thuringia with a population of 202,929 . Erfurt is located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of N?rnberg and 180 km SE of Hannover....
    • Stadtkreis Weimar
      Weimar

      Weimar is a city in Germany. It is located in the States of Germany of Thuringia , north of the Th?ringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle, Saxony-Anhalt and Leipzig....
    • Kreis Apolda
    • Kreis Arnstadt
    • Kreis Eisenach
    • Kreis Erfurt-Land
    • Kreis Gotha
    • Kreis Heiligenstadt
    • Kreis Langensalza
    • Kreis Mühlhausen
    • Kreis Nordhausen
    • Kreis Sömmerda
    • Kreis Sondershausen
    • Kreis Weimar-Land


  • Bezirk Frankfurt (Oder)
    • Stadtkreis Frankfurt (Oder)
      Frankfurt (Oder)

      Frankfurt is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River, on the German-Poland border directly opposite the town of Slubice which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945....
    • Stadtkreis Eisenhüttenstadt
      Eisenhüttenstadt

      Eisenh?ttenstadt is a city in Brandenburg, Germany. Eisenh?ttenstadt is located on the Oder river in the Oder-Spree district and has a population of 34,483 ....
    • Stadtkreis Schwedt/Oder
      Schwedt

      Schwedt is a city in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the largest city of the Uckermark near the Oder river on the border with Poland.Schwedt is an industrial city at the edge of the Lower Oder Valley National Park at the Polish border....
    • Kreis Angermünde
    • Kreis Bad Freienwalde
    • Kreis Beeskow
    • Kreis Bernau
    • Kreis Eberswalde
    • Kreis Eisenhüttenstadt
    • Kreis Fürstenwalde
    • Kreis Seelow
    • Kreis Strausberg


  • Bezirk Gera
    • Stadtkreis Gera
      Gera

      Gera is the third largest city in the German state of Thuringia after Erfurt, the Thuringian capital, and Jena. It is situated in east Thuringia on the river Wei?e Elster , approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometers to the east of Erfurt....
    • Stadtkreis Jena
      Jena

      Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. With a population of 103,000 it is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt....
    • Kreis Eisenberg
    • Kreis Gera-Land
    • Kreis Greiz
    • Kreis Jena
    • Kreis Lobenstein
    • Kreis Pößneck
    • Kreis Rudolstadt
    • Kreis Saalfeld
    • Kreis Schleiz
    • Kreis Stadtroda
    • Kreis Zeulenroda


  • Bezirk Halle
    • Stadtkreis Halle
      Halle, Saxony-Anhalt

      Halle is the largest city in the Germany States of Germany of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia in North Rhine-Westphalia....
    • Stadtkreis Dessau
      Dessau

      Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the States of Germany of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Ro?lau....
    • Stadtkreis Halle-Neustadt
      Halle, Saxony-Anhalt

      Halle is the largest city in the Germany States of Germany of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia in North Rhine-Westphalia....
       (since May, 12th 1967)
    • Kreis Artern
    • Kreis Aschersleben
    • Kreis Bernburg
    • Kreis Bitterfeld
    • Kreis Eisleben
    • Kreis Gräfenhainichen
    • Kreis Hettstedt
    • Kreis Hohenmölsen
    • Kreis Köthen
    • Kreis Merseburg
    • Kreis Naumburg
    • Kreis Nebra
    • Kreis Quedlinburg
    • Kreis Querfurt
    • Kreis Roßlau
    • Kreis Saalkreis
    • Kreis Sangerhausen
    • Kreis Weißenfels
    • Kreis Wittenberg
    • Kreis Zeitz


  • Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt
    • Stadtkreis Karl-Marx-Stadt
      Chemnitz

      Chemnitz is a city in eastern Germany. With a population of approximately 245,000 in its city limits, Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony....
       (since 1990, Chemnitz)
    • Stadtkreis Plauen
      Plauen

      Plauen is a city in the Saxony, east-central Germany.It is the capital of the Vogtlandkreis. The city is situated near the border of Bavaria and the Czech Republic....
    • Stadtkreis Zwickau
      Zwickau

      Zwickau is a city in Germany, in the States of Germany Free State of Saxony , situated in a valley at the foot of the Erzgebirge, on the left bank of the Zwickauer Mulde, 130 km southwest of Dresden, south of Leipzig and south west of Chemnitz....
    • Stadtkreis Johanngeorgenstadt
      Johanngeorgenstadt

      Johanngeorgenstadt is a mining town in Saxony?s Ore Mountains, 17 km south of Aue, and 27 km northwest of Karlovy Vary. It lies in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, and right on the border with the Czech Republic, is a state-recognized health resort , and calls itself Stadt des Schwibbogens ....
       (just till 1957)
    • Stadtkreis Schneeberg
      Schneeberg

      Schneeberg may refer to:*several mountains in Germany and Austria:**Schneeberg , in Lower Austria**Schneeberg , in Bavaria*several towns in Germany:...
       (just till 1958)
    • Kreis Annaberg
    • Kreis Aue
    • Kreis Auerbach
    • Kreis Brand-Erbisdorf
    • Kreis Flöha
    • Kreis Freiberg
    • Kreis Glauchau
    • Kreis Hainichen
    • Kreis Hohenstein-Ernstthal
    • Kreis Karl-Marx-Stadt-Land
    • Kreis Klingenthal
    • Kreis Marienberg
    • Kreis Oelsnitz
    • Kreis Plauen-Land
    • Kreis Reichenbach
    • Kreis Rochlitz
    • Kreis Schwarzenberg
    • Kreis Stollberg
    • Kreis Werdau
    • Kreis Zschopau
    • Kreis Zwickau-Land


  • Bezirk Leipzig
    • Stadtkreis Leipzig
      Leipzig

      Leipzig is, with a population of over 511,252, the largest city in the States of Germany of Saxony, Germany....
    • Kreis Altenburg
    • Kreis Borna
    • Kreis Delitzsch
    • Kreis Döbeln
    • Kreis Eilenburg
    • Kreis Geithain
    • Kreis Grimma
    • Kreis Leipzig-Land
    • Kreis Oschatz
    • Kreis Schmölln
    • Kreis Torgau
    • Kreis Wurzen


  • Bezirk Magdeburg
    • Stadtkreis Magdeburg
      Magdeburg

      Magdeburg , the Capital of the States of Germany of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, lies on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
    • Kreis Burg
    • Kreis Gardelegen
    • Kreis Genthin
    • Kreis Halberstadt
    • Kreis Haldensleben
    • Kreis Havelberg
    • Kreis Kalbe (Milde) (till December 1987)
    • Kreis Klötze
    • Kreis Loburg (till June 1957)
    • Kreis Oschersleben
    • Kreis Osterburg
    • Kreis Salzwedel
    • Kreis Schönebeck
    • Kreis Seehausen (till July 1965)
    • Kreis Staßfurt
    • Kreis Stendal
    • Kreis Tangerhütte (till December 1987)
    • Kreis Wanzleben
    • Kreis Wernigerode
    • Kreis Wolmirstedt
    • Kreis Zerbst


  • Bezirk Neubrandenburg
    • Stadtkreis Neubrandenburg
      Neubrandenburg

      Neubrandenburg is a city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated in the southeastern part of the state, at the shore of a lake called the Tollensesee ....
       (from January 1969)
    • Kreis Altentreptow
    • Kreis Anklam
    • Kreis Demmin
    • Kreis Malchin
    • Kreis Neubrandenburg-Land
    • Kreis Neustrelitz
    • Kreis Pasewalk
    • Kreis Prenzlau
    • Kreis Röbel/Müritz
    • Kreis Strasburg
    • Kreis Templin
    • Kreis Teterow
    • Kreis Ueckermünde
    • Kreis Waren


  • Bezirk Potsdam
    • Stadtkreis Potsdam
      Potsdam

      Potsdam is the capital city of the Germany States of Germany of Brandenburg and is part of the Metropolitan area of Berlin/Brandenburg. It is situated on the River Havel, some 25 kilometres southwest of the center of Berlin....
    • Stadtkreis Brandenburg an der Havel
    • Kreis Belzig
    • Kreis Brandenburg
    • Kreis Gransee
    • Kreis Jüterbog
    • Kreis Königs-Wusterhausen
    • Kreis Kyritz
    • Kreis Luckenwalde
    • Kreis Nauen
    • Kreis Neuruppin
    • Kreis Oranienburg
    • Kreis Potsdam
    • Kreis Pritzwalk
    • Kreis Rathenow
    • Kreis Wittstock
    • Kreis Zossen


  • Bezirk Rostock
    • Stadtkreis Rostock
      Rostock

      Rostock is the largest city in the north Germany States of Germany Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Rostock is located on the Warnow river; the quarter of Warnem?nde 12 km north of the city centre lies directly on the coast of the Baltic Sea....
    • Stadtkreis Greifswald
      Greifswald

      Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. The town is situated approximately 200 km to the north of Berlin in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, it borders the Baltic Sea and is crossed by a small river called the Ryck....
       (from January 1974)
    • Stadtkreis Stralsund
      Stralsund

      Stralsund is a city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, situated at the southern coast of the Strelasund .Two bridges and several ferry services connect Stralsund with the ports of R?gen....
    • Stadtkreis Wismar
      Wismar

      Wismar is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,about 45 km due east of L?beck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin....
    • Kreis Bad Doberan
    • Kreis Greifswald
    • Kreis Grevesmühlen
    • Kreis Grimmen
    • Kreis Ribnitz-Damgarten
    • Kreis Rostock-Land
    • Kreis Rügen
    • Kreis Stralsund
    • Kreis Wismar
    • Kreis Wolgast


  • Bezirk Schwerin
    • Stadtkreis Schwerin
      Schwerin

      Schwerin is a city in northern Germany and the capital of the state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern . The population as of end of 2007 was 95,855....
    • Kreis Bützow
    • Kreis Gadebusch
    • Kreis Güstrow
    • Kreis Hagenow
    • Kreis Ludwigslust
    • Kreis Lübz
    • Kreis Parchim
    • Kreis Perleberg
    • Kreis Schwerin-Land
    • Kreis Sternberg


  • Bezirk Suhl
    • Stadtkreis Suhl
      Suhl

      Suhl is a town in Thuringia, Germany. Its population in 2003 was 43,610....
    • Kreis Bad Salzungen
    • Kreis Hildburghausen
    • Kreis Ilmenau
    • Kreis Meiningen
    • Kreis Neuhaus
    • Kreis Schmalkalden
    • Kreis Sonneberg
    • Kreis Suhl-Land


East Berlin
East Berlin

East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet Union Allied Occupation Zones in Germany of Berlin that was established in 1945....
 was claimed as capital city, not a Bezirk, and was described either as Berlin or Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR ("Berlin, Capital of the GDR"). (West Berlin
West Berlin

West Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors established in 1945....
 was known as Westberlin until the final years of the GDR, when Berlin (West), the term used in West Germany
West Germany

West Germany was the common English name for the Germany , from its formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when East Germany was dissolved and its States of Germany became part of the Federal Republic, ending the more than 40-year division of Germany....
, began also to be used.)

In 1990, the Länder were reinstated and acceded to the Federal Republic of Germany. Each Land is divided into districts, or Kreise, as in West Germany
West Germany

West Germany was the common English name for the Germany , from its formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when East Germany was dissolved and its States of Germany became part of the Federal Republic, ending the more than 40-year division of Germany....
 and the Bezirke were abolished.