German word

Landkreis

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈlantˌkʁaɪ̯s/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncounty

Example

In vielen Landkreisen gibt es schöne Seen.

There are beautiful lakes in many counties.

Illustration for Landkreis (county)

More examples

Die Schule liegt am Rand des Landkreises.

The school is located on the edge of the county.

Core concept

A shared administrative umbrella over neighboring municipalities, rather than a single town.

Common phrases

  • im Landkreis leben

    live in the county

  • innerhalb des Landkreises

    within the county

Similar words

Kreis: A wider administrative district formed from multiple municipalities.
Bundesland: A constituent state of a federation with substantial governing powers.
Gemeinde: A municipality handling local affairs for its surrounding community.
Stadt: An urban municipality serving as an administrative center.

Definition in German

Ein Landkreis ist ein Verwaltungsbezirk, der mehrere Gemeinden umfasst und für Aufgaben wie Straßenbau, Abfallentsorgung und Schulträgerschaft verantwortlich ist.

Word origin

The compound Landkreis combines Land with Kreis, which developed from a term for a bounded area and came to denote an administrative district.

Usage tips

  • The phrase im Landkreis uses the dative for a location, while in den Landkreis marks movement into the district.

Other meanings

  • districtnoun

Word lists with this word