The states of Austria are subdivided into 80 political districts (German: politische Bezirke, in Lower Austria and Vorarlberg: Verwaltungsbezirke) and 15 statutory cities (Statutarstädte) with enhanced town privileges, which form districts in their own right. It makes the Bezirke second-level administrative subdivisions in eight of the nine states, at an intermediate level between the states (Länder) and the municipal governments (Gemeinden).
Function
The Austrian Bezirke are roughly equivalent to Landkreise in Germany or Counties of the United Kingdom and US Counties. The administrative office of a district, the Bezirkshauptmannschaft is headed by the Bezirkshauptmann ('district captain'). Officials on the district level are not elected but appointed by the state government.
The districts are in charge of the administration of all matters of federal and state administrative law and subject to orders from the higher instances, usually the Landeshauptmann (governor) in matters of federal law and the Landesregierung (state government) in state law. Thus, the district is the basic unit of general administration in Austria.
The 15 Statutarstädte are independent cities according to Austrian administrative law. These cities are not part of any district and the city council covers all matters usually a district administration would do. Usually, a statutory city is home to a district administration responsible for the surrounding area, of which it is not part of. For example, Innsbruck is an independent city surrounded by the district Innsbruck-Land with its administrative seat within in the city.
The Austrian capital Vienna, which is both a state and a statutory city, is further subdivided into districts (boroughs), used for local administration by the city government. Though these districts enjoy a certain autonomy, they are in no way comparable to politische Bezirke administrative divisions.
Liezen District in Styria, the largest Austrian Bezirk by area, includes an executive Expositur branch in Gröbming. In the course of an administrative reform enacted by the Styrian state government, the Judenburg and Knittelfeld districts merged to form the newly established Murtal District with effect from 1 January 2012. Further mergers followed on 1 January 2013: Bruck-Mürzzuschlag, Hartberg-Fürstenfeld and the newly established Südoststeiermark (Southeast Styria) District by the merger of the former Feldbach and Radkersburg districts.
List of political districts
List of statutory cities
References
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