Boroughs and quarters of Hamburg

The city of Hamburg in Germany is made up of 7 boroughs (German: "Bezirke", also known as "districts" or "administrative districts") and subdiveded into 105 quarters (German: "Stadtteile"). Most of the quarters were former independent settlements. As of 2008 the areal organisation is regulated by the constitution of Hamburg and several laws.

History

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thumb|Map of Hamburg 1815-1937">
red: State of Hamburg 1815-1937
violett: Prussian cities like Altona
grey: new localities 1937
dotted line: Hamburg 2005The first official administrative devisions of Hamburg were the parishes of four churches, the St. Peter's Church, St. Catherine's Church, St. Jacobi and St. Nikolai (or their preceeding buildings). On February 24 1529 a compromise of 132 articles between the senate of Hamburg and the citizens (German: "Langer Rezeß") established a council of citizens. The 12 councilmen were called "Oberalte" (Eldermen) and were the 3 oldest diacons of the parishes. Each parish was given a confirmed border. [Citation |last1=Verg |first1=Erich |last2=Verg |first2=Martin |year=2007 |title=Das Abenteuer das Hamburg heißt |pp=45–46 |edition=4th |location=Hamburg |publisher=Eller&Richter |isbn=9783831901371 de icon]

1871

In 1871 at the declaration of the German Reich the State of Hamburg consists of the city of Hamburg with Altstadt (Old city), Neustadt (New city) and St. Georg (Hamburg since 1868). A suburb called St. Pauli and several directly named outskirts and the other land.

In the north former parts of the Province of Schleswig-Holstein with its municipalities Rotherbaum, Harvestehude, Eimsbüttel, Eppendorf, Winterhude, Uhlenhorst, Barmbeck, Eilbeck, Hohenfelde, Borgfelde, Hamm, Horn, Billwärder-Ausschlag, Steinwärder mit Grevenhof and the Kleiner Grasbrook. Rural areas has been e.g. Großborstel, Fuhlsbüttel, Langenhorn, Alsterdorf, Ohlsdorf, Kleinborstel, Struckholt. Loacilities named as Walddörfer (forest villages) Farmsen with Berne, Volksdorf, Wohldorf and Olstedt, Groß-Hansdorf and Schmalenbeck.Most names in old german spelling]

In the south rural areas between Bille and Elbe are located Billwärder an der Bille, Moorfleeth, Allermöhe, Spadenland, Tatenberg, Ochsenwärder and Reitbrook.

Severals villages, rural areas are located south of river Elbe, e.g. Moorwärder, Kaltenhofe, Peute, Die große Veddel, Die kleine Veddel, Niedernfelde, Klütjenfelde, Ellerholz, Ross, Waltershof, Mühlenwärder, Dradenau and the munipicalties Finkenwärder and Moorburg.

The city of Bergedorf and munipicalities Curslak, Altengamme, Neuengamme, Kirchwärder, Krauel and Geesthacht. And the munipcalities Cuxhaven, Groden, Döse, Süderwisch und Westerwisch, Stickenbüttel, Sahlenburg, Duhnen, Holte and Spangen, Arensch und Berensch, Oxstedt, Gudendorf and the island Neuwerk.

The Greater Hamburg Act

At April 1 1938 due to the "Gesetz über Groß-Hamburg und andere Gebietsbereinigungen" (Greater Hamburg Act) (from January 26 1937) the State Hamburg lost all its rural areas, they became part of the state of Hamburg. The city also gained considerable area from the province of Schleswig-Holstein as Altona and Wandsbek both became administrative districts of Hamburg. Furthermore rural districts Bergstedt, Billstedt, Bramstedt, Bramfeld, Duvenstedt, Hummelsbüttel, Lemsahl-Mellingstedt, Lohbrügge, Poppenbüttel, Rahlstedt, Sasel, Steilshoop und Wellingsbüttel, Kurslack im Achterschlag, Lokstedt were added to the state's area. The Province of Hanover handed over the city district of Harburg-Wilhelmsburg. The settlements of the rural districts Altenwerder, Cranz, Finkenwerder, Fischbek, Francop, Gut Moor, Hannöversch Kirchwerder, Langenbek, Marmstorf, Neuenfelde, Neugraben, Neuland, Rönneburg, Sinstorf and parts of Over therefore became quarters within the state's borders.

Hamburg lost Cuxhaven, Geesthacht, Schmalenbeck, Groß Hansdorf and the isles of Neuwerk, Scharnhörn and Niegehörn.

1945 and later

In 1969 the isles were handed back to Hamburg and administered from the borough of "Hamburg-Mitte" ever since.

March 1, 2008 the quarter Wilhelmsburg became part of the borough Hamburg-Mitte. The neighbourhood Schanzenviertel in the boroughs Altona, Eimsbüttel and Hamburg-Mitte became the quarter Sternschanze in the borough Altona. The neighborhood HafenCity was awarded the status of a quarter.

Boroughs

A borough of Hamburg is comparable to the third-level administration in Germany. In the Constitution of Hamburg is determined that a area could be created by law for administrative purposes. [Constitution of Hamburg, Art. 4] The boroughs were created with a law. A borough has minor rights to establish laws and regulations compared to the districts of the states of Germany, because Hamburg is both a state and a city of Germany.

Diet of the borough

All boroughs of Hamburg have their own local parliament (German: Bezirksversammlung). The members of the "Bezirksversammlung" are elected alongside with elections to Hamburg's state parliament (German: "Hamburgische Bürgerschaft"). It consists of 45, 51 or 57 representatives, depending on the population of the borough. The representatives are elected every four years under a system of proportional representation. The diet is a unicameral parliament and the representatives are elected in universal, direct, free, equal and secret elections. Every citizen of the European Union is entiteld to vote, if on the day of election, the 18th year of age is completed, the registration for Hamburg as a place of main residence is 3 month or older and the citizen is not excluded from the right of vote.

The rights of the diet are mostly to be heard in questions of local importance (e.g. the location of fire brigade stations, schools etc.), to be informed by the main local office ("Bezirksamt") but can also make compulsory resolutions to the main local office.

Municipal councillor

The administrative leader af a borough is called "Bezirksamtsleiter" (Meaning municipal councillor) and is elected by the Diet of the borough and thereafter his admission needs to get appointed by the "Senat", Hamburgs's state cabinet.Bezirksverwaltungsgesetz (BezVG)] Each borough is made up of several quarters.

Quarters

The quarters of Hamburg are not politically independent, but have officially recognised borders.Act of the areal organisation] They have no own government or administration. Most quarters have a history as a independent rural, urban or suburban localities and they form the basis of the state and city of Hamburg. This history is often shown in the endings of the name like Bergedorf. -dorf means village, so Bergedorf is the village in the mountains ("Berg" is German for mountain). Some quarters are made up of several official recognised locations, not to be confused with by inhabitants so called neighbourhoods. In total Hamburg is subdiveded into 180 localities (German: "Ortsteile"). [List of streets and localities in Hamburg, p. 8] St. Pauli quarter is much larger than the neighbourhood St. Pauli or "Kiez" which means the area around the Reeperbahn.

Areal organisation

Altona borough consists of the quarters Altona-Altstadt, Altona-Nord, Bahrenfeld, Blankenese, Groß Flottbek, Iserbrook, Lurup, Nienstedten, Osdorf, Othmarschen, Ottensen, Rissen, Sternschanze and Sülldorf.

The quarters Allermöhe, Altengamme, Bergedorf, Billwerder, Curslack, Kirchwerder, Lohbrügge, Moorfleet, Neuengamme, Ochsenwerder, Reitbrook, Spadenland and Tatenberg belong to the Bergedorf borough.

The quarters Billbrook, Billstedt, Borgfelde, Finkenwerder, HafenCity, Hamburg-Altstadt, Hamm-Nord, Hamm-Mitte, Hamm-Süd, Hammerbrook, Horn, Kleiner Grasbrook, Neustadt, Neuwerk, Rothenburgsort, Steinwerder, St. Georg, St. Pauli, Veddel, Waltershof and Wilhelmsburg belong to the borough Hamburg-Mitte.

Hamburg-Nord borough is made up of the quarters Alsterdorf, Barmbek-Nord, Barmbek-Süd, Dulsberg, Eppendorf, Fuhlsbüttel, Groß Borstel, Hoheluft-Ost, Hohenfelde, Langenhorn, Ohlsdorf, Uhlenhorst and Winterhude.

Altenwerder, Cranz, Eißendorf, Francop, Gut Moor, Harburg, Hausbruch, Heimfeld, Langenbek, Marmstorf, Moorburg, Neuenfelde, Neugraben-Fischbek, Neuland, Rönneburg, Sinstorf and Wilstorf are quarters in the borough of Harburg.

The Wandsbek borough consists of Bergstedt, Bramfeld, Duvenstedt, Eilbek, Farmsen-Berne, Hummelsbüttel, Jenfeld, Lemsahl-Mellingstedt, Marienthal, Poppenbüttel, Rahlstedt, Sasel, Steilshoop, Tonndorf, Volksdorf, Wandsbek, Wellingsbüttel and Wohldorf-Ohlstedt.

Eimsbüttel is split into nine quarters: Eidelstedt, Eimsbüttel, Harvestehude, Hoheluft-West, Lokstedt, Niendorf, Rotherbaum, Schnelsen and Stellingen.

For statistical purpose the borough Hamburg-Mitte has the group/area called "Schiffsbevölkerung" (people living on ships). [ Statistisches Jahrbuch Hamburg 2007/2008 ISSN|1614-8045 de icon]

Notes

References

*Constitution of Hamburg from 6 June 1952, last change 16 May 2001 [http://hh.juris.de/hh/gesamt/Verf_HA.htm "Verfassung der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg"] de icon
*Borough administration act [http://hh.juris.de/hh/gesamt/BezVwG_HA_2006.htm "Bezirksverwaltungsgesetz" (BezVG)] de icon
*Act of the areal organisation, July 6 2006 [http://hh.juris.de/hh/gesamt/RGlG_HA.htm "Gesetz über die räumliche Gliederung der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg" (RäumGiG)] de icon
*Streets and localities in Hamburg "Straßen- und Gebietsverzeichnis der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg 2008", Statistical office Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein "Statistisches Amt für Hamburg und Schleswig-Holstein", Hamburg, Germany (ISSN=3938-636X)

"Parts translated from "

ee also

*Hamburg Metropolitan Region

External links