Regional reform of Thuringia 2018 and 2019

The regional reform in Thuringia is a government project of the red-red-green state government led by Bodo Ramelow . It should enlarge the Thuringian administrative, district and municipal structures, from the government's point of view, in order to counteract demographic change . On November 30, 2017, the state government announced that there would be no municipal and district reform ordered from above. However, voluntary associations at district and community level are still possible.

The reform has been criticized because of the fact that the size of the local authorities has become less citizen-oriented .

prehistory

Legislative period 2009–2014

Proposal for district area reform by the government commissioned expert commission

Already at the time of the black-red coalition after the state elections in Thuringia in 2009 , several parties were in favor of a new territorial reform, whereby the CDU was opposed to this. A commission of experts was set up to examine functional and territorial reform and to submit reform proposals. The results were presented with the report of the Expert Commission on Functional and Territorial Reform on January 17, 2013. This reorganization was based u. a. at the planning regions . According to the model, the district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen was the only district to be broken up. The proposals for functional, territorial and administrative reform were freely accessible and discussed on the Internet. The district administrators of the districts of Sonneberg, Hildburghausen and the district of Eichsfeld rejected the proposal to form eight districts with at least 150,000 inhabitants in 2050 and threatened to move their districts to Bavaria and Lower Saxony. However, such a change is difficult due to the high legal hurdles for the restructuring of the federal territory and in no case possible without the consent of the state governments. During this legislative period, the plans for a territorial reform were not pursued.

After the change of government

After the state elections in Thuringia in 2014 , the three parties Die Linke , SPD and Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen decided on the following formulation in the coalition agreement: "The administrative, functional and territorial reform should be pushed forward in such a way that it takes effect no later than the upcoming district and municipal council elections can be changed. ”Both the number of rural districts and cities as well as the cities and municipalities themselves should be changed. Central local structures and the efficiency of the municipalities should, according to the announcement of the red-red-green state government, be strengthened.

The basis for the deliberations of the state government was a population forecast for Thuringia in the year 2035, which assumes steadily declining population figures, which are brought about by moves, a falling birth rate and a general aging of society.

The functional and territorial reform should also bring about considerable cost savings within the administration, since the middle administrative level should be abolished by 2019 and specific state sovereign tasks would be redistributed to the cities and municipalities. The state government's schedule stipulated that functional and administrative reform laws would be passed by December 2018 at the latest. A calculation of the alleged cost savings did not exist, but was only claimed by a member of the state parliament after the responsible ministry had previously emphasized that financial savings were not predictable and were not intended.

On August 16, 2017, it was announced that the reform would come into force until 2021. The necessary laws should be enacted in 2019 before the next state election. In November 2017, the coalition committee declared the merger of counties to be no longer feasible. Instead, the districts should cooperate more closely.

Mission statement of the red-red-green government

On December 22, 2015, the concept for functional and territorial reform presented in September 2015 was adopted .

Accordingly, future districts should :

• reach a size of 130,000 to a maximum of 250,000 inhabitants
• Do not exceed an area of ​​3,000 square kilometers
• merged as a whole and divided only in exceptional cases.

Since the financial situation of the new districts would have been quite different, the grants for structurally weak districts mentioned in Jörg Bogumil's report were discussed.

According to the model, independent cities should have had at least 100,000 inhabitants according to the population projection for 2035. This would only have applied to Erfurt and Jena .

The following specifications were made for future cities and municipalities :

• From managing communities and municipalities fulfilling unit or will rural communities be. The cities and municipalities are to develop mergers within a voluntary phase and thereby receive a merger bonus that is not included in the budget.
• Newly formed communities should have at least 6,000 inhabitants by 2035.
• The middle and basic centers defined in the state development program Thuringia 2025 should be given preference in the case of incorporations. As far as possible, no "collar communities" should be formed around these central locations, which would weaken their economic efficiency and impair the relationships between the city and the surrounding area, although there will be exceptions here. Every newly organized community should be structured in such a way that it can take on the function of a central location.
• Municipalities that do not use the voluntary phase will be brought together by the legislature without paying the merger premium.
• Cross-county mergers are allowed, but should be the exception.
• The decision-making powers are transferred from the municipality to the districts or localities.
• Exceptions should not be ruled out in particularly poorly populated regions. It has already been suggested that mergers with only 5,900 inhabitants have a chance of being approved in 2035.
• Furthermore, with the "privileged rural community", which should have at least 10,000 inhabitants, a new form of the unitary or rural community has been introduced. The communities that enter into such a merger should be able to act more independently afterwards than is the case in the other forms of community. However, the privileged rural community only applies until 2024.

The voluntary phase was initially valid until October 31, 2017, but was extended until March 31, 2018. The basis for all population figures is the population forecast for 2035.

On June 23, 2016, the preliminary law was passed by the Thuringian state parliament with 47 to 43 votes. Its creation was declared unconstitutional on June 9, 2017 by the Thuringian Constitutional Court.

From August to October 2016, the Interior Minister visited the districts to hold talks with the district administrators and mayors.

At the end of October 2016, a citizen's report was commissioned in which 96 Thuringians were to be asked about the topic. The contract to carry out the expert opinion, the cost of which is estimated at € 150,000, was illegally not tendered. The selection of citizens' experts is under heavy criticism. On November 19, 2016, the last planning cell was closed. a. highlighted the importance of citizen service bureaus. The evaluation of the results should be completed in early 2017.

Starting in November 2016, the state government carried out a campaign on the subject of "territorial reform", which is being checked by the Thuringian Court of Audit on suspicion of wasting taxpayers' money. The state government bases the campaign on informing the citizens with posters and not wanting to advertise for the territorial reform and rejected the accusation of wasting taxpayers' money. According to the government, the costs for 2016 amount to 290,000 euros.

On August 30, 2017, the Minister of the Interior, Holger Poppenhäger , who was responsible for reform, was dismissed from his post and replaced by Georg Maier . In addition, the state government created the post of State Secretary responsible for regional reform in the Ministry of the Interior, who was filled by Uwe Höhn on September 5, 2017 .

The introduction of the administrative unit of the Verbandsgemeinde , which was discussed in between , became unlikely on November 30, 2017 due to time constraints.

Reorganization measures at district level

The originally planned reorganization of the districts and independent cities was declared no longer feasible on November 30, 2017 due to time constraints. Instead, cooperation between the districts is to be strengthened. This is welcomed by the district administrators and mayors.

First proposal from the Ministry of Interior

Reform proposal by Jörg Bogumil (2016)

On October 11, 2016, the government's proposal to reorganize the districts and independent cities was presented. The proposal was based on a report by Jörg Bogumil , an administrative scientist from the Ruhr University in Bochum. Erfurt and Jena should continue to be independent cities through incorporations. These as well as cross-district mergers and the new district towns were not part of the proposal. In detail, the proposal provided for the formation of eight new rural districts (see adjacent map):

1. Eichsfeld and Unstrut-Hainich districts
2. Districts of Nordhausen, Sömmerda and Kyffhäuserkreis
3. Districts of Gotha and Ilm district
4. District Wartburgkreis and the independent city of Eisenach
5. Districts of Schmalkalden-Meiningen, Hildburghausen and Sonneberg and the independent city of Suhl
6. Weimarer Land and Saalfeld-Rudolstadt counties as well as the independent city of Weimar
7. Districts of Saale-Holzland-Kreis and Saale-Orla-Kreis
8. Districts Altenburger Land and Greiz as well as the independent city of Gera

Business association proposal

The Thuringian business associations presented an alternative proposal in December 2016, which also provided for the formation of eight districts, three of which should be formed differently:

1. Districts of Nordhausen and Kyffhäuserkreis
2. Districts of Sömmerda and Weimarer Land as well as the independent city of Weimar
3. Districts of Saale-Holzland-Kreis, Saale-Orla-Kreis and Saalfeld-Rudolstadt

The government was fundamentally positive about this and emphasized compliance with the preliminary law. Members of the LEFT and the SPD welcomed a discussion on the proposal.

Proposal from southwest Thuringia

A group of mayors from the Schmalkalden-Meiningen and Wartburgkreis districts and the Schmalkalden-Meiningen District Administrator Peter Heimrich (SPD) supported the merger of the Schmalkalden-Meiningen and Wartburgkreis districts with the city of Eisenach. Accordingly, the districts of Hildburghausen and Sonneberg should also merge with the independent city of Suhl.

Further proposals from the Ministry of Interior

Reform proposal of the Ministry of the Interior (April 2017)

On April 19, 2017, Interior Minister Poppenhäger presented a revised draft that included district towns. The proposals of the business associations were partly reflected in this draft. The suggestion of a great district in southwest Thuringia, called for by some mayors, was also followed. In addition to Erfurt and Jena, Gera and Weimar should also remain independent. Some previous counties and former county towns should be financially excused. Furthermore, Eisenach and Suhl were to be given the status of a large city belonging to the district and Arnstadt and Meiningen were to be strengthened through the municipal reform. Specifically, the proposal provided for the following: (in brackets: names of the planned district towns)

1. Districts of Eichsfeld and Unstrut-Hainich district ( Mühlhausen / Thuringia )
2. Districts of Nordhausen and Kyffhäuserkreis ( Sondershausen )
3. Districts Gotha and Ilm District ( Gotha )
4. Districts Wartburgkreis, Schmalkalden-Meiningen (without Benshausen , Zella-Mehlis and Oberhof ) and the independent city of Eisenach ( Bad Salzungen )
5. Districts of Hildburghausen and Sonneberg as well as the independent city of Suhl and the communities of Benshausen , Zella-Mehlis and Oberhof ( Hildburghausen )
6. Districts of Sömmerda and Weimarer Land ( Sömmerda )
7. Districts Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, Saale-Holzland-Kreis and Saale-Orla-Kreis ( Saalfeld / Saale )
8. Districts Altenburger Land and Greiz ( Altenburg )

On May 2, 2017, the Thuringian Cabinet discussed the interior ministry's second bill.

Due to strong criticism, the proposal was changed again and then provided for the merger of the Wartburg district with the independent city of Eisenach as well as the administrative community Hohe Rhön and the municipality of Rhönblick (both district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen). The remaining district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen was to merge with the districts of Hildburghausen and Sonneberg and the independent city of Suhl. In addition, there could have been changes in the district towns, since the largest town in each case should now be the seat of a new district. District towns that would lose their title should continue to receive more compensation. The left demanded that Geras and Weimar be bound by certain conditions.

Voluntary reorganization of the Wartburg district and the independent city of Eisenach

January 1, 2022

Eisenach / Wartburg district

• The city of Eisenach is incorporated into the Wartburg district and thus loses its district freedom, but receives the newly created title of large district town . The district seat remains in Bad Salzungen . A corresponding contract was signed on April 4, 2019. The state parliament adopted the associated law in the plenary session on September 12, 2019.

Reorganization measures at community level

After the rejection of the district reform, the Minister of the Interior announced that the municipalities may have regulations deviating from the model in individual cases. Most of the merged municipalities are now smaller than 6,000 inhabitants.

Community reshuffles on July 6, 2018

On December 19, 2017, the cabinet approved the draft law of the first municipal restructuring law. In February 2018, after the first reading, the state parliament transferred the law in a modified form to the responsible committee for further discussion. The draft amendment was approved on June 21, 2018. After publication in the Law and Ordinance Gazette, the law came into force on July 6, 2018.

Changes as of July 6, 2018
No.	Gmde.-Alt	Dev.	Gmde.-New	VG.-Alt	VG.-New
1.	849	−3	846	69	68
2.	846	−1	845	-	-
3.	845	−1	844	-	-
4th	844	−2	842	-	-
5.a)	842	−1	841	-	-
5.b)	841	−4	837	68	67
6th	837	−4	833	67	66
7.a)	833	−2	831	-	-
7.b)	831	−1	830	-	-
8th.	830	−1	829	-	-
9.	829	−1	828	-	-
10.	828	−2	826	-	-
11.a)	826	−2	824	-	-
11.b)	824	−3	821	-	-

The following municipal area changes were decided:

local community	New church	image	image
1. District of Altenburger Land The administrative community Wieratal is dissolved. Its member communities Frohnsdorf , Jückelberg and Ziegelheim are incorporated into Nobitz . Nobitz becomes a fulfilling community for Göpfersdorf and Langenleuba-Niederhain .
Administrative community Wieratal	dissolved
Frohnsdorf	Nobitz
Jückelberg
Brick home
2. District of Eichsfeld Hundeshagen is incorporated into the city of Leinefelde-Worbis .
Dog hare	Leinefelde-Worbis
3. district Gotha Günther-Wechmar and Drei Gleichen join the rural community of three match together. This becomes a fulfilling community for Schwabhausen .
Three of a kind	Three of a kind
Günthersleben-Wechmar
4. District of Hildburghausen Nahetal-Waldau and St. Kilian are incorporated into the town of Schleusingen .
Nahetal-Waldau	Schleusingen
St. Kilian
5.a) Ilm-Kreis Ilmtal is incorporated into the city of Stadtilm .
Ilm Valley	Stadtilm
Stadtilm
5.b) Ilm district The towns of Gehren and Langewiesen and the communities of Pennewitz and Wolfsberg are incorporated into the town of Ilmenau . As a result, the administrative community Langer Berg is dissolved. The Großbreitenbach administrative community is expanded to include Herschdorf and Neustadt am Rennsteig .
Administrative community Langer Berg	dissolved
Miter	Ilmenau
Langewiesen
Pennewitz
Wolfsberg
6. Nordhausen district The administrative community of Hohnstein / Südharz is dissolved: Buchholz is incorporated into Nordhausen . Harzungen , Herrmannsacker and Neustadt / Harz are incorporated into the Harztor rural community .
Administrative community Hohnstein / Südharz	dissolved
Buchholz	Nordhausen
Harzungen	Harz Gate
Herrmannsacker
Neustadt / Harz
7.a) District of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt Saalfelder Höhe and Wittgendorf are incorporated into the city of Saalfeld .
Saalfelder Höhe	Saalfeld / Saale
Wittgendorf
7.b) District of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt Kamsdorf is incorporated into the municipality of Unterwellenborn .
Kamsdorf	Unterwellenborn
8. The district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen Springstille is incorporated into the city of Schmalkalden .
Jumping silence	Schmalkalden
9. District of Sömmerda Schillingstedt is incorporated into the city of Sömmerda .
Schillingstedt	Sömmerda
10. District of Sonneberg Föritz , Judenbach and Neuhaus-Schierschnitz merge to form the unified municipality of Föritztal .
Foeritz	Föritztal
Judenbach
Neuhaus-Schierschnitz
11.a) Wartburg district Marksuhl and Wolfsburg-Unkeroda are incorporated into Gerstungen .
Marksuhl	Barley
Wolfsburg-Unkeroda
11.b) Wartburg district Ettenhausen an der Suhl , Frauensee and Tiefenort are incorporated into Bad Salzungen .
Ettenhausen an der Suhl	bad Salzungen
Frauensee
Depth location

Community reshuffles on January 1, 2019

The amended draft law of August 21, 2018 and the first draft amendment were revised with the recommendation for a resolution of December 6, 2018. The second law on the reorganization of municipalities belonging to a district was passed on December 13, 2018. It was published on December 28, 2018 in the Thuringian Law and Ordinance Gazette and came into force on January 1, 2019.

Changes as of January 1, 2019
No.	Gmde.-Alt	Dev.	Gmde.-New	VG.-Alt	VG.-New
1.	821	−5	816	66	65
2.a)	816	−4	812	65	64
2 B)	812	−1	811	-	-
2.c)	811	−5	806	64	63
3.a)	806	−10	796	63	62
3.b)	796	−3	793	-	-
4.a)	793	0	793	-	-
4.b)	793	−1	792	-	-
4.c)	792	−2	790	-	-
5.a)	790	−1	789	-	-
5.b)	789	−7	782	62	61
5.c)	782	−1	781	-	-
6.a)	781	−3	778	61	60
6.b)	778	−7	771	60	59
7.a)	771	−7	764	59	58
7.b)	764	−5	759	58	57
8th.	759	−8	751	57	56
9.	751	−2	749	-	-
10.a)	749	−6	743	56	55
10.b)	743	−1	742	-	-
10.c)	742	−1	741	-	-
10.d)	741	−1	740	-	-
11.a)	740	−4	736	55	54
11.b)	736	−1	735	-	-
12.	735	−4	731	54	53
13.a)	731	−6	725	53	52
13.b)	725	−1	724	-	-
13.c)	724	−3	721	-	-
13.d)	721	−5	716	-	-
13.e)	716	−1	715	-	-
14th	715	−6	709	-	-
15.a)	709	−9	700	52	51
15.b)	700	−3	697	-	-
15.c)	697	−1	696	-	-
15.d)	696	−1	695	-	-
16.a)	695	−1	694	-	-
16.b)	694	−5	689	51	50
16.c)	689	−1	688	-	-
17.a)	688	−1	687	-	-
17.b)	687	−3	684	50	49
17.c)	684	−6	678	49	48
18.a)	678	−1	677	-	-
18.b)	677	−13	664	48	47

The reorganization law includes the following changes to the municipal area:

local community	New church	image	image
1. District of Altenburger Land The administrative community Altenburger Land is dissolved. Altkirchen , Jungs , Lumpzig , Nöbdenitz and Wildenbörten are incorporated into the town of Schmölln ; this becomes a fulfilling community for Dobitschen . The Rositz administrative community is expanded to include Göhren , Göllnitz , Mehna and Starkenberg .
Administrative community Altenburger Land	dissolved
Altkirchen	Schmoelln
Drugs
Sloppy
Nöbdenitz
Wildenbörten
2.a) District of Eichsfeld Deuna , Gerterode , Hausen and Kleinbartloff are incorporated into Niederorschel . The Eichsfelder Kessel administrative community is dissolved.
Administrative association Eichsfelder Kessel	dissolved
Deuna	Lower Orschel
Gerterode
Hausen
Kleinbartloff
2.b) District of Eichsfeld Bernterode (near Heilbad Heiligenstadt) is incorporated into the city of Heilbad Heiligenstadt .
Bernterode	Heilbad Heiligenstadt
2.c) District of Eichsfeld The administrative community Dingelstädt is dissolved. Kallmerode is incorporated into the city of Leinefelde-Worbis . Dingelstädt , Helmsdorf , Kefferhausen , Kreuzebra and Silberhausen merge to form the town and rural community of Dingelstädt.
Administrative community Dingelstädt	dissolved
Kallmerode	Leinefelde-Worbis
Dingelstädt	Dingelstädt
Helmsdorf
Kefferhausen
Kreuzebra
Silberhausen
3.a) District of Gotha The administrative community Mittleres Nessetal is dissolved. The municipalities Ballstädt , Brüheim , Bufleben , Friedrichswerth , Goldbach , Haina , Hochheim , Remstädt , Wangenheim , Warza and Westhausen form a rural municipality Nessetal . This will be a fulfilling community for Sonneborn .
Administrative community Mittleres Nessetal	dissolved
Ballstädt	Nessetal
Bruheim
Bufleben
Friedrichswerth
Goldbach
Haina
Hochheim
Remstädt
Wangenheim
Warza
Westhausen
3.b) district Gotha Crawinkel , Gräfenhain and Wölfis be in the city Ohrdruf incorporated.
Crawinkel	Ohrdruf
Graefenhain
Wolfis
4.a) District of Hildburghausen The administrative community Feldstein is expanded to include the city of Themar .
4.b) The district of Hildburghausen Sachsenbrunn is incorporated into the city of Eisfeld .
Sachsenbrunn	Ice field
4.c) District of Hildburghausen The city of Bad Colberg-Heldburg and the communities of Gompertshausen and Hellingen merge to form the new city of Heldburg .
Bad Colberg-Heldburg	Heldburg
Gompertshausen
Hellingen
5.a) Ilm-Kreis Wipfratal is incorporated into the city of Arnstadt .
Wipfratal	Arnstadt
5.b) Ilm-Kreis The administrative community Großbreitenbach is dissolved. The municipalities of Altenfeld , Böhlen , Friedersdorf , Gillersdorf , Großbreitenbach , Herschdorf , Neustadt am Rennsteig and Wildenspring merge to form the town and rural municipality of Großbreitenbach.
Administrative community Großbreitenbach	dissolved
Altenfeld	Großbreitenbach
Bohlen
Friedersdorf
Gillersdorf
Großbreitenbach
Herschdorf
Neustadt am Rennsteig
Wild spring
5.c) Ilm-Kreis Kirchheim is incorporated into the municipality of Amt Wachsenburg ; this will be a fulfilling church for Rockhausen .
Kirchheim	Wachsenburg Office
6.a) Ilm-Kreis / Suhl The Rennsteig administrative community is dissolved. Frauenwald and Stützerbach are incorporated into the city of Ilmenau . Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig is incorporated into the independent city of Suhl .
Rennsteig administrative community	dissolved
Frauenwald	Ilmenau
Stützerbach
Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig	Suhl
6.b) Ilm-Kreis / Suhl The administrative community of Upper Geratal is dissolved. Frankenhain , Geraberg , Gräfenroda , Geschwenda , Gossel and Liebenstein merge to form the rural community of Geratal . The Geratal administrative community is expanded to include the town of Plaue and renamed " Geratal / Plaue administrative community ". Neusiß is also incorporated into the town of Plaue . Gehlberg is incorporated into the independent city of Suhl .
Administrative community Upper Geratal	dissolved
Frankenhain	Geratal
Geraberg
Graefenroda
Geschwenda
Gossel
Love stone
Gehlberg	Suhl
Neusiss	Plaue
7.a) Kyffhäuserkreis The administrative community Mittelzentrum Artern is dissolved. The city of Artern / Unstrut and the communities of Heygendorf and Voigtstedt merge to form the new city and rural community of Artern. This becomes a fulfilling community for Borxleben , Gehofen , Kalbsrieth , Mönchpfiffel-Nikolausrieth and Reinsdorf . Ichstedt and Ringleben are incorporated into the city of Bad Frankenhausen / Kyffhäuser . The towns of Roßleben and Wiehe and the communities of Donndorf and Nausitz merge to form a town and rural community of Roßleben-Wiehe .
Administrative community Mittelzentrum Artern	dissolved
Artern / Unstrut	Artern
Heygendorf
Voigtstedt
Ichstedt	Bad Frankenhausen / Kyffhäuser
Ring life
Donndorf	Roßleben-Wiehe
Nausitz
Rossleben
Wiehe
7.b) Kyffhäuserkreis The administrative community An der Schmücke is dissolved. The communities of Bretleben , Gorsleben , Hauteroda , Heldrungen , Hemleben , Oldisleben merge to form the town and country community of An der Schmücke . This becomes a fulfilling community for Etzleben and Oberheldrungen .
Administrative community An der Schmücke	dissolved
Bretleben	On the jewelry
Gorsleben
Skin soda
Heroics
Hemleben
Oldis life
8. District of Nordhausen The city of Bleicherode and the communities Etzelsrode , Friedrichsthal , Kleinbodungen , Kraja , Hainrode , Nohra , Wipperdorf and Wolkramshausen merge to form the new city and rural community of Bleicherode. This becomes a fulfilling community for Großlohra , Kehmstedt , Kleinfurra , Lipprechterode and Niedergebra . The administrative community Hainleite is dissolved.
Administrative community Hainleite	dissolved
Bleicherode	Bleicherode
Etzelsrode
Friedrichsthal
Hainrode
Small floors
Kraja
Nohra
Wipperdorf
Wolkramshausen
9. Saale-Holzland-Kreis Bollberg and Quirla are incorporated into the city of Stadtroda .
Bollberg	Stadtroda
Quirla
10.a) Saale-Orla-Kreis The Saale-Rennsteig administrative community with the communities of Birkenhügel , Blankenberg , Blankenstein , Harra , Neundorf , Pottiga and Schlegel is converted into the single community of Rosenthal am Rennsteig .
Saale-Rennsteig administrative community	dissolved
Birch hill	Rosenthal on the Rennsteig
Blankenberg
Blankenstein
Harra
Neundorf
Pottiga
Schlegel
10.b) Saale-Orla-Kreis Bucha is incorporated into Knau .
Bucha	Knau
10.c) Saale-Orla-Kreis Stanau is incorporated into the city of Neustadt an der Orla .
Stanau	Neustadt an der Orla
10.d) Saale-Orla-Kreis Crispendorf is incorporated into the town of Schleiz .
Crispendorf	Schleiz
11.a) District Saalfeld-Rudolstadt The administrative communities Bergbahnregion / Schwarzatal and Mittleres Schwarzatal are dissolved. Mellenbach-Glasbach , Meuselbach-Schwarzmühle and Oberweißbach / Thuringian Forest merge to form the town and rural community of Schwarzatal . The administrative community Schwarzatal is formed from the municipalities of Cursdorf , Deesbach , Döschnitz , Katzhütte , Meura , Rohrbach (near Saalfeld) , Schwarzburg , Sitzendorf and Unterweißbach and the rural municipality Schwarzatal , it has its seat in Schwarzatal. Dröbischau and Oberhain are incorporated into the town of Königsee-Rottenbach , whose name is changed to " Königsee ". This becomes a fulfilling community for Allendorf and Bechstedt .
Administrative community mountain railway region / Schwarzatal	Administrative community Schwarzatal
Administrative community Mittleres Schwarzatal
Mellenbach-Glasbach	Schwarzatal
Meuselbach-Schwarzmühle
Oberweißbach / Thuringian Forest
Dröbischau	Koenigsee
Oberhain
11.b) District of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt The city of Remda-Teichel is incorporated into the city of Rudolstadt .
Remda Teichel	Rudolstadt
12. District of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt / District of Sonneberg The Lichtetal am Rennsteig administrative association is dissolved. Reichmannsdorf and Schmiedefeld are incorporated into the city of Saalfeld / Saale . Lichte and Piesau are incorporated into the town of Neuhaus am Rennweg (district of Sonneberg).
Administrative community Lichtetal am Rennsteig	dissolved
Reichmannsdorf	Saalfeld / Saale
Blacksmith field
Light	Neuhaus am Rennweg
Piesau
13.a) District of Schmalkalden-Meiningen The administrative community Haselgrund is dissolved. Altersbach , Bermbach , Oberschönau , Rotterode , Unterschönau and Viernau are incorporated into the town of Steinbach-Hallenberg .
Administrative community Haselgrund	dissolved
Altersbach	Steinbach-Hallenberg
Bermbach
Oberschönau
Rotterdam
Unterschönau
Viernau
13.b) District of Schmalkalden-Meiningen Benshausen is incorporated into the city of Zella-Mehlis .
Benshausen	Zella Mehlis
13.c) District of Schmalkalden-Meiningen Henneberg , Wallbach and Walldorf are incorporated into the city of Meiningen .
Henneberg	Meiningen
Wallbach
Walldorf
13.d) District of Schmalkalden-Meiningen Hümpfershausen , Metzels , Oepfershausen , Unterkatz and Wahns are incorporated into the town of Wasungen .
Hümpfershausen	Wasungen
Metzels
Oepfershausen
Subcat
Madness
13.e) The district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen Wölfershausen is incorporated into Grabfeld .
Wölfershausen	Grave field
14. District of Schmalkalden-Meiningen / Wartburg district of Aschenhausen , Kaltensundheim , Kaltenwestheim , Melpers , Oberkatz and Unterweid are incorporated into the city of Kaltennordheim . The administrative community Hohe Rhön will be expanded to include the town of Kaltennordheim, where the headquarters of the administrative community will also be located.
Aschenhausen	Kaltennordheim
Kaltensundheim
Kaltenwestheim
Melpers
Oberkatz
Unterweid
15.a) District of Sömmerda The administrative community of Buttstädt with the communities of Buttstädt , Ellersleben , Eßleben-Teutleben , Großbrembach , Guthmannshausen , Hardisleben , Kleinbrembach , Mannstedt , Olbersleben and Rudersdorf is converted into a rural community of Buttstädt.
Administrative community Buttstädt	dissolved
Buttstädt	Buttstädt
Ellersleben
Eßleben-Teutleben
Großbrembach
Guthmannshausen
Hardisleben
Kleinbrembach
Mannstedt
Olbersleben
Rudersdorf
15.b) District Sömmerda Bilzingsleben , Frömmstedt , Kannawurf and Kindelbrück merge into a rural community Kindelbrück.
Bilzingsleben	Kindelbrück
Frommstedt
Kanna throw
Kindelbrück
15.c) Sömmerda Herrnschwende district is incorporated into the town of Weißensee .
Herrschwende	Weissensee
15.d) Sömmerda Beichlingen district is incorporated into the city of Kölleda .
Beichlingen	Koelleda
16.a) Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis Weinbergen is incorporated into the city of Mühlhausen / Thuringia .
Vineyards	Mühlhausen / Thuringia
16.b) Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis The Unstrut-Hainich administrative community is dissolved. Its member communities Altengottern , Flarchheim , Großengottern , Heroldishausen , Mülverstedt and Weberstedt form the rural community of Unstrut-Hainich . This becomes a fulfilling community for Schönstedt .
Administrative community Unstrut-Hainich	dissolved
Altengottern	Unstrut-Hainich
Flarchheim
Great Gods
Heroldishausen
Mülverstedt
Weberstedt
16.c) Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis Klettstedt is incorporated into the city of Bad Langensalza .
Klettstedt	Bad Langensalza
17.a) Wartburgkreis Ifta is incorporated into the city of Treffurt .
Ifta	Hit
17.b) Wartburgkreis The administration community Berka / Werra , consisting of Berka / Werra , Dankmarshausen , Dippach and Großensee , is converted into the town of Werra-Suhl-Tal .
Administrative association Berka / Werra	dissolved
Berka / Werra	Werra-Suhl valley
Dankmarshausen
Dippach
Großensee
17.c) Wartburgkreis The administrative community of Dermbach is dissolved. Brunnhartshausen , Diedorf , Neidhartshausen , Stadtlengsfeld , Urnshausen and Zella / Rhön are incorporated into Dermbach . Dermbach becomes a fulfilling community for Empfertshausen , Oechsen , Weilar and Wiesenthal .
Administrative community Dermbach	dissolved
Brunnhartshausen	Dermbach
Diedorf
Neidhartshausen
Stadtlengsfeld
Urnshausen
Zella / Rhön
18.a) The district of Weimarer Land Ködderitzsch is incorporated into the city of Bad Sulza .
Ködderitzsch	Bad Sulza
18.b) District of Weimarer Land The administrative association for the northern district of Weimar is dissolved. Berlstedt , Buttelstedt , Großobringen , Heichelheim , Kleinobringen , Krautheim , Ramsla , Sachsenhausen , Schwerstedt , Vippachedelhausen and Wohlsborn merge to form a rural community Am Ettersberg . This becomes a fulfilling community for Ballstedt , Ettersburg and Neumark . Kromsdorf , Rohrbach and Leutenthal are incorporated into the rural community of Ilmtal-Weinstrasse .
Administrative association for the northern district of Weimar	dissolved
Berlstedt	At the Ettersberg
Buttelstedt
Grossobringen
Heichelheim
Kleinobringen
Krautheim
Ramsla
Sachsenhausen
Schwerstedt
Vippachedelhausen
Wohlsborn
Kromsdorf	Ilmtal Wine Route
Leutenthal
Rohrbach

New parishes as of December 31, 2019, December 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021

The draft law for the third law on the voluntary restructuring of municipalities belonging to the district was adopted by the state parliament on September 12, 2019 in an amended recommendation for a resolution. It was published on October 18, 2019 in the Thuringian Law and Ordinance Gazette.

December 31, 2019

Changes as of December 31, 2019
No.	Gmde.-Alt	Dev.	Gmde.-New	VG.-Alt	VG.-New
1.	664	−3	661	47	46
2.	661	−1	660	-	-
3.a)	660	−1	659	-	-
3.b)	659	−1	658	-	-
4th	658	−1	657	-	-
5.a)	657	−3	654	-	-
5.b)	654	−1	653	-	-
6th	653	−1	652	-	-
7.a)	652	−1	651	-	-
7.b)	651	0	651	46	45
8th.	651	−1	650	-	-
9.	650	−5	645	45	44
10.	645	−2	643	-	-
11.a)	643	−8	635	44	43
11.b)	635	−1	634	-	-

The following municipal area changes were decided:

local community	New church	image	image
1. District of Gotha Georgenthal , Hohenkirchen , Leinatal and Petriroda merge to form the rural community of Georgenthal. This becomes a fulfilling community for Emleben and Herrenhof . The administration community Apfelstädtaue is dissolved.
Administrative community Apfelstädtaue	dissolved
Georgenthal	Georgenthal
Hohenkirchen
Leinatal
Petriroda
2. District of Greiz Neumühle / Elster is incorporated into the city of Greiz .
Neumühle / Elster	Greiz
3.a) Ilm-Kreis Rockhausen is incorporated into the municipality of Wachsenburg .
Rockhausen	Wachsenburg Office
3.b) Ilm-Kreis Angelroda is incorporated into the municipality of Martinroda .
Angelroda	Martinroda
4. Kyffhäuserkreis Thüringenhausen is incorporated into the city of Ebeleben .
Thuringia House	Life
5.a) Saale-Orla district Dreba , Knau and Linda near Neustadt an der Orla are incorporated into the city of Neustadt an der Orla .
Dreba	Neustadt an der Orla
Knau
Linda near Neustadt an der Orla
5.b) Saale-Orla-Kreis Burgk is incorporated into the town of Schleiz .
Burgk	Schleiz
6. The district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen Stepfershausen is incorporated into the city of Meiningen .
Stepfershausen	Meiningen
7.a) The district of Sömmerda Henschleben is incorporated into the municipality of Straussfurt .
Henschleben	Straussfurt
7.b) District Sömmerda The administrative communities Gramme-Aue and An der Marke merge to form the administrative community Gramme-Vippach , based in the municipality of Schloßvippach .
Administrative community at the brand	Administrative community Gramme-Vippach
Administrative community Gramme-Aue
8. The district of Sonneberg Bachfeld is incorporated into the city of Schalkau .
Bachfeld	Schalkau
9. Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis The communities of Bothenheilingen , Issersheilingen , Kleinwelsbach , Neunheilingen , Obermehler and Schlotheim merge to form the town and rural community of Nottertal-Heilinger Höhen . This becomes a fulfilling church for Körner and Marolterode . The Schlotheim administrative community is dissolved.
Administrative community Schlotheim	dissolved
Bothenheilingen	Nottertal-Heilinger Heights
Issersheilingen
Kleinwelsbach
Neunheilingen
Obermehler
Schlotheim
10. Wartburgkreis The city of Creuzburg and the communities Ebenshausen and Mihla merge to form the city of Amt Creuzburg .
Creuzburg	Office of Creuzburg
Ebenshausen
Mihla
11.a) District Weimarer Land Bechstedtstrasse , Daasdorf a. Berge , Hopfgarten , Isseroda , Mönchenholzhausen , Niederzimmer , Nohra , Ottstedt a. Berge and Troistedt merge to form the rural community of Grammetal . The Grammetal administrative community is dissolved.
Administrative community Grammetal	dissolved
Bechstedtstrasse	Grammetal
Daasdorf a. mountains
Hopfgarten
Isseroda
Mönchenholzhausen
Niederzimmer
Nohra
Ottstedt a. mountains
Troistedt
11.b) District Weimarer Land Saaleplatte is incorporated into the city of Bad Sulza .
Saaleplatte	Bad Sulza

1st December 2020

Wartburg district

• The municipality of Moorgrund is incorporated into the city of Bad Salzungen .

January 1, 2021

Kyffhäuserkreis

• The cities of Greußen and Großenehrich as well as the community Wolferschwenda merge to form the city and rural community of Greußen. This leaves the Greußen administrative community at the same time .

Sömmerda district

• The city of Kölleda is leaving the Kölleda administrative community .

Public criticism

Criticism of the plans of the state government came mainly from the ranks of the CDU, the free voters, the AfD and especially from the municipal umbrella organizations, mayors and district administrators of the affected communities and districts. The reform also came under increasing criticism within the SPD. In the summer of 2016, all district administrators were commissioned by the municipal representatives to work to maintain the respective regional authority.

The association "Self-Administration for Thuringia" was founded, which in summer 2016 collected signatures for the approval of a referendum directed against the regional reform. Approval of the referendum was applied for in October 2016 with almost 48,000 signatures and 5,000 necessary. Some cabinet members and members of the state parliament on the left spoke early on in favor of suing the referendum. The referendum was approved in mid-December. On January 10, 2017, the state government decided to take constitutional action against the referendum on the grounds that it interfered inadmissibly with budget decisions. Specifically, it concerns the merger premiums to be paid out to the cities and municipalities.

After the first proposal was submitted, the lack of consideration for historical references was criticized. A stronger consideration of historical references in the future district structure was called for.

Criticism of the second reorganization model of the Ministry of the Interior also came from members of the state parliament of the government groups, in particular because the now retained district freedom of Geras and Weimar would undermine the requirements of their own preliminary law, which provides for a minimum population of 100,000 inhabitants for independent cities.

In the district of Sonneberg in particular , voices for a change of country to Bavaria were again loud. After the city council and the mayor called for Monday demonstrations on the Sonneberg station square, more than 3,000 demonstrators protested against the planned regional reform there on May 8 and May 15, 2017. The demonstrating Sonneberg city and district administrators received on-site support from the entire city council of the neighboring Upper Franconian town of Neustadt bei Coburg .

After the rejection of the district reform, CDU parliamentary group leader Mike Mohring called for Ramelow's resignation.

See also

• District reform of Thuringia 1994
• History of the administrative structure of Thuringia
• Administrative structural reform in Brandenburg in 2019

literature

• Daniel Plogmann: The failed district reforms in Thuringia and Brandenburg (2014–2017). A root cause analysis . In: Journal for State Constitutional Law and State Administrative Law (ZLVR), 1/2019, pp. 1–14.

Web links

• Expert opinion on behalf of the Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Local Affairs

Individual evidence

1. ^ Report of the Expert Commission on Functional and Territorial Reform. (PDF; 2.5 MB) Free State of Thuringia, accessed on June 29, 2019 . 
2. ^ Administrative reform of Thuringia . In: Administrative reform of Thuringia . ( Online [accessed October 18, 2016]).
3. ↑ mdr.de (ed.): Southern Thuringian districts threaten to move to Bavaria | MDR.DE . ( Online [accessed October 18, 2016]).
4. ^ Thuringian regional reform: Eichsfeld district administrator threatens to leave . ( Online [accessed October 18, 2016]).
5. ↑ Göttinger Tageblatt, Eichsfelder Tageblatt, Göttingen, Eichsfeld, Lower Saxony, Germany: "Wonderful, but not realistic" - United Eichsfeld in Lower Saxony: survey of association representatives - Goettinger-Tageblatt.de. In: www.goettinger-tageblatt.de. Retrieved October 18, 2016 . 
6. ↑ MDR: How an area transfer is regulated in Germany , accessed on February 8, 2013
7. ^ Coalition agreement for the 6th electoral term of the Thuringian State Parliament ( Memento from April 15, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
8. ↑ The regional government's timetable for regional reform on the regional reform website , accessed on December 3, 2016
9. ↑ Left: Administrative reform brings 500 million euros per year . ( Online [accessed October 18, 2016]).
10. ↑ Home. (PDF) In: www.tltdok.thueringen.de. Retrieved October 18, 2016 . 
11. ↑ MDR report on the postponement of the reform ( memento of the original from August 27, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
12. ↑ Article of the Thüringer Allgemeine , accessed on November 30, 2017
13. ^ Mission statement "Sustainable Thuringia from September 2015" , accessed on October 5, 2016
14. ↑ Thüringer Allgemeine , accessed on October 16, 2016
15. ^ Kerstin Sander: Draft double budget 16-17. In: www.thueringen.de. January 15, 2016, accessed October 18, 2016 . 
16. ↑ Märkische Allgemeine - Thuringia also stops the district reform , accessed on December 2, 2017
17. ↑ Development of the population of Thuringia from 2015 to 2035 by districts (PDF) Thuringian State Office for Statistics. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
18. ↑ Home. (PDF) In: www.tltdok.thueringen.de. Retrieved October 18, 2016 . 
19. ↑ thueringen.de , accessed on October 11, 2016
20. ↑ thueringen.de , accessed on October 11, 2016
21. ↑ mdr.de (ed.): Citizens' opinion on regional reform in Thuringia threatens failure | MDR.DE . ( Online [accessed October 18, 2016]).
22. ↑ thueringen.de , accessed on December 3, 2016
23. ↑ Article of the MDR , accessed on December 3, 2016
24. ↑ Article of "InSüdthüringen" newspaper called on December 3, 2016
25. ↑ Wetter.de ( Memento of the original from December 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed December 3, 2016 
26. ↑ Article of the Thüringer Allgemeine , accessed on November 30, 2017
27. ↑ Article of the MDR Thuringia , accessed on December 2, 2017
28. ↑ thueringen.de , accessed on October 11, 2016
29. ↑ MDR ( Memento of the original from December 20, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed December 18, 2016 
30. ↑ insuedthueringen.de , accessed on April 5, 2017
31. ^ Thüringer Allgemeine , accessed on April 5, 2017
32. ^ Territorial reform in Thuringia - These districts and district towns are planned . Thuringian General, April 19, 2017
33. ↑ inSüdthüringen , accessed on April 19, 2017
34. ↑ Thüringer Allgemeine , accessed on May 20, 2017
35. ↑ State supports the Eisenach-Wartburgkreis merger - Article of the MDR , accessed on September 13, 2019
36. ↑ Article of the MDR , accessed on September 15, 2019
37. ↑ Printed matter 6/7072 (PDF) Thuringian Landtag. May 8, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
38. ↑ Thüringer Allgemeine , accessed on December 2, 2017
39. ↑ Draft law of the state government of Thuringia law for the voluntary reorganization of municipalities belonging to the district in 2018 and for the amendment of the Thuringian law on municipal double-entry (PDF) Free State of Thuringia. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
40. ↑ bill the state government - Printed matter 6/5308 - (PDF) Thuringian state parliament. February 14, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
41. ↑ Resolution recommendation of the interior and municipal committee on the bill of the state government - printed matter 6/5308 - . Thuringian Parliament. June 18, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
42. ↑ bill the state government - Printed matter 6/6060 - (PDF) Thuringian state parliament. August 22, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
43. ^ Amendment by the parliamentary groups DIE LINKE, SPD and BÜNDNIS 90 / DIE GRÜNEN on the state government's bill - printed matter 6/6060 - (PDF) verwaltungsportal.de. August 30, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
44. ↑ Resolution recommendation of the interior and municipal committee on the draft law of the state government - printed matter 6/6507 - printed matter 6/6507 - (PDF) Thuringian Parliament. June 12, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
45. ↑ Thuringian Law and Ordinance Gazette No. 14/2018 p. 795 ff. , Accessed on December 28, 2018
46. ↑ Printed matter 6/6960 (PDF) Thuringian Landtag. March 20, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
47. ↑ Printed matter 6/7662 to printed matter 6/6960 (PDF) Thuringian Landtag. September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
48. ↑ Thuringian Law and Ordinance Gazette No. 11/2019 p. 385 ff. , Accessed on October 23, 2019
49. ^ Alternative for Germany - Thuringia. In: afd-thueringen.de. Retrieved October 18, 2016 . 
50. ↑ mdr.de (Hrsg.): Central municipal associations criticize planned regional reform for Thuringia | MDR.DE . ( Online [accessed October 18, 2016]).
51. ↑ Article from the MDR , accessed on October 5, 2016
52. ↑ dispute territorial reform: SPD-based mucks in the Altenburg country against country party . ( Online [accessed October 18, 2016]).
53. ↑ SPD politician criticizes the SPD interior minister's schedule for regional reform . ( Online [accessed October 18, 2016]).
54. ↑ Majority of the district administrators are fighting against the regional reform , accessed on December 4, 2017
55. ↑ Thüringer Allgemeine from September 6, 2016 , accessed on October 5, 2016
56. ↑ thueringen24.de , accessed on October 5, 2016
57. ↑ Article of the Thüringer Allgemeine , accessed on October 6, 2016
58. ↑ MDR ( Memento of the original from December 16, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed December 18, 2016 
59. ↑ MDR ( Memento of the original from January 12, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed January 12, 2017 
60. ↑ Steffen Raßloff : Reshaped "Land of Residences" . In Thüringer Allgemeine on October 22, 2016
61. ↑ Future structure of Thuringia: First SPD politician refuses new model for territorial reform (MDR) ( Memento of the original from April 22, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed April 22, 2017 
62. ↑ Article in the Ostthüringer Zeitung , accessed on October 19, 2016
63. ↑ 3,000 people demonstrate against territorial reform. (No longer available online.) MDR Thuringia, May 8, 2017, archived from the original on May 26, 2017 ; Retrieved May 19, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
64. ↑ Demo in Sonneberg: Why Francs are also against the territorial reform. Thuringia 24, 16 May 2017, accessed on 19 May 2017 .