die  Eingemeindung

C1

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈaɪnɡəˌmaɪ̯ndʊŋ/

📜 What does 'die Eingemeindung' mean?

Die Eingemeindung describes the administrative or political act by which a previously independent municipality (Gemeinde) or parts of it are integrated into another, usually larger, neighboring municipality or city. In this process, it loses its legal independence.

It's a term from administration (Verwaltung) and politics (Politik), often used in the context of territorial reforms (Gebietsreformen).

The word is feminine, so the article is always 'die': die Eingemeindung.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar in Detail: die Eingemeindung

The noun 'Eingemeindung' is feminine. Here are the declension tables:

💡 Examples

1. Die Eingemeindung des Dorfes in die Stadt wurde kontrovers diskutiert.
   (The incorporation of the village into the city was discussed controversially.)
2. Nach der Eingemeindung gab es eine neue Postleitzahl.
   (After the incorporation, there was a new postal code.)
3. Viele historische Eingemeindungen prägen heute das Stadtbild Berlins.
   (Many historical incorporations shape Berlin's cityscape today.)
4. Der Gemeinderat stimmte gegen die Eingemeindung.
   (The local council voted against the incorporation.)

🏢 When to use 'Eingemeindung'?

The term 'Eingemeindung' is mainly used in official, administrative, and political language. You'll find it in:

• Laws and regulations (Gesetzestexte und Verordnungen)
• Official announcements (Amtliche Bekanntmachungen)
• Historical documents about territorial reforms
• News and reports on local politics (Kommunalpolitik)
• Discussions about urban development and administration

In colloquial German, the term is used less often. People might rather say that a place 'became part of a city' ('ist zu einer Stadt dazugekommen') or 'was integrated' ('wurde eingegliedert').

⚠️ Important: Don't confuse it with a Fusion (merger), where two or more equal municipalities join to form a new one. An Eingemeindung involves one municipality being 'absorbed' by another.

🧠 Mnemonics for Eingemeindung

For the article 'die': Think of 'die' Gemeinde (the municipality). A Gemeinde is integrated ('ein-'), so it's die Eingemeindung. The '-ung' ending also strongly suggests a feminine noun in German.

For the meaning: Imagine someone going into (ein-) a Gemeinde (municipality) to become part of it. The process (-ung) is the Eingemeindung, the act of becoming 'in-communed'.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

🚨 Careful: Words like Fusion or Zusammenschluss (merger, consolidation) might sound similar but often describe a merger of equals, not the absorption of a smaller unit by a larger one, as in Eingemeindung.

😂 A Little Joke

Warum wollte das kleine Dorf unbedingt eingemeindet werden?
(Why did the little village desperately want to be incorporated?)

Es hatte gehört, in der großen Stadt gibt es mehr Anschluss! 🔌🏘️
(It had heard that in the big city, there's more connection / better access! - Anschluss means both 'connection' like phone/internet and 'joining/affiliation')

✍️ Poem about Eingemeindung

Ein kleines Dorf, so grün und fein,
wollt' nicht länger einsam sein.
Die große Stadt, gleich nebenan,
bot ihre starke Schulter an.

Man sprach, verhandelt', tagelang,
bis die Entscheidung endlich klang:
Die Eingemeindung, nun ist's vollbracht,
das Dorf gehört zur Stadt bei Nacht und Tag erwacht.

A little village, green and fine,
No longer wished to lonely pine.
The big city, right next door,
Offered its strong shoulder, and more.

They talked, negotiated, day by day,
Until the final decision's sway:
The incorporation, now complete,
The village joins the city's street, by day and night, a new heartbeat.

❓ Riddle

Ich bin ein Akt, oft auf Papier,
verändere Grenzen, glaube mir.
Ein kleiner Ort wird Teil vom Groß,
verliert die eig'ne Macht und Schoß.
Mal gern gesehen, mal voller Streit,
ich forme Kommunen für die Ewigkeit.

Was bin ich?

I am an act, often on paper,
I change borders, believe me, neighbor.
A small place becomes part of the large,
Loses its own power and charge.
Sometimes welcomed, sometimes fraught with strife,
I shape municipalities for future life.

What am I?

Answer: Die Eingemeindung (The incorporation)

🧩 Other Information

Word Composition:

The word 'Eingemeindung' is composed of:

• ein-: Prefix indicating movement 'into' or 'becoming part of'.
• Gemeinde: The noun for a municipality or local community.
• -ung: Suffix turning an action or process into a noun (here: the act of incorporating).

So, literally: The process of becoming part of a municipality.

Historical Context:

Eingemeindungen (incorporations) have occurred repeatedly in Germany, often as part of major territorial reforms (Gebietsreformen), for example in the 1970s, to simplify administrative structures and make them more efficient.