die
Landstraße
🛣️ What exactly is a Landstraße?
The noun Landstraße (feminine, article: die) refers to a public road outside built-up areas that serves interlocal traffic. It connects villages and smaller towns.
In contrast to the Autobahn (motorway/highway) or often also the Bundesstraße (federal highway), the Landstraße usually has only one lane per direction and is not designed for very high speeds. It often runs through scenic areas.
⚠️ Attention: The exact classification (e.g., as Landesstraße - state road, Staatsstraße - state road, or Kreisstraße - district road) can vary depending on the German federal state (Bundesland), but the general term often remains 'Landstraße'.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-e/-ee → almost always feminine.
There are many -e nouns, many of which are feminine, but there are also some important exceptions.
🧐 Grammar: Die Landstraße in Detail
The noun „Landstraße“ is feminine. The correct article is die.
Declension of die Landstraße (The Country Road)
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Landstraße |
| Genitive | der | Landstraße |
| Dative | der | Landstraße |
| Accusative | die | Landstraße |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Landstraßen |
| Genitive | der | Landstraßen |
| Dative | den | Landstraßen |
| Accusative | die | Landstraßen |
Example Sentences 📝
- Wir fuhren auf einer schmalen Landstraße durch den Wald.
(We drove on a narrow country road through the forest.) - Die nächste Tankstelle liegt direkt an der Landstraße.
(The next gas station is right on the country road.) - Viele Unfälle ereignen sich auf Landstraßen wegen überhöhter Geschwindigkeit.
(Many accidents happen on country roads due to excessive speed.) - Im Herbst sind die Landstraßen oft von buntem Laub bedeckt.
(In autumn, the country roads are often covered with colorful leaves.)
🚗 How to use 'Landstraße'?
The term Landstraße is used in everyday language for roads that are not within towns (innerorts) and are not motorways (Autobahnen). They are typical for drives between smaller places or through rural regions.
- Typical Context: Travel, commuting between villages, trips to the countryside, traffic reports.
- Distinction from other terms:
- Autobahn: Multi-lane, high speeds, only for motor vehicles, often grade-separated (no crossings).
- Bundesstraße: Important supra-regional connection, can be developed like a motorway but may also pass through towns. Higher status than Landesstraße or Kreisstraße.
- Innerortsstraße/Stadtstraße: Roads within built-up areas.
- Feldweg/Wirtschaftsweg: Unpaved or simply paved tracks, primarily for agriculture and forestry.
- Specifics: Landstraßen often have lower speed limits than Autobahnen (frequently 100 km/h outside towns unless otherwise signposted) and can be winding.
🧠 Mnemonics for Landstraße
Article Mnemonic: Remember that die Straße (street/road) is feminine. A Straße that goes through the Land (countryside) remains die Straße -> die Landstraße.
Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine driving comfortably through the Land, far from the hustle of the Autobahn, on a simple Straße – that's a Landstraße (country road).
↔️ Similar and Opposite Terms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning):
- Überlandstraße: Very similar meaning, emphasizes driving 'over land'.
- Chaussee: Slightly dated term, often for historically significant, paved country roads.
- (Depending on context): Kreisstraße (district road), Landesstraße (state road), Staatsstraße (state road) - more specific classifications.
Antonyms (Opposite Meaning):
Potentially Confusing Words:
- Landweg: Sounds similar, but often refers to a smaller, sometimes unpaved path in the countryside, more like a Feldweg.
😂 A Little Joke
Warum hat die Landstraße Liebeskummer?
(Why is the country road lovesick?)
Weil sie ständig von Autos verlassen wird!
(Because cars are constantly leaving it!)
📜 Poem about the Landstraße
Die Landstraße schlängelt sich sacht,
(The country road winds gently,)
Durch Felder und Wälder bei Tag und Nacht.
(Through fields and forests by day and night.)
Verbindet die Dörfer, klein und fein,
(Connects the villages, small and fine,)
Lädt ein, die Landschaft zu seh'n, nicht nur zu sein.
(Invites to see the landscape, not just to be.)
Kein Rauschen der Eile, kein Drängeln und Hast,
(No rush of hurry, no pushing and haste,)
Nur Bäume am Wege als stiller Gast.
(Only trees along the way as silent guests.)
❓ Riddle
Ich bin kein Weg im Feld, keine Bahn so breit,
(I'm not a path in the field, no track so wide,)
Verbinde Ort mit Ort, durch die Ländlichkeit.
(Connect place with place, through the countryside.)
Man fährt auf mir gemach, nicht allzu schnell,
(One drives on me slowly, not too fast,)
Mal kurvig, mal gerade, mal schattig, mal hell.
(Sometimes curvy, sometimes straight, sometimes shady, sometimes bright.)
Was bin ich? / What am I? Lösung / Solution: Die Landstraße (The country road)
ℹ️ Additional Information
Word Composition (Wortzusammensetzung):
The word „Landstraße“ is a compound noun (Kompositum), composed of:
- Land: Refers to the rural environment, the area outside cities.
- Straße: Means street or road, the paved traffic route.
Historical Note: The term „Chaussee“, a synonym, originates from French and initially designated a raised road built up with stones, which represented a modern form of road construction in the 18th and 19th centuries.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Landstraße?
The word "Landstraße" is feminine. The correct article is die Landstraße. It refers to a road outside built-up areas that serves interlocal traffic, connecting towns and villages.