Landrat

alt=|thumb|397x397px|Party affiliation of German Landrats and Mayor|mayors of independent cities (June 2023) The Landrat () is the chief administrative officer of a German Landkreis or Kreis and thus the highest municipal official. In most states they are also the lower state administrative authority (so-called "dual position" of the Landrat). They represent the Kreis externally and are elected in most States of Germany directly.

== History == The title ' was adopted for the lowest administrative authorities in individual small German states, namely in Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Saxe-Meiningen, as well as in the Imperial County of Reuss and in the Schwarzburg principalities (Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen). In the Kingdom of Bavaria, where with their introduction in right-wing districts since 1828 Landräte elected, the assembly appointed to represent a was called . In Mecklenburg, the eight representatives of the native or received nobility in the ständisches Direktorium were called Landrats. Two Landrats belonged to the ' of the Knights and Countryside.