(Land-)Kreise stand at an intermediate level of administration between each state (Länder) and the municipalities (Gemeinden) within it.

Previously, the similar title Imperial Circle (Reichskreis) referred to groups of states in the Holy Roman Empire.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, there are some cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants which are not urban districts, these being Recklinghausen, Gütersloh, Siegen, Paderborn, Bergisch Gladbach, Neuss and Moers.

Midsize towns can perform particular administrative functions of the district as well, especially to provide common services to the local citizens.

Aachen, Hanover and Göttingen retain certain rights of an urban district (Kreisfreie Stadt); Saarbrücken has not explicitly determined a similar provision in its legislation.

According to common federal and state laws, the districts are responsible for the following tasks: Districts can perform additional functions, based on varying local laws in each region: All these tasks are carried out by local (municipal) authorities operating together.

Rural districts in some German states have an additional administrative committee called Kreisausschuss.