A Verbandsgemeinde (German pronunciation: [fɛɐ̯ˈbantsɡəˌmaɪndə] ⓘ; plural Verbandsgemeinden) is a low-level administrative unit in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.
A Verbandsgemeinde is typically composed of a small group of villages or towns.
The state of Rhineland-Palatinate is divided into 163 Verbandsgemeinden, which are municipal associations grouped within the 24 districts of the state and subdivided into 2,257 Ortsgemeinden (singular Ortsgemeinde) which comprise single settlements.
The 11 districts of Saxony-Anhalt are divided into Verwaltungsgemeinschaften and, since 1 July 2009 also Verbandsgemeinden.
[2] Other German states have similar administrative units: