50 years of regional reform in NRW: Wüst takes stock and outlook!

NRW Minister Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) recognized the municipal reorganization in North Rhine-Westphalia on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. He described the regional reform, which took effect on January 1, 1975, as an important step towards the future viability of municipal administration. Wüst explained that the administration's tasks have become more demanding over the decades. The reform reduced around 2,300 independent municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia to 396 cities and municipalities. This resulted in many municipalities lost their independence, for example Wattenscheid in Bochum and Wanne-Eickel in Herne. New administrative units such as the Hochsauerlandkreis and the Märkische Kreis were founded.

Wüst does not see the 1975 municipal reorganization as a model for today. He emphasized that North Rhine-Westphalia does not require any further regional reforms and instead enables the municipalities voluntary cooperation, for example in waste and wastewater disposal. The reorganization met 50 years ago to partly violent protest, while Wüst is convinced that there is a high level of acceptance for the reorganization today. He believes that the merger of communities was initially difficult, but also offered opportunities. In his view, people can feel both Wattenscheid and Bochum as a home.

Development of the area reform

The municipal regional reform in North Rhine-Westphalia began in 1966 and was largely completed on January 1, 1975. On this date, the last comprehensive laws on the territorial reform came into force, which fully abolished the offices and elevated the 1953 official regulations. Before the reform, North Rhine-Westphalia included six government districts, 38 independent cities and 57 counties and 294 offices. The reform aimed at strengthening the administrative strength of the circles and communities by creating larger units. In the first phase of the reform, new conflicts and discussions about the reorganization were started, followed by various legal regulations that were finally corrected until 1976.

like de.wikipedia.org documented, the borders in the metropolitan areas were recovered as part of the reform, starting in cities such as Bonn, Aachen and Bielefeld. The reorganization led, among other things, to the dissolution of the Bonn district and the restructuring of the city of Bielefeld. The process contributed to the reduction of the district members from 2327 to 1243 and the officials from 1877 to 864 and the official free from 450 to 379.