What is Bürgermeister?
S The German word '''Burgermeister''' often spelled in [[English language|English]] as ''Burgomaster'' or ''Burgomeister'' means ''master of the [[citizenship|citizens]]''. A Burgermeister is chairman of the executive council (or cabinet) in many towns and cities in Germany. In France, the person is called a ''maire''. In the Netherlands the person is called the ''burgemeester''. The title is usually translated into English as ''[[Mayor]]'', but the position of mayor is not quite the same as the Burgermeister. ==Municipal government== * '''Bürgermeister''', is used in [[Germany]] and [[Austria]]. It was used in [[Switzerland]] until the mid-19th century. In Switzerland now various names are used instead, such as ''Gemeindepräsident'', ''Stadtpräsident'', ''Gemeindeammann'', and ''Stadtammann''. * In [[city-state]]s there can be more than one ''Bürgermeister''. The senior one, equivalent to the [[Minister-President]] has an extra title **''Regierender Bürgermeister'' ('Governing Mayor') in [[Berlin]] ** ''Erster Bürgermeister'' (literally 'First Mayor') in [[Hamburg]] ** ''Bürgermeister und Präsident des Senats'' ('Mayor and President of the Senate') in [[Bremen (state)|Bremen]] *Many large cities also have more than one Bürgermeister, the senior is usually called the ''Oberbürgermeister'' or Lord Mayor. ''Ober-'' is put in front of many title to show that it is higher than another, especially in military. ===Historical title === * ''Präsidierender Bürgermeister'' ('Presiding Bürgermeister') is a name sometimes seen in old documents and books. {{politics-stub}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Burgermeister}} [[Category:Government of Germany]]