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07Berlin · Berlin as a city and a state

Berlin is both a city and a federal state.

Of these four answers, Berlin is the city-state. The term describes its structure within the federation, not a city’s size or fame.

About 4 min readReviewed: 20 October 2026
AI-generated residential buildings, trees and a wide pavement.
Constitution of BerlinArticle 1 · City and state
Fictional urban scene; not a documented Berlin location.
The short answer

Choose Berlin.

Article 1 of Berlin’s Constitution combines two characteristics: Berlin is a city and a German state. It therefore has both urban responsibilities and the status of one of the 16 federal states. The German term used in the question is Stadtstaat, meaning city-state.

Try it for yourselfBerlin · No. 07
Which federal state is ein Stadtstaat?

Choose one answer. Your result stays on this page only.

City life and the state level belong together.

In a Berlin address, Berlin names the city. When you read about the House of Representatives or the Senate, you are reading about the parliament or government of the state of Berlin. You do not need to place another federal state above Berlin.

Brandenburg surrounds Berlin geographically. That does not mean Berlin is currently a city within the state of Brandenburg. The two states cooperate but remain separate federal states. A shared region does not automatically constitute a single state.

Two fictional adults discuss a card on a bench in an urban courtyard.
AI-generated learning scene about the term city-state.

The other three answers

The other three named states are not city-states.

Saarland

Saarland is a federal state with several towns and municipalities. Its small area does not make it a city-state. Small and city-state are not synonyms.

Brandenburg

Brandenburg is the federal state surrounding Berlin. They are two states, however; Berlin’s location does not turn Brandenburg into a city-state.

Hessen

Hesse is also a federal state with several towns and municipalities. A major urban centre within a state does not make the whole state a city-state.

City-state does not mean an independent country outside Germany.

Berlin remains part of the Federal Republic and is bound by the Basic Law and federal legislation. The word state in city-state should not be confused here with a separate sovereign country outside Germany.

Hamburg and Bremen also count as German city-states; Bremen comprises the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven. This test question offers only Berlin as a matching option. The original English question retains the German word Stadtstaat, which means city-state.

Article 1 · City and state · Constitution of Berlin ↗
Your memory cue

Berlin: city and state at the same time.

Geographically surrounded by Brandenburg, politically a separate federal state.

Three words for this question

der Stadtstaatcity-state
A federal state with an urban structure; in Berlin, city and state are combined.
das Flächenlandterritorial state
Here, a federal state that is not one of the three city-states.
das Bundeslandfederal state
A constituent state of the Federal Republic of Germany with its own state institutions.
Verfassung von Berlin · Artikel 1 ↗

Place Berlin’s institutions at the correct level.

BE 02Which is a borough of Berlin?
Catalogue answer

Pankow

Pankow is a borough within Berlin.

BE 09What is the head of government called in the city-state of Berlin?
Catalogue answer

Governing Mayor

The head of government is called the Governing Mayor.

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Sources & context

An independently written study guide, not an official BAMF publication or advice for an individual case. The sources below were reviewed on 20 October 2026 for the claims explained here; the test question comes from the existing question bank.

The two editorial pictures are AI-generated illustrations. They do not document real events or official proceedings.