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{{Short description|German word for "realm" or "empire"}}
{{About|the German noun|other uses|Reich (disambiguation)}}
{{distinguish|German Reich|Greater Germanic Reich}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2021}}
{{Multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 200
| image1            = Holy Roman Empire 1714.svg
| caption1          = [[Holy Roman Empire]] (800/962–1806) in 1714; the "First Reich"
| image2            = German Empire 1914.svg
| caption2          = [[German Empire]] (1871–1918) in 1914; the "Second Reich"
| caption3          = [[Nazi Germany]] (1933–1945) in 1942; the "Third Reich"
| image3            = Greater German Reich (1942).svg
}}
{{Italic title|reason=[[:Category:German words and phrases]]}}

'''{{lang|de|Reich}}''' ({{IPAc-en|r|aɪ|k|,_|r|aɪ|x}} {{respell|ryke|,_|raikh}};<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/reich|title=Reich|website=Dictionary.com|access-date=4 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192546/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/reich|archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref><ref name="CALD" /> {{IPA|de|ʁaɪç|lang|De-Reich.oga}}) is a [[German language|German]] word whose meaning is analogous to the English word "[[realm]]".{{efn|Not to be confused with the German [[adjective]] {{wikt-lang|de|reich}}, which means 'rich'.}} The terms {{lang|de|Kaiserreich}}{{efn|{{IPA|de|ˈkaɪzɐʁaɪç|lang|De-Kaiserreich.ogg}}; {{literally|realm of an emperor}}.}} and {{lang|de|Königreich}}{{efn|{{IPA|de|ˈkøːnɪkʁaɪç|lang|De-Königreich.ogg}}; {{literally|realm of a king}}}} are respectively used in German in reference to [[empire]]s and [[Kingdom (politics)|kingdoms]].  In English usage, the term "{{em|the}} Reich" often refers to [[Nazi Germany]], also called "the Third Reich".<ref name="CALD">{{cite encyclopedia| title=the Reich |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/reich |encyclopedia=[[Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary]] |year=2013 |access-date=2025-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406163814/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/reich |archive-date=2018-04-06 |url-status=live |quote=''the Reich'' (also ''the Third Reich'') : Germany during the period of Nazi control from 1933 to 1945 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]}}</ref>

The term {{lang|de|[[German Reich|Deutsches Reich]]}} (sometimes translated to "[[German Empire]]") continued to be used even after the collapse of the German Empire and the [[German Revolution of 1918–1919|abolition of the monarchy]] in 1918. There was no emperor, but many Germans had imperialistic ambitions.  According to historian [[Richard J. Evans]]:

{{quote|The continued use of the term "German Empire", {{lang|de|Deutsches Reich}}, by the [[Weimar Republic]] ... conjured up an image among educated Germans that resonated far beyond the institutional structures Bismarck created: the successor to the Roman Empire; the vision of God's Empire here on earth; the universality of its claim to [[suzerainty]]; and in a more prosaic but no less powerful sense, the concept of a German state that would include all German speakers in central Europe—"one People, one Reich, one Leader", as the Nazi slogan was to put it.<ref>{{cite book|first=Richard J. |last=Evans |author-link=Richard J. Evans
|title=The Coming of the Third Reich
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CmjBW3lsA84C&pg=PT33
|date=2005|publisher=Penguin|page=33
|isbn=9781101042670 |url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504181552/https://books.google.com/books?id=CmjBW3lsA84C&pg=PT33|archive-date=2018-05-04}}</ref>}}

The term is used for historical empires in general, such as the [[Roman Empire]] ({{lang|de|Römisches Reich}}), [[Persian Empire]] ({{lang|de|Perserreich}}), and both the [[Tsardom of Russia]] and the [[Russian Empire]] ({{lang|de|Zarenreich}}, literally "[[Tsar]]s' realm"). {{lang|de|Österreich}}, the name used for [[Austria]] today, is composed of {{lang|de|Öster-}} and {{lang|de|Reich}} which, literally translated, means "Eastern Realm". The name once referred to the eastern parts of the [[Holy Roman Empire]].

In the [[history of Germany]] specifically, it is used to refer to:
* the early medieval Frankish Realm ([[Francia]]) and [[Carolingian Empire]] (the {{lang|de|Fränkisches Reich}} and {{lang|de|Karolingerreich}});
* the [[Holy Roman Empire]] ({{lang|de|Heiliges Römisches Reich}}), which lasted from the coronation of [[Charlemagne]] as [[Holy Roman Emperor]] in 800, until 1806, when it was dissolved during the [[Napoleonic Wars]];
* the [[German Empire]] ({{lang|de|Deutsches Reich}} or {{lang|de|Deutsches Kaiserreich}}), which lasted from the [[unification of Germany]] in 1871 until its collapse after [[World War I]], during the [[German Revolution of 1918–1919]];
* the [[Weimar Republic]] of 1919&ndash;1933 continued to use {{lang|de|Deutsches Reich}} as its official name;
* [[Nazi Germany]], the [[state (polity)|state]] often referred to as the ''Third Reich'', which lasted from the [[Enabling Act of 1933|Enabling Act]] in 1933 until the [[end of World War II in Europe]] in 1945. It continued to use the official name, {{lang|de|Deutsches Reich}} {{gloss|mode=def|German Reich}}, until 1943, when it was renamed to the {{lang|de|Großdeutsches Reich}} {{gloss|mode=def|Greater German Reich}}.

The Nazis adopted the term "Third Reich" to legitimize their government as the rightful successor to the retroactively renamed "First" and "Second" Reichs – the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire, respectively; the Nazis discounted the legitimacy of the Weimar Republic entirely. The terms "First Reich" and "Second Reich" are not used by historians, and the term "[[Fourth Reich]]" is mainly used in fiction and political humor, although it is also used by those who subscribe to [[neo-Nazism]].

==Etymology==
{{Wiktionary|Reich|Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rīks}}

The term is derived from the [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] word which generally means "{{wikt-lang|en|realm|italic=no}}", but in German, it is typically used to designate a [[Monarchy|kingdom]] or an empire, especially the [[Roman Empire]].<ref name=HM>{{cite magazine|magazine=Harper's New Monthly Magazine|volume=63 |title=The German Empire |last=Tuttle |first=Herbert |page=593 |number=376 |hdl=2027/mdp.39015056091245?urlappend=%3Bseq=605%3Bownerid=13510798885173288-619 |hdl-access=free |date=September 1881 |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_harpers-magazine_1881-09_63_376/page/593/mode/1up}}</ref> The terms {{lang|de|[[Kaisertum]]}} ({{IPA|de|ˈkaɪzɐˌtuːm|lang|De-Kaisertum.ogg}}, {{gloss|Imperium}}) and {{lang|de|Kaiserreich}} ({{gloss|Imperial realm}}) are used in German to more specifically define an empire ruled by an emperor.<ref name=HM/>

{{lang|de|Reich}} is comparable in meaning and development (as well as descending from the same [[Proto-Indo-European]] root) to the English word "realm" (via French {{wikt-lang|fr|reaume}} {{gloss|kingdom}} from Latin {{wikt-lang|la|regalis}} {{gloss|royal}}).

The German noun ''Reich'' is derived from {{langx|goh|rīhhi}}, which together with its cognates in {{langx|ang|rīce}}, {{langx|non|ríki}}, and {{langx|got|reiki}} is derived from a [[Common Germanic]] {{lang|gem-x-proto|rīkijan}}.
The English noun survives only in the compounds ''[[:wikt:bishopric|bishopric]]'' and ''[[:wikt:archbishopric|archbishopric]]''.

The German adjective {{lang|de|[[:wikt:reich|reich]]}}, on the other hand, has an exact cognate in English [[:wikt:rich|rich]]. Both the noun ({{lang|gem-x-proto|rīkijan}}) and the adjective ({{lang|gem-x-proto|rīkijaz}}) are derivations based on  the [[Common Germanic]] {{lang|gem-x-proto|rīks}} "ruler, [[Germanic king|king]]", reflected in Gothic as {{lang|got|[[reiks]]}}, glossing {{lang|grc|ἄρχων}} "leader, ruler, chieftain".

It is probable that the Germanic word was not inherited from pre-Proto-Germanic, but rather loaned from [[Continental Celtic|Celtic]] (i.e. [[Gaulish]] ''rīx'', [[Modern Welsh|Welsh]] {{lang|cy|rhi}}, both meaning 'king') at an [[Roman Iron Age|early time]].<ref>Grimm, ''[[Deutsches Wörterbuch]]'', original suggestion from [[Karl Brugmann]] ''grundrisz der vergl. gramm''. 1, 65. Also mentioned in e.g. Calvert Watkins, ''American Heritage dictionary of Indo-European Roots'', p.&nbsp;70.</ref>

The word has many cognates outside of Germanic and Celtic, notably {{langx|la|rex}} and {{langx|sa|राज|raj|rule}}. It is ultimately from [[Proto-Indo-European]] {{lang|ine-x-proto|reg-}}, {{lit|to straighten out or rule}}.

==Usage throughout German history==
{{Citations needed section|date=January 2021}}

===Frankish Empire===
''Frankenreich'' or ''Fränkisches Reich'' is the German name given to the [[Frankish Kingdom]] of [[Charlemagne]]. 
''Frankenreich'' came to be used of [[Western Francia]] and [[medieval France]] after the development of [[Eastern Francia]] into the [[Holy Roman Empire]].
The German name of [[France]], ''Frankreich'', is a contraction of ''Frankenreich'' used in reference to the [[kingdom of France]] from the late medieval period.<ref>
Grimm, ''Deutsches Wörterbuch'' cites [[Conrad of Megenberg]] (''fastn.'' 140.14): ''ich pin ein konig aus Frankreich.''
</ref>

===Holy Roman Empire===
{{See also|Holy Roman Empire}}The term ''Reich'' was part of the German names for Germany for much of its history. ''Reich'' was used by itself in the common German variant of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], (''{{lang|de|Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR)}}''). ''Der rîche'' was a title for the Emperor.  However, Latin, not German, was the formal legal language of the medieval Empire (''{{lang|la|Imperium Romanum Sacrum}}''), so English-speaking historians are more likely to use Latin ''{{lang|la|imperium}}'' than German ''{{lang|de|Reich}}'' as a term for this period of German history. The common contemporary Latin legal term used in documents of the Holy Roman Empire was for a long time ''regnum'' ("rule, domain, empire", such as in ''Regnum Francorum'' for the [[Francia|Frankish Kingdom]]) before ''imperium'' was in fact adopted, the latter first attested in 1157, whereas the parallel use of ''regnum'' never fell out of use during the Middle Ages.

====Modern age====
At the beginning of the [[modern age]], some circles redubbed the HRE into the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation" (''{{lang|de|Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation}}''), a symptom of the formation of a German [[nation state]] as opposed to the [[multinational state]] the Empire was throughout its history.

Resistance against the [[French Revolution]] with its concept of the state brought a new movement to create a German "ethnical state", especially after the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. [[Ideal (ethics)|Ideal]] for this state was the Holy Roman Empire; the [[legend]] arose that Germany were "un-defeated when unified", especially after the [[Franco-Prussian War]] (''{{lang|de|Deutsch-Französischer Krieg}}'', lit. "German-French war"). Before that, the [[German question]] ruptured this "German unity" after the [[Revolutions of 1848 in the German states|1848 Revolution]] before it was achieved, however; Austria-Hungary as a multinational state could not become part of the new "German empire", and nationality conflicts in [[Prussia]] with the Prussian Poles arose ("We can never be Germans – Prussians, every time!").

The advent of national feeling and the movement to create an ethnically German Empire did lead directly to [[nationalism]] in 1871. Ethnic minorities declined since the beginning of the modern age; the [[Polabian language|Polabs]], [[Sorbian languages|Sorbs]] and even the once important [[Low German]]s had to assimilate themselves. This marked the transition between [[Antijudaism]], where converted Jews were accepted as full citizens (in theory), to [[Antisemitism]], where Jews were thought to be from a different [[Ethnic group|ethnicity]] that could never become German. Apart from all those ethnic minorities being de facto extinct, even today the era of national feeling is taught in history in German schools as an important stepping-stone on the road to a German nation.

===German Reich===
{{See also|German Reich}}

In the case of the Hohenzollern Empire (1871–1918), the official name of the country was {{Lang|de|Deutsches Reich|italic=no}} ("German Realm"), because under the [[Constitution of the German Empire]], it was legally a [[confederation]] of German states under the permanent presidency of the [[King of Prussia]].  The constitution granted the King of Prussia the title of "German Emperor" (''Deutscher Kaiser''), but this referred to the German nation rather than directly to the ''state'' of Germany.<ref name="HM" />

The exact translation of the term "German Empire" would be {{Lang|de|Deutsches Kaiserreich}}. This name was sometimes used informally for Germany between 1871 and 1918, but it was disliked by the first German Emperor, [[Wilhelm I]], and never became official.

The [[Unification of Germany|unified Germany]] which arose under Chancellor [[Otto von Bismarck]] in 1871 was the first entity that was officially called in German ''{{lang|de|Deutsches Reich}}''. {{Lang|de|Deutsches Reich|italic=no}} remained the official name of Germany until 1945, although these years saw three very different political systems more commonly referred to in English as: "the [[German Empire]]" (1871&ndash;1918), the [[Weimar Republic]] (1919&ndash;1933; this term is a post-[[World War II]] coinage not used at the time), and [[Nazi Germany]] (1933&ndash;1945).

===During the Weimar Republic===
After 1918 "Reich" was usually not translated as "Empire" in English-speaking countries, and the title was instead simply used in its original German. During the [[Weimar Republic]] the term ''{{lang|de|Reich}}'' and the prefix ''{{lang|de|Reichs-}}'' referred not to the idea of empire but rather to the institutions, officials, affairs etc. of the whole country as opposed to those of one of [[States of the Weimar Republic#Constituent states|its constituent federal states]] (''{{lang|de|Länder}}''), in the same way that the terms ''{{lang|de|Bund}}'' (federation) and ''{{lang|de|Bundes-}}'' (federal) are used in Germany today, and comparable to ''The Crown'' in Commonwealth countries and ''The Union'' in the [[United States]].

===During the Nazi period===
The [[Nazism|Nazi]]s sought to [[Legitimacy (political)|legitimize]] their power [[Historiography|historiographically]] by portraying their ascendancy to rule as the direct continuation of an ancient German past. They adopted the term ''{{lang|de|Drittes Reich}}'' ("Third Empire" &ndash; usually rendered in English in the partial translation "the Third ''Reich''"), first used in a 1923 book entitled ''[[Das Dritte Reich]]'' by [[Arthur Moeller van den Bruck]],<ref name=TR-N-01>{{cite book|title=The man who invented the Third Reich: the life and times of Arthur Moeller van den Bruck|date=May 1, 1999|publisher=Npi Media Ltd|isbn=978-0-75-091866-4}}</ref> that counted the medieval [[Holy Roman Empire]] (which nominally survived until the 19th century) as the first and the [[German Empire|1871–1918 monarchy]] as the second, which was then to be followed by a "reinvigorated" third one. The Nazis ignored the previous [[Weimar Republic|1918–1933 Weimar period]], which they denounced as a historical aberration, contemptuously referring to it as "[[The System (Nazism)|the System]]". In the summer of 1939, the Nazis themselves actually banned the continued use of the term in the press, ordering it to use expressions such as ''Nationalsozialistisches Deutschland'' ("National Socialist Germany"), ''Großdeutsches Reich'' ("[[German question|Greater German Reich]]"), or simply ''Deutsches Reich'' ([[German Reich]]) to refer to the German state instead.<ref name="Vocab">Schmitz-Berning, Cornelia (2000). [https://books.google.com/books?id=9jmWOMks6bkC&pg=PA607 ''Vokabular des Nationalsozialismus'']. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, 10875 Berlin, pp. 159–160. (in German)</ref> It was Adolf Hitler's personal desire that ''Großdeutsches Reich'' and ''nationalsozialistischer Staat'' ("[the] National Socialist State") would be used in place of ''Drittes Reich''.<ref name="Vocab"/> ''Reichskanzlei Berchtesgaden'' ("[[Reich Chancellery]] [[Berchtesgaden]]"), another nickname of the regime (named after the eponymous town located in the vicinity of [[Berghof (residence)|Hitler's mountain residence]] where he spent much of his time in office) was also banned at the same time, despite the fact that a sub-section of the Chancellery was in fact installed there to serve Hitler's needs.<ref name="Vocab"/>

Although the term "Third Reich" is still commonly used in reference to the Nazi dictatorship, historians avoid using the terms "First Reich" and "Second Reich", which are seldom found outside [[Propaganda in Nazi Germany|Nazi propaganda]]. During and following the ''[[Anschluss]]'' ([[annexation]]) of [[Austria]] in 1938, Nazi propaganda also used the [[political slogan]] ''Ein [[Volk]], ein Reich, ein [[Führer]]'' ("One nation, one ''Reich'', one leader"), in order to enforce [[Pan-Germanism|pan-German]] sentiment. The term ''{{lang|de|Altes Reich}}'' ("old Reich"; cf. French ''ancien regime'' for monarchical France) is sometimes used to refer to the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. The term ''{{lang|de|Altreich}}'' was also used after the Anschluss to denote Germany with its pre-1938 post-World War I borders. Another name that was popular during this period was the term ''Tausendjähriges Reich'' ("Thousand-Year Reich"), the [[Millennialism|millennial connotations]] of which suggested that [[Nazi Germany]] would last a thousand years.

The Nazis also spoke of enlarging the then-established Greater German Reich into a "[[Greater Germanic Reich|Greater Germanic Reich of the German Nation]]" (''Großgermanisches Reich Deutscher Nation'') by gradually and directly annexing all of the historically Germanic countries and regions of Europe into the Nazi state ([[Flanders]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Denmark]], [[Norway]], [[Sweden]] etc.).<ref>Elvert, Jürgen (1999) (in German). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=siuV-6dosWwC&pg=PA325 Mitteleuropa!: deutsche Pläne zur europäischen Neuordnung (1918–1945)]'', p. 325. Verlag Wiesbaden GmbH. {{ISBN|3-515-07641-7}}.</ref>

===Possible negative connotations in modern usage===
A number of previously neutral words which were used by the Nazis later took on negative connotations in German (e.g. ''{{lang|de|[[Führer]]}}'' or ''{{lang|de|[[Sieg Heil|Heil]]}}''); while in many contexts ''{{lang|de|Reich}}'' is not one of them (''Frankreich'', France; ''Römisches Reich'', [[Roman Empire]]; ''Österreich'', Austria), it can imply German [[imperialism]] or strong [[nationalism]] if it is used to describe a political or governmental entity. ''{{lang|de|Reich}}'' has thus not been used in official terminology since 1945, though it is still found in the name of the [[Reichstag (building)|Reichstag building]], which since 1999 has housed the German federal [[parliament]], the [[Bundestag]]. The decision not to rename the Reichstag building was taken only after long debate in the Bundestag; even then, it is described officially as ''{{lang|de|Reichstag – Sitz des Bundestages}}'' (Reichstag, seat of the Bundestag). As seen in this example, the term "Bund" (federation) has replaced "Reich" in the names of various state institutions such as the army ("[[Bundeswehr]]"). The term "Reichstag" also remains in use in the German language as the term for the parliaments of some foreign monarchies, such as [[Sweden]]'s [[Riksdag]] and [[Japan]]'s pre-war [[Diet of Japan|Imperial Diet]].

===Limited usage in the railway system of the German Democratic Republic===
The exception is that during the [[Cold War]], the [[East Germany|East German]] [[railway]] incongruously continued to use the name ''[[Deutsche Reichsbahn of the GDR|Deutsche Reichsbahn]]'' (German Reich Railways), which had been the name of the national railway during the Weimar Republic and the Nazi era. Even after [[German reunification]] in October 1990, the Reichsbahn continued to exist for over three years as the operator of the railroad in eastern Germany, ending finally on 1 January 1994 when the Reichsbahn and the western [[Deutsche Bundesbahn]] were merged to form the unified [[state-owned enterprise]] [[Deutsche Bahn AG]].

==Usage in related languages==

===In Scandinavian languages===
{{noref|section|date=October 2022}}
The cognate of the word Reich is used in all [[Scandinavian languages]] with the identical meaning, i.e. "[[realm]]". It is spelled '''{{lang|da|rige}}''' in Danish and older Norwegian (before the [[Norwegian language conflict#Initial reforms and advocacy|1907 spelling reform]]) and '''{{lang|sv|rike}}''' in Swedish and modern Norwegian. The word is traditionally used for sovereign entities, generally simply means "country" or "nation" (in the sense of a sovereign state) and does not have any special or political connotations. It does not imply any particular form of government, but it implies that the entity is both of a certain size and of a certain standing, like the Scandinavian kingdoms themselves; hence the word might be considered exaggerated for very small states like a city-state. Its use as a stand-alone word is more widespread than in contemporary German, but most often, it refers to the three Scandinavian states themselves and certain historical empires, like the [[Roman Empire]]. The standard word for a "country" is usually ''land'', and there are many other words used to refer to countries.

The word is part of the official names of Denmark, Norway and Sweden in the form of {{native name|da|kongerige}}, {{native name|no|kongerike}}, and {{native name|sv|konungarike}}, all meaning kingdom, or literally the "realm of a king" (a kingdom can also be called {{lang|da|kongedømme}} in Danish and Norwegian and {{lang|sv|kungadöme}} or {{lang|sv|konungadöme}} in Swedish, direct cognates of the English word). Two regions in Norway that were [[Petty kingdoms of Norway|petty kingdoms]] before the unification of Norway around 900 AD have retained the word in the names (see [[Ringerike (traditional district)|Ringerike]] and [[Romerike]]). The word is also used in "{{lang|sv|Svea rike}}", with the current spelling {{lang|sv|Sverige}}, the name of Sweden in Swedish. Thus in the official name of Sweden, {{lang|sv|Konunga<u>riket</u> Sve<u>rige</u>}}, the word {{lang|da|rike}} appears twice.

The derived prefix {{lang|da|rigs-}} (Danish and pre-1907 Norwegian) and {{lang|sv|riks-}} (Swedish and Norwegian) and implies nationwide or under central jurisdiction. Examples include {{lang|sv|riksväg}} and {{lang|sv|riksvei}}, names for a national road in Swedish and Norwegian. It is also present in the names of numerous institutions in all the Scandinavian countries, such as {{lang|da|[[Rigsrevisionen]]}} (the agency responsible for oversight of the state finances in Denmark) and {{lang|da|[[Sveriges Riksbank]]}} (commonly known as just {{lang|sv|Riksbanken}}), the central bank of Sweden. It is also used in words such as {{lang|da|udenrigs}} (Danish), {{lang|sv|utrikes}} (Swedish) and {{lang|no|utenriks}} (Norwegian), relating to foreign countries and other things from abroad. The opposite word is {{lang|da|indenrigs}}/{{lang|sv|inrikes}}/{{lang|no|innenriks}}, meaning domestic.

The adjective form of the word, {{lang|da|rig}} in Danish and {{lang|sv|rik}} in Swedish/Norwegian, means "rich" like in other Germanic languages.

===Rijk/ryk===
{{lang|nl|'''Rijk'''}} is the [[Dutch language|Dutch]] and {{lang|af|'''ryk'''}} the [[Afrikaans]] and [[Frisian languages|Frisian]] equivalent of the German word {{lang|de|Reich}}.

In a political sense in the Netherlands and Belgium, the word {{lang|nl|rijk}} often connotes a connection with the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]] and the Kingdom of Belgium as opposed to the European part of the Netherlands or the provincial or municipal governments. The {{lang|nl|[[ministerraad]]}} is the executive body of the [[Netherlands]]' government and the {{lang|nl|[[rijksministerraad]]}} that of the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]], a similar distinction is found in {{lang|nl|wetten}} (laws) versus {{lang|nl|rijkswetten}} (kingdom laws) or the now-abolished {{lang|nl|[[rijkswacht]]}} ({{lit|guard of the realm}}) for the [[Belgian Gendarmerie]]. The word {{lang|nl|rijk}} can also be found in institutions like the [[Rijkswaterstaat]], [[Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu]] and [[Rijksuniversiteit Groningen]]. The German way of applying {{lang|nl|rijk}} is largely followed in Dutch, resulting in {{lang|nl|Frankrijk}} (France), {{lang|nl|Oostenrijk}} (Austria) and the historical {{lang|nl|Persische Rijk}} and {{lang|nl|Romeinse Rijk}} for the Persian and Roman Empires respectively. 

In colloquial speech, {{lang|nl|rijk}} usually means working for the central government rather than the provincial or municipal government, much as Americans refer to the "federal" government.

In [[Afrikaans]], {{lang|af|ryk}} refers to rulership and area of governance (mostly a kingdom), but in a modern sense, the term is used in a much more figurative sense (e.g. {{lang|af|Die Hemelse Ryk}} {{gloss|the [[Heavenly Kingdom]]}}, China), as the sphere under one's control or influence:
* {{lang|af|die drie ryke van die natuur: die plante-, diere- en delfstowweryk}} {{gloss|the three kingdoms of nature: the plant, animal and mineral kingdom}}
* {{lang|af|die duisendjarige ryk}} {{gloss|the thousand-year realm}}, the Biblical millennium
* {{lang|af|die ryk van die verbeelding, van drome}} {{gloss|the realm of the imagination, of dreams}}
* {{lang|af|'n bestuurder wat sy ryk goed beheer}} {{gloss|a manager who controls his domain well}}

As in German, the adjective {{lang|nl|rijk}}/{{lang|af|ryk}} also means "rich".

==See also==
*[[Germany]]
*[[German Reich]]
*[[Imperium]]
*[[Reich (disambiguation)]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Government of Germany]]
[[Category:German words and phrases]]

[[fi:Valtakunta]]