country road
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country road
A paved public road outside built-up areas that connects towns and villages and is not a highway.
Die Fahrt über die malerische Landstrasse dauerte länger, war aber viel schöner als auf der Autobahn.
The drive along the scenic country road took longer, but it was much nicer than on the highway.
The word is made up of 'Land' (country/land) and 'Straße' (road). So it literally describes a road that leads through the countryside and is not a city street or built as an expressway.
Am Wochenende machen wir gerne eine Motorradtour über die Landstraßen.
At the weekend, we like to take a motorcycle trip along country roads.
The spelling 'Landstrasse' with 'ss' is common in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In Germany and Austria, the spelling 'Landstraße' with 'ß' is the official standard.
Die Route führt über eine kleine, verlassene Landstraße.
The route leads along a small, deserted country road.
When moving along or being on this type of road, the preposition 'auf' with the dative is almost always used. You drive 'auf der Landstraße' (on the country road).
Auf dieser Landstraße darf man nur 80 km/h fahren.
On this country road, you are only allowed to drive 80 km/h.
autobahn / motorway
'die Autobahn' and 'die Landstrasse' are both roads outside cities, but they function very differently. The autobahn is large, multi-lane, and intended for fast long-distance traffic. The 'Landstrasse' is a normal road between places or through rural areas; it is not an autobahn and often has fewer lanes. Learners may confuse the words because you drive from one place to another on both. If you are driving fast over long distances, the autobahn is usually meant. If the road goes through fields, villages, or smaller places, you are more likely to say 'Landstrasse'.
Auf der Landstraße fuhr Lisa langsam, weil es dunkel war.
Lisa drove slowly on the country road because it was dark.
Nehmen wir morgen die Autobahn oder fahren wir lieber durch die Stadt?
Shall we take the autobahn tomorrow, or would we rather drive through the city?