A Dutch; Flemish: dijkgraaf, sometimes called a Dutch; Flemish: watergraaf, is the chair of a Dutch water board. The dijkgraaf is the equivalent of a mayor in local government and a King's Commissioner in provincial government, chairing both the legislative and executive council, while having both ceremonial and representational roles as well as their own portfolios. The term goes back to pre-medieval days.
Literally the term means "Dike count", like other titles ending in Dutch; Flemish: -graaf (equivalent to English: -grave and German: -[[graf]]) of feudal origin, but remained a functional official. The government bodies in the Netherlands today in order of rank are:
In medieval times and earlier however, the water boards were the same as municipal, and since it was a country of duchies, the Water board (Dutch; Flemish: Waterschap) was in governmental terms the equivalent of a city (Dutch; Flemish: Stad), and thus also the highest form of government.