Birkenfeld (district)
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Birkenfeld | |
---|---|
Country | Germany |
State | Rhineland-Palatinate |
Capital | Birkenfeld |
Government | |
• District admin. | Miroslaw Kowalski (CDU) |
Area | |
• Total | 777 km2 (300 sq mi) |
Population (31 December 2022)[1] | |
• Total | 81,760 |
• Density | 110/km2 (270/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Vehicle registration | BIR |
Website | landkreis-birkenfeld.de |
Birkenfeld (German pronunciation:
History
In the early nineteenth century, the Nahe River was the boundary between two tiny principalities: Birkenfeld, west of the Nahe; and Lichtenberg, east of it. The principality of Birkenfeld was annexed by Oldenburg in 1817; Lichtenberg became an exclave of the Duchy Saxe-Coburg (Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld until 1826, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha thereafter). Prussia bought Lichtenberg in 1834 and made it the District of Sankt Wendel.
After
Following
Geography
The Nahe River runs through the district from south to north. The portions west of the river are located on the eastern slopes of the Hunsrück.
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Geschachtet von Rot und Silber; belegt mit einem rot gezungten, golden gekrönten und golden bewehrten blauen Löwen.
The arms might in English heraldic language be described thus: Chequy of twenty gules and argent a lion rampant azure armed and crowned Or and langued of the first.
The chequered red and silver pattern was the arms of the
Towns and municipalities
Verband-free town: Idar-Oberstein
References
- Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz. 2023.
External links
- Official website (German)