Rhein-Neckar-Kreis

This article is about the German district Rhein-Neckar-Kreis. See also the greater Rhine Neckar area in Germany.

Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
District
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Adm. region	Karlsruhe
Capital	Heidelberg
Area
• Total	1,061.71 km2 (409.93 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2013)
• Total	531,013
• Density	500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Vehicle registration	HD
Website	http://www.rhein-neckar-kreis.de

Rhein-Neckar-Kreis is a district (Kreis) in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bergstraße, Odenwaldkreis, Neckar-Odenwald, Heilbronn, Karlsruhe, the independent city Speyer, the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, and the independent cities Mannheim and Heidelberg.

History

The district was created in 1973 by merging the previous districts of Heidelberg, Mannheim and a big part of Sinsheim.

Geography

It is named after the two main rivers which flow through the district, the Rhine and Neckar. The highest elevation is the Stiefelhöhe, near Heiligkreuzsteinach, with 583 m in the Odenwald mountains, the lowest elevation with 92 m is near Ilvesheim in the Neckar valley.

Government

The district is governed by a district assembly (Kreistag) and a district executive (Landrat). The eligible voters of the district elect the Kreistag every 5 years. This body in turn elects the Landrat every 8 years. The Landrat is the legal representative of the district as well as the speaker of the Kreistag and its committees. The Landrat manages the office of the Landrat (Landratsamt) and is the chief official of the district. The duties of the Landrat include the preparation of the district assembly meetings and its committees. The Landrat calls the meetings, acts as speaker, and carries out the decisions made. In the Kreistag, the Landrat has no vote. The Landrat has a second, called the first district official (Erste Landesbeamte).

Landrat of the district Heidelberg 1945–1972:

• 1945–1946: Hermann Specht (provisional)
• 1946–1947: Erich Reimann
• 1947–1954: Herbert Klotz
• 1954–1972: Georg Steinbrenner

Landrat of the district Mannheim 1945–1972:

• 1945: Richard Freudenberg (appointed)
• 1945–1946: Karl Geppert (appointed)
• 1946: Dr. Valentin Gaa (appointed)
• 1946–1948: Ernst Becherer
• 1948–1970: Dr. Valentin Gaa
• 1970–1972: Albert Neckenauer

Landrat of the district Sinsheim 1945–1972:

• 1945–1946: Roman Großmann (appointed)
• 1946: Gottlob Barth und Dr. Kurt von Kirchenheim (both appointed)
• 1946: Wolfgang Rutschke (appointed to oversee businesses)
• 1946–1947: Hermann Lindner (appointed)
• 1947–1948: Dr. Johann Gutermann
• 1948: Dr. Ludwig Bernheim
• 1948–1949: Georg Steinbrenner (appointed to oversee businesses)
• 1949–1950: Dr. Walther Reidel (appointed)
• 1950–1972: Dr. Paul Herrmann

Landrat of Rhein-Neckar-Kreis since 1973:

• 1973 Georg Steinbrenner, Amtsverweser
• 1973–1986: Albert Neckenauer
• 1986 to present: Dr. Jürgen Schütz

Coat of arms

The wavy line in the left of the coat of arms represent the two rivers Rhine and Neckar. The lion in the right side is the symbol of Palatinate, as the area belonged to that area historically.

Cities and towns

Städte (Cities)
		Eberbach	15 258	81.2 km²
		Eppelheim	14 629	5.6 km²
		Hemsbach	12 230	12.9 km²
		Hockenheim	21 031	34.8 km²
		Ladenburg	11 473	19 km²
		Leimen	26 932	20.6 km²
		Neckarbischofsheim	3 946	26.4 km²
		Neckargemünd	14 032	26.2 km²
		Rauenberg	7 631	11.1 km²
		Schönau	4 696	22.5 km²
		Schriesheim	14 855	31.6 km²
		Schwetzingen	22 159	21.6 km²
		Sinsheim	35 517	127 km²
		Waibstadt	5 659	25.6 km²
		Walldorf	14 774	19.9 km²
60px	60px	Weinheim	43 692	58.1 km²
60px		Wiesloch	25 897	30.3 km²
Gemeinden (Municipalities)
	60px	Altlußheim	5 296	16 km²
		Angelbachtal	5 002	17.9 km²
		Bammental	6 498	12.2 km²
		Brühl	14 256	10.2 km²
		Dielheim	8 933	22.7 km²
		Dossenheim	12 008	14.1 km²
		Edingen-Neckarhausen	14 127	12 km²
		Epfenbach	2 517	13 km²
		Eschelbronn	2 572	8.2 km²
		Gaiberg	2 427	4.2 km²
		Heddesbach	494	8.2 km²
		Heddesheim	11 566	14.7 km²
		Heiligkreuzsteinach	3 054	19.6 km²
		Helmstadt-Bargen	3 793	28 km²
		Hirschberg an der Bergstraße	9 405	12.4 km²
		Ilvesheim	7 768	5.9 km²
		Ketsch	12 808	16.5 km²
		Laudenbach	6 110	10.3 km²
		Lobbach	2 401	14.9 km²
	60px	Malsch	3 401	6.8 km²
		Mauer	3 919	6.3 km²
		Meckesheim	5 343	16.3 km²
		Mühlhausen (Kraichgau)	8 218	15.3 km²
		Neidenstein	1 820	8.5 km²
		Neulußheim	6 675	3.4 km²
		Nußloch	10 734	13.6 km²
		Oftersheim	10 686	12.8 km²
		Plankstadt	9 559	8.4 km²
		Reichartshausen	2 015	10 km²
		Reilingen	7 068	16.4 km²
		Sandhausen	14 336	14.6 km²
		Schönbrunn	2 987	34.5 km²
		Spechbach	1 720	8.5 km²
		St. Leon-Rot	12 539	25.6 km²
	60px	Wiesenbach	3 092	11.1 km²
		Wilhelmsfeld	3 293	4.8 km²
		Zuzenhausen	2 138	11.6 km²

Sights

	Dilsberg	Bergfeste Dilsberg is a castle on a mountain over the Neckar River in Neckargemünd.
	Eberbach	The historic old town with its four towers, many timber-frame houses and some town wall remnants, is a magnet for tourists.
	Hockenheim	The Hockenheimring is the home of the Formula One German Grand Prix.
	Ladenburg	Ladenburg has an old town from the Late Middle Ages. Its history dates back to Celtic and Roman ages.
	Neckargemünd	Neckargemünd still keeps its medieval charm.
	Schwetzingen	Schwetzingen Castle was the summer residence of the Electors Palatine Karl III Philip and Charles Theodore.
	Sinsheim	Sinsheim's main tourist attraction is the Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum, displaying a collection of historic vehicles to over 1 million visitors per year.
	Weinheim	Weinheim is situated on the Bergstraße ("Mountain Road") on the western rim of the Odenwald.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Twin towns – Sister cities

Rhein-Neckar-Kreis is twinned with:

• Vichy, France (since 1965)

External links

• Official website (German)