Bergstraße (district)

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Bergstraße
District
Country  Germany
State Hesse
Adm. region Darmstadt
Capital Heppenheim
Area
 • Total 719.54 km2 (277.82 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2012)[1]
 • Total 261,695
 • Density 360/km2 (940/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Vehicle registration HP
Website kreis-bergstrasse.de

Bergstraße ("Mountain Road") is a Kreis (district) in the south of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Groß-Gerau, Darmstadt-Dieburg, Odenwaldkreis, Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, the urban district Mannheim, the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, and the urban district of Worms. Kreis Bergstraße belongs both to the Rhine Neckar Area and the Rhein-Main Region.

History

The district was created in 1938, when the two former districts Bensheim and Heppenheim were merged.

Geography

The district is located in the Odenwald mountains, with the 517m high Melibokus as the highest elevation. The Bergstraße is a tourist route which leads from Darmstadt to Wiesloch; the northern part of this route goes through the district and gave it its name.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms is split into four quarters. In the top-left it shows the Starkenburg castle, which is one of the major landmarks in the district and a reminiscence of the former Province Starkenburg, a former provinces of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, to which the District once belonged. The flower in the top-right stands for the flower-richness in spring. The cross in the bottom-left derives from the coat of arms of the imperial abbey of Lorsch Abbey, and the lion in the bottom-right is the sign of Hesse.

German Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel, who is from Heppenheim, has the Bergstraße Coat of Arms on the front (chin area) of his racing helmet.

Towns and municipalities

Towns Municipalities
  1. Bensheim
  2. Bürstadt
  3. Heppenheim
  4. Hirschhorn
  5. Lampertheim
  6. Lindenfels
  7. Lorsch
  8. Neckarsteinach
  9. Viernheim
  10. Zwingenberg
  1. Abtsteinach
  2. Biblis
  3. Birkenau
  4. Einhausen
  5. Fürth
  6. Gorxheimertal
  7. Grasellenbach
  8. Groß-Rohrheim
  9. Lautertal
  10. Mörlenbach
  11. Rimbach
  12. Wald-Michelbach

References

  1. ↑ "Die Bevölkerung der hessischen Gemeinden". Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt (in German). July 2013. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kreis Bergstraße.
Urban and rural districts in the state of Hesse in Germany
Urban districts
Rural districts

Coordinates: 49°38′27″N 8°38′40″E / 49.640712°N 8.644330°E / 49.640712; 8.644330

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