Schwalm-Eder-Kreis

Schwalm-Eder-Kreis
District

Coat of arms
Country  Germany
State Hesse
Adm. region Kassel
Capital Homberg (Efze)
Area
 • Total 1,538.56 km2 (594.04 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2013)[1]
 • Total 179,429
 • Density 120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Vehicle registration HR, FZ, MEG, ZIG
Website http://www.schwalm-eder-kreis.de

Schwalm-Eder-Kreis is a Kreis (district) in the north of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Kassel, Werra-Meißner, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Vogelsbergkreis, Marburg-Biedenkopf, and Waldeck-Frankenberg.

History

In 1821 districts were created in Hessen. They included the districts of Fritzlar, Homberg, Melsungen, and Ziegenhain. In 1932 the districts of Fritzlar and Homberg were merged; in 1974 the three districts of Fritzlar-Homberg, Melsungen, and Ziegenhain were merged into the Schwalm-Eder district.

The district is twinned with the Finnish city of Kajaani, the British district of Sedgemoor, the Polish district of Pila and Rayon Rostov (Yaroslavl Oblast) in Russia.

Geography

The two rivers, the Schwalm and the Eder, give the district its name. After they merge close to Felsberg, the Eder enters the Fulda to the north at Edermunde. In the southeast of the district are the hills of the Knüll, where the highest elevation is 634 metres (2,080 ft). To the North are the hills of the Homberger Hochland. The center of the district is largely rural, and is surrounded by the mountains of the Knüll, the Stölzinger Gebirge, and the Kellerwald with the 675 metre-high Wüstegarten mountain.

Geology

Scharfenstein, the basalt neck of an extinct volcano close to Gudensberg

To the east, the geology of Knüll mountains are dominated by the Triassic clastic formations of the Middle Buntsandstein, as are westly parts of the Gilserberg district.[2]

The soil of weathered Buntsandstein are generally acidic to slightly basic and nutrient-poor. For the most part the land is forested.

In the district of Fritzlar, there are younger outcrops of Upper Buntsandstein, which due to it red colour, is known as the Röt (Engl. Red (beds)). These outcrops consist of clay beds and different kinds of calcareous beds, interbedded with clayey marls.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms shows the lion of Hesse at the top. Below this are wavy lines which symbolize the three main rivers in the district, i.e. the Schwalm, the Eder and the Fulda.

Towns and municipalities

Map of towns and municipalities in Schwalm-Eder-Kreis
Towns Municipalities
  1. Borken
  2. Felsberg
  3. Fritzlar
  4. Gudensberg
  5. Homberg
  6. Melsungen
  7. Neukirchen
  8. Niedenstein
  9. Schwalmstadt
  10. Schwarzenborn
  11. Spangenberg
  1. Bad Zwesten
  2. Edermünde
  3. Frielendorf
  4. Gilserberg
  5. Guxhagen
  6. Jesberg
  7. Knüllwald
  8. Körle
  9. Malsfeld
  1. Morschen
  2. Neuental
  3. Oberaula
  4. Ottrau
  5. Schrecksbach
  6. Wabern
  7. Willingshausen

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Die Bevölkerung der hessischen Gemeinden". Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt (in German). September 2014.
  2. ↑ "Geologie - Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen". Retrieved 28 October 2014.

External links

Media related to Schwalm-Eder-Kreis at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 51°02′N 9°22′E / 51.033°N 9.367°E / 51.033; 9.367

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, October 24, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.