Rhein-Neckar-Kreis

Rhein-Neckar-Kreis is a Landkreis (district) in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bergstraße, Odenwaldkreis, Neckar-Odenwald, Heilbronn, Karlsruhe, the independent city of Speyer, the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, and the independent cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg. The administrative headquarters are based in the city of Heidelberg, which does not form part of the district itself.

This article is about the district. For the metropolitan region, see Rhine-Neckar.
Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
District
CountryGermany
StateBaden-Württemberg
Adm. regionKarlsruhe
CapitalHeidelberg
Area
 • Total1,061.71 km2 (409.93 sq mi)
Population
 (31 December 2018)[1]
 • Total547,625
 • Density520/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Vehicle registrationHD
Websitehttp://www.rhein-neckar-kreis.de

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
Weinheim 43 692 58.1 km²
Wiesloch 25 897 30.3 km²
Gemeinden (Municipalities)
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
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
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:

References
  1. "Bevölkerung nach Nationalität und Geschlecht am 31. Dezember 2018". Statistisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg (in German). July 2019.
  2. "National Commission for Decentralised cooperation". Délégation pour l’Action Extérieure des Collectivités Territoriales (Ministère des Affaires étrangères) (in French). Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-12-26.

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