Bergstrasse - Definition

Bergstraße

Statistics
State:	Hesse
Capital:	Heppenheim
Adm. Region:	Darmstadt
Area:	719.54 km²
Inhabitants:	264,695 (2001)
pop. density:	368 inh./km²
Car identification:	HP
Homepage:	kreis-bergstrasse.de (http://www.kreis-bergstrasse.de)
Map

Bergstraße (translated: hill street) is a Kreis (district) in the south of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Groß-Gerau, Darmstadt-Dieburg, Odenwaldkreis, Rhein-Neckar, district-free Mannheim, the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, and district-free Worms.

History

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

Geography

The district is located in the Odenwald mountains. The Bergstraße is a touristical 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 main castles in the district. 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, and the lion in the bottom-right is the sign of Hesse.

Towns and municipalities

External links

• Official website (http://www.kreis-bergstrasse.de) (German)

Rural and urban districts in Hesse

Bergstraße | Darmstadt | Darmstadt-Dieburg | Frankfurt (Main) | Fulda | Gießen | Groß-Gerau | Hersfeld-Rotenburg | Hochtaunuskreis | Kassel (city) | Kassel (district) | Lahn-Dill | Limburg-Weilburg | Main-Kinzig | Main-Taunus | Marburg-Biedenkopf | Odenwaldkreis | Offenbach (city) | Offenbach (district) | Rheingau-Taunus | Schwalm-Eder | Vogelsbergkreis | Waldeck-Frankenberg | Werra-Meißner | Wetteraukreis | Wiesbaden edit  (http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Template:Germany_districts_hesse)