Burgenlandkreis (former district)

Burgenlandkreis
District
Country	Germany
State	Saxony-Anhalt
Disbanded	2007-07-01
Capital	Naumburg
Area
• Total	1,040.91 km2 (401.90 sq mi)
Population  (2000)
• Total	143,340
• Density	140/km2 (360/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Vehicle registration	BLK
Website	burgenlandkreis.de

The Burgenlandkreis (German pronunciation: [ˈbʊʁɡn̩lantˌkʁaɪs]) was a district (Kreis) in the south of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Merseburg-Querfurt, Weißenfels, Leipziger Land, Aschersleben-Staßfurt, Altenburger Land, Greiz, district-free Gera, Saale-Holzland, Weimarer Land, Sömmerda and the Kyffhäuserkreis.

History

The district was created in 1994 when the districts Naumburg, Nebra and Zeitz were merged.

Geography

Main rivers in the district are the Saale and its affluent Unstrut, and also in the south of the district the White Elster. The highest elevation is the Seeligenbornberg (355 m), the lowest elevation is in the Saale valley near Gosek (97.8m).

Coat of arms

The coat of arms show a city wall in the bottom part, symbolizing the many castles in the district which also gave it its name. The six grapes symbolize the viticulture in the area around Freyburg, one of the northernmost wine areas of Europe. The sword and key in the top part are the symbols of St. Peter and Saint Paul, the patrons of the cathedrals in Naumburg and Zeitz. These two symbols were taken from the coat of arms of the Zeitz district when it was incorporated into the Burgenlandkreis.

Towns and municipalities

Towns	Verwaltungsgemeinschaften	Free municipalities
Naumburg	An der Finne (incl. towns Bad Bibra and Eckartsberga) Bad Kösen (incl. town Bad Kösen) Droyßiger-Zeitzer Forst Unstruttal (incl. towns Freyburg, Laucha and Nebra) Wethautal (incl. towns Osterfeld and Stößen) Zeitzer Land (incl. town Zeitz)	Elsteraue

External links

• Official website (German)