Steinfurt (district)

Steinfurt
District
Country  Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Adm. region Münster
Capital Steinfurt
Government
 • District admin. Thomas Kubendorff (CDU)
Area
 • Total 1,792.097 km2 (691.933 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2015)[1]
 • Total 443,374
 • Density 250/km2 (640/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Vehicle registration ST
Website http://www.kreis-steinfurt.de

Steinfurt is a Kreis (district) in the northern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bentheim, Emsland, district-free Osnabrück and the Osnabrück district, Warendorf, district-free Münster, Coesfeld, Borken.

Geography

The district is situated at the Lower Saxon border, north of Münster. The Ems river runs through the district from south to north. The highest point in the region is the Westerbecker Berg at 234 metres above sea level; the lowest point is Bentlage Castle at 32 metres.

History

In late medieval times Steinfurt became an independent earldom. Originally it was a part of the earldom of Bentheim, before it became independent in 1454. In 1804 Steinfurt was reunited with Bentheim, before it became a part of the Prussian province of Westphalia in 1815. The new government in 1816 created the districts Steinfurt and Tecklenburg.

In 1975, the old district Steinfurt was merged with the district Tecklenburg, and together with Greven and Saerbeck from the former district Münster the current district was formed.

Coat of arms

Coat of arms
 The coat of arms combines elements from the coats of arms of the former districts of Steinfurt, Tecklenburg and Münster. The swan in the middle comes from the countship of Steinfurt, the centre of the district. The red bar around the swan symbolizes the clerical state of Münster, which lay around the dukedom of Steinfurt. The red water lily leaves were symbols of the dukes of Tecklenburg.

Towns and municipalities

Towns Municipalities
  1. Emsdetten
  2. Greven
  3. Hörstel
  4. Horstmar
  5. Ibbenbüren
  6. Lengerich
  7. Ochtrup
  8. Rheine
  9. Steinfurt
  10. Tecklenburg
  1. Altenberge
  2. Hopsten
  3. Ladbergen
  4. Laer
  5. Lienen
  6. Lotte
  7. Metelen
  1. Mettingen
  2. Neuenkirchen
  3. Nordwalde
  4. Recke
  5. Saerbeck
  6. Westerkappeln
  7. Wettringen

Town Twinning

Steinfurt is twinned with:

References

  1. ↑ "Amtliche Bevölkerungszahlen". Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW (in German). 18 July 2016.
  2. ↑ Ealing Council.Twinning. Accessed 2008-09-19

Media related to Kreis Steinfurt at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 52°10′N 7°40′E / 52.17°N 7.67°E / 52.17; 7.67

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/21/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.