Kleve or Kreis Kleve (Cleves in former English use) is a Kreis

Districts of Germany

The districts of Germany are known as , except in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein where they are known simply as ....

 (local-government district) in northwestern North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. Neighbouring districts are Borken

Borken (district)

Borken is a Kreis in the northwestern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany in the Region Münsterland. Neighboring districts are Bentheim, Steinfurt, Coesfeld, Recklinghausen, Wesel, Cleves, and the Dutch provinces Gelderland and Overijssel....

, Wesel

Wesel (district)

Wesel is a Kreis in the northwestern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Borken, Recklinghausen, district-free cities Bottrop, Oberhausen, Duisburg and Krefeld, districts Viersen, Cleves.-History:...

, and Viersen

Viersen (district)

Viersen is a Kreis in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Cleves, Wesel, district-free Krefeld, Neuss, district-free Mönchengladbach, Heinsberg and the Dutch province of Limburg.-History:...

 in Germany, and the Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 provinces of Limburg

Limburg (Netherlands)

Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...

 and Gelderland

Gelderland

Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...

.

History

The district in its present borders was created in 1975 when the former district of Kleve and Geldern was merged with the Rees District towns of Emmerich and Rees

Rees, Germany

Rees is a town in the district of Cleves in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Rhine, approx. 20 km east of Cleves...

 and the Moers District municipality of Rheurdt

Rheurdt

Rheurdt is a municipality in the district of Cleves, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 10 km west of Moers....

.

The two precursor districts had been created in 1816 when the whole of the Rhineland

Rhineland

Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....

 became a province of Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

. Territorially they corresponded roughly to the historic duchies of Cleves

Duchy of Cleves

The Duchy of Cleves was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was situated in the northern Rhineland on both sides of the Lower Rhine, around its capital Cleves and the town of Wesel, bordering the lands of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster in the east and the Duchy of Brabant in the west...

 and Guelders

Guelders

Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...

.

Geography

The district is located in the lower valley of the Rhine, in the region where that river flows into the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms, which was granted in 1983, combines the shields of the two constituent duchies.

The dexter

Dexter and sinister

Dexter and sinister are terms used in heraldry to refer to specific locations in an escutcheon bearing a coat of arms and by extension also to a crest. "Dexter" means to the right from the viewpoint of the bearer of the arms, to the left of that of the viewer...

 side depicts the emblem of the dukes of Cleves: On a red (gules

Gules

In heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. as an abbreviation....

) field a white (argent

Argent

In heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it...

) escutcheon (shield shape) with an eightfold fleur-de-lys (escarbuncle/metal shield reinforcement). The sinister

Dexter and sinister

Dexter and sinister are terms used in heraldry to refer to specific locations in an escutcheon bearing a coat of arms and by extension also to a crest. "Dexter" means to the right from the viewpoint of the bearer of the arms, to the left of that of the viewer...

 side shows a golden (or

Or (heraldry)

In heraldry, Or is the tincture of gold and, together with argent , belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". In engravings and line drawings, it may be represented using a field of evenly spaced dots...

) lion (in rampant position) on a blue (azure

Azure

In heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation....

) field (background): the emblem of the dukes of Geldern.

Towns and municipalities

Towns (Städte)

Municipalities (Gemeinden)

Emmerich Geldern Geldern Geldern ) is a city in the northwest of the federal state North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the district of Cleves, which is part of the Düsseldorfadministrative region.-Location:... Goch Goch Goch is a town in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated close to the border with the Netherlands, approx. 12 km south of Kleve, and 27 km southeast of Nijmegen.-Cultural ties:... Kalkar Kalkar Kalkar is a municipality in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the Rhine, approx. 10 km south-east of Cleves. The most famous building of Kalkar is its church St... Kevelaer Kevelaer Kevelaer is a municipality in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is the best visited Catholic pilgrimage location within north-western Europe. More than 800,000 pilgrims, mostly from Germany and the Netherlands, visit Kevelaer every year to honour the Virgin Mary.The... Kleve Kleve Kleve , is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century onwards, Kleve was capital of a county and later a duchy...  (Cleves) Rees Rees, Germany Rees is a town in the district of Cleves in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Rhine, approx. 20 km east of Cleves... Straelen Straelen Straelen is a municipality in the district of Cleves, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands, approx. 10 km north-east of Venlo.Straelen was first mentioned in Latin as Strala in 1063.-External links:*...

Bedburg-Hau Bedburg-Hau Bedburg-Hau is a municipality in the district of Cleves in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 5 km south-east of Cleves.... Issum Issum Issum is a municipality in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 5 km east of Geldern.- Economy :Issum is home to the Diebels brewery, the largest altbier brewery in the world.-External links:*... Kerken Kerken Kerken with the towns of Aldekerk, Eyll, Nieukerk and Stenden, is a municipality in the district of Kleve in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands, approx. 15 km north-east of Venlo.... Kranenburg Kranenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia Kranenburg is a municipality in the district of Cleves in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands, south-east of Nijmegen and west of Cleves.... Rheurdt Rheurdt Rheurdt is a municipality in the district of Cleves, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 10 km west of Moers.... Uedem Uedem Uedem is a municipality in the district of Cleves, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border to the Netherlands.-Division of the town:Uedem consists of 4 districts* Uedem* Uedemerfeld* Keppeln* Uedemerbruch-History:... Wachtendonk Wachtendonk Wachtendonk is a municipality in the district of Kleve in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine half way between Duisburg and Venlo at the Dutch border. Its name is of Dutch origin and means 'water hill'.-External links:*... Weeze Weeze Weeze is a municipality in the Lower Rhine region, in the north-western part of North Rhine-Westphalia in the district of Kleve in the region of Düsseldorf....

External links

• Official website (German)