Ostalbkreis
Encyclopedia
The Ostalbkreis is a district
(Kreis) in the east of Baden-Württemberg
, Germany
, on the border to Bavaria
. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) Schwäbisch Hall
, Ansbach
, Donau-Ries
, Heidenheim
, Göppingen
and Rems-Murr.
(Schwäbische Alb), hence its name which translates to Eastern Alb District. Main rivers in the district are the Rems
, the Jagst
and the Kocher
, all affluents of the Neckar
.
At the State level, the district also is part of two electoral ridings: 25 (Schwäbisch Gmünd) and 26 (Aalen). The last election was held on March 26, 2006 and both ridings were won by the CDU: Dr. Stefan Scheffold (Schwäbisch Gmünd) and Winfried Mack (Aalen).
The District election was held on June 7, 2009. Election results.
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 ....
(Kreis) in the east of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, 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...
, on the border to Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall (district)
Schwäbisch Hall is a district in the north-east of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Main-Tauber, the Bavarian district Ansbach, Ostalbkreis, Rems-Murr and Hohenlohe.-History:...
, Ansbach
Ansbach (district)
Ansbach is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is surrounding, but not including the city of Ansbach; nonetheless the administrative seat of the district is Ansbach. It is the district with the biggest area in Bavaria...
, Donau-Ries
Donau-Ries
Donau-Ries is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Ansbach, Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen, Eichstätt, Neuburg-Schrobenhausen, Aichach-Friedberg, Augsburg and Dillingen, and by the state of Baden-Württemberg .-History:From Palaeolithic times on the Nördlinger Ries was a very...
, Heidenheim
Heidenheim (district)
Heidenheim is a district in the east of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Ostalbkreis, Dillingen, Günzburg, Alb-Donau and Göppingen.-History:...
, Göppingen
Göppingen (district)
Göppingen is a Kreis in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rems-Murr, Ostalbkreis, Heidenheim, Alb-Donau, Reutlingen and Esslingen.-History:...
and Rems-Murr.
History
The district was created in 1973, when the District of Aalen merged with most of the former District of Schwäbisch Gmünd.Geography
The district is located in the eastern part of the Swabian AlbSwabian Alb
The Swabian Alps or Swabian Jura is a low mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending 220 km from southwest to northeast and 40 to 70 km in width. It is named after the region of Swabia....
(Schwäbische Alb), hence its name which translates to Eastern Alb District. Main rivers in the district are the Rems
Rems
The Rems is a right tributary of the Neckar in eastern Baden-Württemberg. It is 78 km long. Its source is in Essingen, near Aalen. It flows generally west through the towns Böbingen an der Rems, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Plüderhausen, Schorndorf, Remshalden and Waiblingen. At Remseck the Rems flows...
, the Jagst
Jagst
The Jagst is a right tributary of the Neckar in northern Baden-Württemberg. It is 189 km long. Its source is in the hills east of Ellwangen, close to the Bavarian border. It winds through the towns Ellwangen, Crailsheim, Kirchberg an der Jagst, Langenburg, Krautheim, Möckmühl and Neudenau...
and the Kocher
Kocher
The Kocher is a 168 km long right tributary of the Neckar in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name "Kocher" originates from its Celtic name "cochan" and probably means winding, meandering river. The Kocher rises in the eastern foothills of the Swabian Alb from two karst...
, all affluents of the Neckar
Neckar
The Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse, in Germany. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine...
.
Politics
Federally, the district is part of two electoral ridings: 270 (Backnang – Schwäbisch Gmünd) and 271 (Aalen – Heidenheim). For the 2009 Election, the numeral designation was changed to 269 and 270 respectively. Both ridings are held by the CDU: Norbert Barthle (Backnang – Schwäbisch Gmünd) and Georg Brunnhuber (Aalen - Heidenheim).At the State level, the district also is part of two electoral ridings: 25 (Schwäbisch Gmünd) and 26 (Aalen). The last election was held on March 26, 2006 and both ridings were won by the CDU: Dr. Stefan Scheffold (Schwäbisch Gmünd) and Winfried Mack (Aalen).
The District election was held on June 7, 2009. Election results.
Partnerships
Since 1992 the district has an official partnership with the Italian Province of Ravenna. Also since the 1990s it has a friendship with the Finnish Province of Oulu.Coat of arms
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The imperial eagle Reichsadler The Reichsadler was the heraldic eagle, derived from the Roman eagle standard, used by the Holy Roman Emperors and in modern coats of arms of Germany, including those of the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany... to the right represents the free imperial cities Free Imperial City In the Holy Roman Empire, a free imperial city was a city formally ruled by the emperor only — as opposed to the majority of cities in the Empire, which were governed by one of the many princes of the Empire, such as dukes or prince-bishops... in the district, especially the city of Aalen Aalen Aalen is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, about east of Stuttgart and north of Ulm. It is the seat of the Ostalbkreis district, and its largest city, as well as the largest city within the Ostwürttemberg region. In spatial planning, Aalen is designated a Mittelzentrum... . The lion Lion (heraldry) The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises bravery, valour, strength, and royalty, since traditionally, it is regarded as the king of beasts.-Attitudes:... on the left is the symbol of the Staufen family, who founded the city of Schwäbisch Gmünd Schwäbisch Gmünd Schwäbisch Gmünd is a town in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. With a population of around 62,000, the town is the second largest in the Ostalbkreis and the whole region of East Württemberg after Aalen... . These two symbols were taken from the coats of arms of the two precursor districts. The crosier Crosier A crosier is the stylized staff of office carried by high-ranking Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran and Pentecostal prelates... in the middle represents Ellwangen Abbey Ellwangen Abbey Ellwangen Abbey was the earliest Benedictine monastery established in the Duchy of Swabia, at the present-day town of Ellwangen an der Jagst, Baden-Württemberg about 100 km north-east of Stuttgart.-Imperial abbey:... , which possessed many smaller areas scattered in the district. |
Cities and towns
| Cities | Towns | |
|---|---|---|
|
Abtsgmünd Abtsgmünd is a municipality in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in Ostalbkreis district. Abtsgmünd has got two confluent streams, the Lein and the Kocher.Famous locals include Patrick Benedict Zimmer who was born in the town.... Adelmannsfelden Adelmannsfelden is a municipality in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in Ostalbkreis district.... Bartholomä Bartholomä is a municipality in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in Ostalbkreis district.Bartholomä is mainly a commuter town in the historical region of Swabia, that straddles the border between Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.... Durlangen Durlangen is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in Ostalbkreis district.... Ellenberg, Baden-Württemberg Ellenberg is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in Ostalbkreis district.... Essingen Essingen is a municipality in the Ostalbkreis in the State of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It lies about 73 km east of Stuttgart, just outside of the city of Aalen... Göggingen Göggingen is a town in the district of Ostalbkreis in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.... Gschwend Gschwend is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in Ostalbkreis district.... Heuchlingen Heuchlingen is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in Ostalbkreis district.... Hüttlingen, Germany Hüttlingen is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in Ostalbkreis district.... Iggingen Iggingen is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in Ostalbkreis district.... Jagstzell Jagstzell is a municipality in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in Ostalbkreis district.... Kirchheim am Ries Kirchheim is a town in the district of Ostalbkreis in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.... Leinzell Leinzell is a village in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in Ostalbkreis district.... Mögglingen Mögglingen is a municipality in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in Ostalbkreis district.... |
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External links
- Official website (German)