Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis
Encyclopedia
The Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis is a district (Kreis) in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....

, 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...

.

Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) the district-free city Worms
Worms, Germany
Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...

, the district Bergstraße, district-free Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....

, Frankenthal
Frankenthal
Frankenthal is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.- History :Frankenthal was first mentioned in 772. In 1119 an Augustinian monastery was built here, the ruins of which — known, after the founder, as the Erkenbertruine — still stand today in the town...

 and Ludwigshafen, Rhein-Neckar, district-free Speyer
Speyer
Speyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...

, the districts Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe (district)
Karlsruhe is a rural district in the north-west of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rhein-Neckar, Heilbronn,Enz, Calw, Rastatt, Germersheim, Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis and the district-free city Speyer...

, Germersheim
Germersheim (district)
Germersheim is a district in the south-east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Südliche Weinstraße, Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, the district Karlsruhe as well as the district-free city of Karlsruhe, and the French département Bas-Rhin.-History:Most of the region was part of the...

, Südliche Weinstraße
Südliche Weinstraße
Südliche Weinstraße is a district in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Südwestpfalz, Bad Dürkheim, the district-free city Neustadt , Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, Germersheim, and the French département Bas-Rhin...

 and Bad Dürkheim
Bad Dürkheim (district)
Bad Dürkheim is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Kaiserslautern, Donnersbergkreis and Alzey-Worms, the city of Worms, the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, the city of Neustadt/Weinstraße, the districts of Südliche Weinstraße, the city of Landau , the district...

.

History

The district was created in 1886 under the name Bezirksamt Ludwigshafen, one of the last acts of king Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II was King of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death. He is sometimes called the Swan King and der Märchenkönig, the Fairy tale King...

. The population in the area around Speyer had grown significantly, which made the splitting of the Bezirksamt Speyer necessary. In 1969, the Speyer and Ludwigshafen districts and parts of the Frankenthal and Neustadt districts were merged again to form the new Ludwigshafen district.

On May 19, 2003 the district parliament passed a resolution to rename the district "Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis" starting in 2004.

Partnerships

The district started it first partnership in 1964 with the municipalities Schnals
Schnals
Schnals is a valley and comune in the province of South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 70 km north of the city of Trento and about 40 km northwest of the city of Bolzano, on the border with Austria.-Geography:As of 30 November 2010, it had a...

 and Naturns
Naturns
Naturns is a comune in the province of South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 70 km north of the city of Trento and about 40 km northwest of the city of Bolzano.-Geography:...

 in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. The Speyer district had a partnership with Schlanders
Schlanders
Schlanders is a comune in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 70 km northwest of the city of Trento and about 50 km west of the city of Bolzano ....

 and Martell, also in Italy, which were taken over after the merging of the district. As part of the partnership of Rhineland-Palatinate with Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...

 the district has a partnership with the municipality of Kinyami starting in 1983. After the German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...

 the district supported the Saalkreis
Saalkreis
Saalkreis was a district in the south of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts were Mansfelder Land, Bernburg, Köthen, Bitterfeld, the district Delitzsch in the Free State of Saxony, and the district Merseburg-Querfurt...

 in Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...

 in modernzing the administration to western standard, which resulted in a friendship between the two districts. In 1991 a partnership with the district Radviliskis in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

 was started, and in 2002 with the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 district Opole
Opole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...

 in Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...

.

Geography

The district is located in the valley of the Rhine river, both the actual river valley and the Vorderpfälzer Tiefland, formed by the sediments of the rivers of the Palatinate hills. The district has a very warm climate, together with the fertile loess
Loess
Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt, typically in the 20–50 micrometre size range, twenty percent or less clay and the balance equal parts sand and silt that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate...

 soil it makes the area favourable for growing vegetable. However the rainfall is comparatively low, thus irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

 is needed.

Coat of arms

The wavy line from the bottom-right to the top-left symbolizes the Rhine river.

The lion in the left is the lion of the Palatinate, to which the largest part of the district belonged historically.

The silver cross in the right part is taken from the State of Speyer
Speyer
Speyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...

, taken from the coat of arms of the Speyer district.

The shield in the middle show water lily
Nymphaeaceae
Nymphaeaceae is a family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called water lilies and live in freshwater areas in temperate and tropical climates around the world. The family contains eight genera. There are about 70 species of water lilies around the world. The genus...

 leaves, a typical symbol for the district, as this plant grows in the old arms of the Rhine river.

Verband-free municipalities

Altrip
Altrip
Altrip is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, approx. 7 km southeast of Ludwigshafen.-References:...

7 808 inhabitants 10.5 km²
Bobenheim-Roxheim
Bobenheim-Roxheim
Bobenheim-Roxheim is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated approx. 5 km south of Worms, and 13 km northwest of Ludwigshafen....

9 967 inhabitants 20.5 km²
Böhl-Iggelheim
Böhl-Iggelheim
Böhl-Iggelheim is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It has about 8.200 inhabitants and is situated approx. 15 km southwest of Ludwigshafen, and 10 km northwest of Speyer.-Geography:...

10 533 inhabitants 32.8 km²
Lambsheim
Lambsheim
Lambsheim is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated approx. 6 km southwest of Frankenthal, and 11 km west of Ludwigshafen.-Wineries:In Lambsheim there are 3 wineries....

6 268 inhabitants 12.8 km²
Limburgerhof
Limburgerhof
Limburgerhof is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, 7 km southwest of Ludwigshafen.It is known in the region because of an Agrochemical Center of the world's largest chemical company BASF, which has its headquarters in Ludwigshafen...

10 834 inhabitants 9 km²
Mutterstadt
Mutterstadt
Mutterstadt is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated approx. 7 km southwest of the city center of Ludwigshafen.-History:...

12 576 inhabitants 20.5 km²
Neuhofen 7 207 inhabitants 12.3 km²
Römerberg 
Sitz: Heiligenstein
9 194 inhabitants 27.9 km²
Stadt Schifferstadt
Schifferstadt
Schifferstadt is a town in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated approx. 12 km southwest of Ludwigshafen and 6 km northwest of Speyer.- History :...

19 392 inhabitants 28 km²

Verbandsgemeinden

Verbandsgemeinde
Dannstadt-
Schauernheim
Dannstadt-Schauernheim (Verbandsgemeinde)
Dannstadt-Schauernheim is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Dannstadt-Schauernheim....

13 022 inhabitants 33.2 km²
Dannstadt-
Schauernheim
Dannstadt-Schauernheim
Dannstadt-Schauernheim is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated approximately 11 km southwest of Ludwigshafen....

 *
7 033 inhabitants 15.3 km²
Hochdorf-
Assenheim
Hochdorf-Assenheim
Hochdorf-Assenheim is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....

3 113 inhabitants 9.7 km²
Rödersheim-
Gronau
Rödersheim-Gronau
Rödersheim-Gronau is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....

2 876 inhabitants 8.2 km²
Verbandsgemeinde
Dudenhofen
Dudenhofen (Verbandsgemeinde)
Dudenhofen is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Dudenhofen....

11 304 inhabitants 27.1 km²
Dudenhofen
Dudenhofen
Dudenhofen is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated about 3 kilometers west of Speyer.Dudenhofen is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Dudenhofen....

5.812 inhabitants 13 km²
Hanhofen
Hanhofen
Hanhofen is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Literature:...

2 410 inhabitants 5.8 km²
Harthausen
Harthausen
Harthausen is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....

3 082 inhabitants 8.4 km²
Verbandsgemeinde
Heßheim
Heßheim (Verbandsgemeinde)
Heßheim is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Heßheim....

9 719 inhabitants 24.9 km²
Beindersheim
Beindersheim
Beindersheim is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....

3 054 inhabitants 5.7 km²
Großniedesheim
Großniedesheim
Großniedesheim is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....

1 391 inhabitants 3.8 km²
Heßheim
Heßheim
Heßheim is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated approx. 4 km west of Frankenthal.Heßheim is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Heßheim....

3 060 inhabitants 5.8 km²
Heuchelheim
bei Frankenthal
Heuchelheim bei Frankenthal
Heuchelheim bei Frankenthal is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....

1 272 inhabitants 5.8 km²
Kleinniedesheim
Kleinniedesheim
Kleinniedesheim is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....

942 inhabitants 3.9 km²
Verbandsgemeinde
Maxdorf
Maxdorf (Verbandsgemeinde)
Maxdorf is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Maxdorf....

12 687 inhabitants 16.9 km²
Birkenheide
Birkenheide
Birkenheide is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....

3 192 inhabitants 2.9 km²
Fußgönheim
Fußgönheim
Fußgönheim is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....

2 484 inhabitants 6.7 km²
Maxdorf
Maxdorf
Maxdorf is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated approx. 11 km west of Ludwigshafen.Maxdorf is also the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Maxdorf....

 *
7 011 inhabitants 7.4 km²
Verbandsgemeinde
Waldsee
Waldsee (Verbandsgemeinde)
Waldsee is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Waldsee....

8 691 inhabitants 28.5 km²
Otterstadt
Otterstadt
Otterstadt is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The almost 980 years old village was once a pure agricultural and fishing village. Today the inhabitants work in the neighbouring industrial cities: Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Speyer....

3 361 inhabitants 15.6 km²
Waldsee
Waldsee, Palatinate
Waldsee is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated approx. 3 km west of Speyer. Waldsee is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Waldsee.-External links:*...

*
5 330 inhabitants 12.9 km²


*seat of the Verbandsgemeinde

External links

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