Olpe () is a Kreis (district) in the south-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Märkischer Kreis, Hochsauerland, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Altenkirchen, Oberbergischer Kreis.

History

The district was created in 1817 as ''Kreis Bilstein'', in 1819 the capital was set to be Olpe. During the reorganization of the districts in 1969 several of the municipalities in the district were merged to become cities, however the district itself was only modified minimally, and also in the second reorganization 1974 it stayed nearly in the same borders as in 1817.

Geography

Geographically it covers the south-western part of the

Sauerland The Sauerland () is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited. The Sauerland is the largest tourist region in ...

mountains, which make the district rich in forests. The main river through the district is the Lenne.

Schützenbund

The ''Kreisschützenbund Olpe'' performs the ''Kreisschützenfest''.

Coat of arms

The left half of the coat of arms show the cologne cross, as the Olpe area belonged to the bishops of Cologne. The right side show the sign of the Lords of Fürstenberg, who were governors for the bishops in this area.

Towns and municipalities

References

External links

Official Webpage
{{Authority control Districts of North Rhine-Westphalia