Giessen (''Landkreis Gießen'' in
German) () is a ''Kreis'' (
district) in the middle of
Hessen,
Germany. Neighboring districts are
Marburg-Biedenkopf,
Vogelsbergkreis,
Wetteraukreis, and
Lahn-Dill.
History
In 1821 the duchy of
Hessen-Darmstadt
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a Imperial State, State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate ...
created districts (called ''Landratsbezirke'') in the reorganisation of its internal administration. In the area of today's district the districts of Giessen and Grünberg were created. 1822 another district called Hungen was created. In 1832 these entities were replaced with bigger structures, now called ''Kreis''. There were still two districts, Giessen und Grünberg. 1837 several municipalities moved from Grünberg to Giessen, and Grünberg in exchange acquired some municipalities from Hungen, which became a district again in 1841.
After the revolutionary uprisings of 1848, the districts were dissolved and replaced with a ''Regierungsbezirk'' Giessen, but just four years later, the districts were recreated. After the war of 1866, the north-western part of the district became part of
Prussia. In 1874, the district grew in size again.
In 1938, the city of
Giessen was excluded from the district, and with the dissolution of the district Schotten, several municipalities joined the district.
After two minor changes in 1967 and 1971, in 1977, the district was merged with the districts Wetzlar and Dillkreis to form the new Lahn-Dill-Kreis. In 1979, it was split again, and the district Giessen was recreated. The city Giessen—temporarily merged with
Wetzlar to the city ''Lahn''—was included into the district.
Geography
The main river of the district is the
Lahn, which crosses the district from north to south.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms shows a wooden triangle in the top, depicting the traditional house style. In the bottom there is the symbol of the
Saint Antonius
Anthony the Great ( grc-gre, Ἀντώνιος ''Antṓnios''; ar, القديس أنطونيوس الكبير; la, Antonius; ; c. 12 January 251 – 17 January 356), was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is d ...
order, which founded a monastery in Grünberg in 1242, and also supported the foundation of the university on Giessen in 1607.
Towns and municipalities
References
External links
Official website(German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giessen (District)