The Oberdonaukreis (German: Upper Danube District) was one of the 15 administrative districts (German: Bezirke or Regierungsbezirke) of the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German E ...

between 1806 and 1837 named after its main river

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

. It was the predecessor of the ''

Regierungsbezirk A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts. Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...

Schwaben'' (Administrative District of

Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...

Independent Cities

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...

(since 1810) *

Donauwörth Donauwörth () is a town and the capital of the Donau-Ries district in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is said to have been founded by two fishermen where the rivers Danube (Donau) and Wörnitz meet. The city is part of the scenic route called "Roman ...

(since 1810) *

Eichstätt Eichstätt () is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district of Eichstätt. It is located on the Altmühl river and has a population of around 13,000. Eichstätt is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese ...

(since 1810) *

Ingolstadt Ingolstadt (, Austro-Bavarian: ) is an independent city on the Danube in Upper Bavaria with 139,553 inhabitants (as of June 30, 2022). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan area. Ingolstadt is the second largest city in Upper Bav ...

(since 1810) * Neuburg a.d. Donau (since 1810) *

Nördlingen Nördlingen (; Swabian: ''Nearle'' or ''Nearleng'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 20,674. It is located approximately east of Stuttgart, and northwest of Munich. It was bui ...

Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

(until 1810)

Subdivisions

The district was divided in the following judicial districts ('' Landgerichte''), according to the original borders of the districts of the former territories (''

Herrschaft The German term ''Herrschaft'' (plural: ''Herrschaften'') covers a broad semantic field and only the context will tell whether it means, "rule", "power", "dominion", "authority", "territory" or "lordship". In its most abstract sense, it refers ...

sgerichte''): * Alpeck * Beilngries (since 1810) *

Burgau Burgau is a town in the district of Günzburg in Swabia, Bavaria. Burgau lies on the river Mindel and has a population of just under 10,000. History The territory around Burgau was originally part of the stem duchy of Swabia. The death of Co ...

Dillingen an der Donau Dillingen or Dillingen an der Donau (Dillingen at the Danube) is a town in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative center of the district of Dillingen. Besides the town of Dillingen proper, the municipality encompasses the villages ...

(since 1810) *

Elchingen Elchingen is a municipality about 7 km east of Ulm–Neu-Ulm in the district of Neu-Ulm in Bavaria, Germany. Municipality parts: * Thalfingen: 4 211 residents, 8.83 km² * Oberelchingen: 3 024 residents, 7.31 km² * ...

Ellingen Ellingen is a town in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany. History It was first mentioned in 899. From 1216 - 1806 it was capital of the Franconian branch of the Teutonic Order and at least for some years residence of the ...

(since 1815) * Geislingen (until 1810) *

Göggingen Göggingen is a municipality in the district of Ostalbkreis in Baden-Württemberg in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe a ...

(since 1810) *

Greding Greding () is a town in the district of Roth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 28 km southeast of Roth bei Nürnberg and 32 km north of Ingolstadt. Geography Greding is located in the south-eastern corner of Middle Franconia. The mu ...

(since 1812) *

Günzburg Günzburg (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Genzburg'') is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is a ''Große Kreisstadt'' and the capital of the Swabian Günzburg (district), district Günzburg. This district was constituted in 1972 by combining the city ...

(until 1810) * Heidenheim (since 1810) *

Hiltpoltstein Hiltpoltstein is a market village in the district of Forchheim in Bavaria in Germany. At its centre is Hiltpoltstein Castle Hiltpoltstein Castle (german: Burg Hiltpoltstein) was originally a high mediaeval aristocratic castle dating to the 11 ...

(since 1810) * Höchstädt *

Ichenhausen Ichenhausen is a town in the district of Günzburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Günz, 9 km south of Günzburg. History Early history The Lords of Roth had been feudal lord of the village since the early 14th centur ...

(since 1816) *

Illertissen Illertissen () is a town in the district of Neu-Ulm in Bavaria. It is situated approximately 20 km south from Ulm nearby the river Iller. Coat of arms The coat of arms lent by Erhard Vöhlin in the year 1530 shows an upright standing lion ...

(since 1810) *

Kipfenberg Kipfenberg is a town and municipality in the district of Eichstätt in Bavaria, Germany. It is known for its hillside castle and fortress, and for being the geographical centre of Bavaria. The river Altmühl flows through the municipality and its ...

(since 1810) *

Lauingen Lauingen ( Swabian: ''Lauinga'') is a town in the district of Dillingen in Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the left bank of the Danube, 5 km west of Dillingen, and 37 km northeast of Ulm. In June 1800, the armies of the French Fir ...

* Monheim (since 1810) *

Neuburg an der Donau Neuburg an der Donau (Central Bavarian: ''Neiburg an da Donau'') is a town which is the capital of the Neuburg-Schrobenhausen district in the state of Bavaria in Germany. Divisions The municipality has 16 divisions: * Altmannstetten * Bergen, Neu ...

(since 1810) * Neumarkt (since 1810) *

Neu-Ulm Neu-Ulm ( Swabian: ''Nej-Ulm'') is the capital of the Neu-Ulm district and a town in Swabia, Bavaria. Neighbouring towns include Ulm, Senden, Pfaffenhofen an der Roth, Holzheim, Nersingen and Elchingen. The population is 58,978 (31 December 2019 ...

(since 1811) *

Pleinfeld Pleinfeld is a Franconian municipality and market town in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in the German state of Bavaria. It is situated in the Metropolitan Area of Nuremberg and in the Franconian Lake District. Pleinfeld is a nationally re ...

(since 1810 *

Rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

(since 1810) *

Raitenbuch Raitenbuch is a municipality in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after ...

(since 1810) * Roggenburg (until 1810) * Söflingen (until 1810) * Wackerstein (since 1814) * Weißenburg (since 1810) *

Wertingen Wertingen () is a town in the district of Dillingen in Bavaria, Germany. It is located along the river Zusam in 13 km east of Dillingen, and 28 km northwest of Augsburg. The city is the seat of the municipal association Wertingen. S ...

Zusmarshausen Zusmarshausen is a municipality in the district of Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany. The 1648 Battle of Zusmarshausen The Battle of Zusmarshausen was fought on 17 May 1648 between Bavarian- Imperial forces under von Holzappel and an allied Franco-S ...

(since 1810)

History

In the years between 1806 and 1808 the Kingdom of Bavaria was divided into 15 districts. Their names were taken from their main rivers. The ''Oberdonaukreis'', with Ulm as its capital, was initially composed of 12 rural divisions and, since 1809, of the independent cities of Ulm and Nördlingen. In 1810, the Oberdonaukreis was expanded but some territory was also given to the Illerkreis and to the neighbouring

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which exist ...

. District headquarters were moved to

and, in 1817, to Augsburg. In another territorial reorganization initiated by King

Ludwig I en, Louis Charles Augustus , image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg , caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825 , succession=King of Bavaria , reign = , coronation ...

on 29 November 1837, the Oberdonaukreis was renamed Swabia and Neuburg (Schwaben und Neuburg). Neuburg was soon dropped.

Literature

* (de) ''Handbuch der bayerischen Ämter, Gemeinden und Gerichte 1799 - 1980'' (Guide of the Bavarian Districts, Municipalities and Courts 1799 - 1980), written by Richard Bauer, Reinhard Heydenreuter, Gerhard Heyl, Emma Mages, Max Piendl, August Scherl, Bernhard Zittel and edited by Wilhelm Volkert, Senior Professor at the University of Regensburg, Munich, 1983, {{Authority control Kingdom of Bavaria