Steinburg () is a district in

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, administered from

Itzehoe Itzehoe (; nds, Itzhoe) is a town in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As the capital of the district Steinburg, Itzehoe is located on the Stör, a navigable tributary of the Elbe, 51 km (31.7 mi) northwest of Hamburg and 24 ...

. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the districts of

Dithmarschen Dithmarschen (, Northern Low Saxon, Low Saxon: ; archaic English: ''Ditmarsh''; da, Ditmarsken; la, label=Medieval Latin, Tedmarsgo) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of ...

Rendsburg-Eckernförde Rendsburg-Eckernförde (; da, Rendsborg-Egernførde) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) the city of Kiel, the district of Plön (district), Plön, the city of Neumünster, the districts of ...

Segeberg Segeberg (; frr, Segebärj) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the southwest and clockwise) the districts of Pinneberg, Steinburg and Rendsburg-Eckernförde, the city of Neumünster, the districts of Plön, Ost ...

and

Pinneberg Pinneberg (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Pinnbarg'') is a town in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. It is the capital of the Pinneberg (district), district of Pinneberg and has a population of about 43,500 inhabitants. Pinneb ...

, and by the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...

River (and the district of

Stade Stade (), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (german: Hansestadt Stade, nds, Hansestadt Stood) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the district () which bears its name. It is l ...

beyond).

History

The district's name is derived from a medieval castle called Steinburg, where the reeves ruled by order of their lords, the dukes of

Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...

. This castle was first mentioned in 1307, and it was abandoned and demolished in 1630. However, Steinburg remained the name of the region, and its new centre became Glückstadt before gradually moving to the town of Itzehoe. When Schleswig-Holstein became a province of

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

in 1867, the district of Steinburg was established. The borders remained unchanged until 1970 when the newly founded town Schenefeld (formerly part of Rendsburg district) joined Steinburg.

Geography

The district is situated on the northern bank of the

river, close to its mouth. The countryside is very plain. The

Stör The Stör () is a river in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, right tributary of the Elbe. Its total length is . The Stör rises east of Neumünster, and flows west through Neumünster, Kellinghusen, and Itzehoe. The Stör joins the Elbe near Glücksta ...

river, a right-hand tributary of the Elbe, flows through the district. Today the towns in Steinburg gradually become a part of the growing

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

metropolitan area. The lowest land point of the Federal Republic of Germany at 3,54 meters below sea level is located near the city of

Wilster Wilster () is a town in Steinburg district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. History Wilster was granted town rights under Lübeck law in 1282, and thereby counts itself among Schleswig-Holstein's oldest towns. Wilster forms the centre of the Wils ...

. Steinburg's highest point is the

Itzespitze The Itzespitze is a low hill on the L121 between Aukrug and Hennstedt (Steinburg). At 83.4 metres, it is the highest elevation in the district of Steinburg Steinburg () is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, administered from Itzehoe. It ...

(83.4 m).

Coat of arms

The coat of arms displays a castle (symbolising Steinburg Castle) above a wavy line (representing the Elbe river). Below the castle's towers there are three shields depicting Christ, a nettle leaf (from the arms of Holstein) and a swan.

Towns and municipalities

References

External links

Official website
(German) {{Authority control Districts of Schleswig-Holstein