Wittenberg is a district (german: Kreis) in the east of

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making i ...

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 betwee ...

. Neighboring districts are (from west clockwise)

Anhalt-Bitterfeld Anhalt-Bitterfeld is a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Its capital is Köthen (Anhalt). Its area is . History This district was established by merging the former districts of Bitterfeld, Köthen and a large part of Anhalt-Zerbst as part ...

, the district-free city of Dessau-Roßlau, the districts of Potsdam-Mittelmark, Teltow-Fläming and Elbe-Elster in

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 squ ...

, and the district of

Nordsachsen Nordsachsen ("North Saxony") is a district ('' Kreis'') in Saxony, Germany. History The district was established by merging the former districts of Delitzsch and Torgau-Oschatz as part of the district reform of August 2008. On 10 December 200 ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...

. The capital and largest city is

Wittenberg Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the River Elbe, north of ...

, famous for its association with the influential religious reformer

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

and containing a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

History

In 1994 the district was merged with the district of Jessen and a small part of the district of Gräfenhainichen. In 2007, 27 municipalities from the former district

Anhalt-Zerbst Anhalt-Zerbst was a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts Potsdam-Mittelmark (Brandenburg) and Wittenberg, the city of Dessau and the districts of Köthen, Schönebeck and Jerichower ...

were added to the district of Wittenberg.

Geography

The area of the district is . The main rivers in the district are 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 Re ...

and its tributary, the Schwarze Elster.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms show two swords which is the symbol of a field marshal in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...

. This title was bestowed upon the counts of Saxony, who therefore added the symbol to their coat of arms. The center of the principality of Saxony was located in the area now covered by the district.

Towns and municipalities

The district of Wittenberg consists of the following towns: #

Annaburg Annaburg () is a small town in Wittenberg district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was the seat of the former ''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'' Annaburg-Prettin. Constituent communities The town Annaburg consists of the following ''Ortschaften'' or mu ...

# Bad Schmiedeberg # Coswig # Gräfenhainichen #

Jessen (Elster) Jessen () is a municipality on the Black Elster river and lies in the eastern part of Saxony-Anhalt in the district of Wittenberg. Geography Jessen is an amalgamated municipality, and has the following 44 subdivisions (''Ortsteile''):

# Kemberg # Oranienbaum-Wörlitz #

Zahna-Elster Zahna-Elster is a town in the district of Wittenberg, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was formed on 1 January 2011 by the merger of the former municipalities Zahna, Dietrichsdorf, Elster (Elbe), Gadegast, Leetza, Listerfehrda, Mühlanger, ...

After the resolution of 6 October 2005, as part of municipal reform, the (then) 27 towns and municipalities of the former Verwaltungsgemeinschaften of Coswig and

Wörlitzer Winkel Wörlitzer Winkel was a ''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'' ("collective municipality") in the Wittenberg district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was situated on the left bank of the Elbe, east of Dessau. The seat of the ''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'' was ...

, formerly in the

district, were assigned to Wittenberg district on 1 July 2007.

Sights

File:Stadtkirche Wittenberg bei Nacht.jpg, Wittenberg market square with

Stadtkirche Wittenberg The Stadt- und Pfarrkirche St. Marien zu Wittenberg (Town and Parish Church of St. Mary's) is the civic church of the German town of Lutherstadt Wittenberg. The reformers Martin Luther and Johannes Bugenhagen preached there and the building a ...

File:Wittenberg - Stadtbach in der Schlossstrasse (Town Stream in the Schlossstrasse) - geo.hlipp.de - 28216.jpg, Wittenberg old town with All Saints' Church File:Jessen church.jpg, Jessen market square File:Coswig(Anhalt),Elbe,Schloss.jpg, Coswig view river Elbe File:Ferropolis Mainstage 360deg airpano.jpg,

Ferropolis Ferropolis, "the city of iron", is an open-air museum of huge mid-20th century industrial machines in Gräfenhainichen, a city between Wittenberg and Dessau, Germany. These can measure up to 30 meters high and 120 meters long, and weigh up to 1, ...

in Gräfenhainichen File:Luftbild Oranienbaum.jpg, Oranienbaum aerial view File:Wörlitzer See mit St. Petri.jpg, The

Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm The Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm, (German: ''Dessau-Wörlitzer Gartenreich'') is a cultural landscape and World Heritage Site in Germany, located between the city of Dessau and the town of Wörlitz in Central Germany. One of the first and larges ...

File:Bergwitz, Bergwitzsee - Sonnenuntergang im September 2019.jpg, Bergwitz lake

External links

References

{{Authority control Districts of Saxony-Anhalt Former states and territories of Saxony-Anhalt