Greiz is a Kreis (

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

) in the east of

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

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 the west clockwise) Saale-Holzland, Saale-Orla, district-free city Gera, the Burgenlandkreis in

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 ...

Altenburger Land Altenburger Land is a district in Thuringia, Germany. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the district of Greiz, the Burgenlandkreis (Saxony-Anhalt), and the districts Leipzig, Mittelsachsen and Zwickau in Saxony. The district is a me ...

, and the two

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

districts

Zwickau Zwickau (; is, with around 87,500 inhabitants (2020), the fourth-largest city of Saxony after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz and it is the seat of the Zwickau District. The West Saxon city is situated in the valley of the Zwickau Mulde (German: ' ...

and

Vogtlandkreis The Vogtlandkreis () is a ''Landkreis'' (rural district) in the southwest of Saxony, Germany, at the borders to Thuringia, Bavaria, and the Czech Republic. Neighboring districts are (from south clockwise) Hof, Saale-Orla, Greiz, Zwickau and Erz ...

History

Historically the area of the district was part of the ''Vogtland'', named after the title ''Vogt'' given to the local rulers in the 13th century. Only two lines of the ''Reuß'' family survived from that time, with one principality based in Greiz, and the other in Gera and Schleiz. In 1919 both were merged into the ''Volksstaat Reuß'', which then became part of Thuringia in 1920. A subcamp of the

Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...

was located at

Berga/Elster Berga/Elster is a town in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the White Elster river, 14 km southeast of Gera. History Within the German Empire (1871–1918), Berga/Elster was part of the Grand Duchy of Saxe-We ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. It was an SS joint venture, in which inmates dug tunnels and laid railway tracks for the Schwalbe V project.Edward Victor. ''Alphabetical List of Camps, Subcamps and Other Camps.'' www.edwardvictor.com/Holocaust/List %20 of %20 camps.htm The district in its current form was created on July 1, 1994, when the districts Gera-Land, Zeulenroda and the previous district Greiz were merged.

Geography

In the south of the district are the mountains of the Thuringian Slate Mountains (''Thüringer Schiefergebirge'') and the Ore Mountains, with the river valley of the ''Weiße Elster'' going through the district from south to north.

Coat of arms

Both the lion as well as the crane in the top part of the coat of arms derive from the coat of arms of the Reuß families and their principalities. In the bottom is a part of the coat of arms of Saxony, as a small part of the district belonged to the Duchies of Saxony.

Towns and municipalities

Sights

Sights in the district Greiz: *The Upper Castle of Greiz *The Lower Castle of Greiz *The Summer Palace Greiz *Weida Osterburg Castle *Ronneburg Castle *Reichenfels Castle Ruin *Old Guardhouse "Alte Wache" in Greiz *Zeulenroda Town Hall *Widen Church Ruin in Weida *St. Veit Parish Church *Mildenfurth Monastery *Cronschwitz Monastery Ruin *Greiz Park *Fairy Tale Forest in Wünschendorf Museums in the district Greiz: *Museum of Local History in Greiz *Summer Palace in Greiz *Zeulenroda City Museum in

Zeulenroda Zeulenroda-Triebes is a German town in the district of Greiz in the state of Thuringia. Zeulenroda-Triebes is situated in the south of Greiz in the mountains of the Thuringian Slate Mountains (Thüringer Schiefergebirge), on the border with Sa ...

* Osterburg Castle Museum in Weida, Thuringia * Heinrich Schütz House in Bad Köstritz *Museum in

Hohenleuben Hohenleuben is a town in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 12 km northwest of Greiz, and 19 km south of Gera. History Within the German Empire (1871-1918), Hohenleuben was part of the Principality of Reuss-G ...

References

External links

Official website
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