Saale-Orla 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 north clockwise) the districts
Saale-Holzland,
Greiz
Greiz () is a town in the state of Thuringia, Germany, and is the capital of the district of Greiz. Greiz is situated in eastern Thuringia, east of state capital Jena, on the river '' White Elster''.
Greiz has a large park in its center (Fürs ...
, the
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 ...
in
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
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
n districts
Hof and
Kronach, and the district
Saalfeld-Rudolstadt
Saalfeld-Rudolstadt is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the south of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) the districts Weimarer Land, Saale-Holzland, Saale-Orla, the district Kronach in Bavaria, and the districts ...
.
History
The district was created in 1994 by merging the previous districts Lobenstein, Pößneck and Schleiz.
Geography
The main rivers in the district are the
Saale
The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saal ...
and the
Orla
Orla may refer to:
Places
*Orla, Missouri, USA
*Orla, Texas, USA
*Orla, Jharkhand, India
*Orla, Podlaskie Voivodeship (north-east Poland), a village
**Gmina Orla, a commune centred on the village
*Orla, Krotoszyn County in Greater Poland Voivodesh ...
, which also contributed to the name of the district. The highest elevation with 732.9 m above sea level is the Sieglitzberg (near Lobenstein), the lowest with 180 m is near Schimmersburg Langenorla. The district is mountainous, covering the ''Thüringer Schiefergebirge''. The
dams of the Saale create the biggest system of artificial lakes in Germany.
Coat of arms
The two lions in the top of the coat of arms represent the historic states which covered the area in the past. In the left is the lion with crown of the Reuß family, while the lion to the right is the symbol of the margravate of Meißen. The two wavy lines in the bottom symbolize the two rivers of the district, Saale and Orla.
Towns and municipalities
References
External links
Official website(German)
Touristic website(German, English)
{{Authority control
Districts of Thuringia