Wolfenbüttel is a
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 southeastern
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
, Germany. Neighboring districts are (clockwise from the north) the district-free City of
Braunschweig
Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...
, the district of
Helmstedt
Helmstedt (; Eastphalian: ''Helmstidde'') is a town on the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. The historic university and Hanseatic city conserves an important monumental heritage o ...
, the district of
Harz
The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...
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 ...
, and the districts of
Goslar
Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mi ...
,
Hildesheim
Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the ...
and
Peine. The district-free city of
Salzgitter cuts through the district of Wolfenbüttel in the southwest.
Geography
The
Oker River enters the district in the south, runs through the city of
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel (; nds, Wulfenbüddel) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District. It is best known as the location of the internationally renowned Herzog August Library and for having the largest ...
(the district seat), and exits to the northwest.
History
The district was created in 1832 when the
Duchy of Brunswick was subdivided into six districts. It remained unchanged until 1941 when the ''Salzgitter-Verordnung'' ("Salzgitter Ordinance" creating the city of Salzgitter) took effect and removed 20 municipalities from the district; in return, 10 municipalities from the (then)
District of Marienburg were turned over to Wolfenbüttel. When the district boundaries changed again in 1974 (as part of administrative reforms), parts of the former
District of Brunswick were added to Wolfenbüttel. Additionally, several municipalities—most notably the city
Bad Harzburg—were exchanged with the neighboring District of Goslar.
Partnerships
The district has partnerships with the French city of
Cachan
Cachan () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.
The prestigious École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay and École Spéciale des Travaux Publics are located there.
Name
During the Mid ...
, the County Borough of
Rhondda Cynon Taff
Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff (Welsh: ''Taf'') and Ely valleys, plus a number of towns and vill ...
in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, and the District of
Września in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
.
Coat of arms
The lion at the top of the coat of arms represents the
House of Welf
The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconian family from the Meus ...
, the ruling house of the Duchy of Brunswick from the 13th century. The ears in the bottom symbolise the district's mostly agricultural character.
Towns and municipalities
References
External links
Official district website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfenbuttel
Districts of Lower Saxony