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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
in southeastern
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
, Germany. Neighboring districts are (clockwise from the north) the district-free City of
Braunschweig
Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, 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, the district of
Harz
The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, 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'' der ...
in
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...
, and the districts of
Goslar
Goslar (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the Goslar (district), district of Goslar and is located on the northwestern wikt:slope, slopes of the Harz ...
,
Hildesheim
Hildesheim (; or ; ) is a city in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim (district), Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of t ...
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 (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, the County Borough of
Rhondda Cynon Taff in
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
, and the District of
Września in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
.
Coat of arms
The lion at the top of the coat of arms represents the
House of Welf, 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