The Rhein-Neckar-Kreis is a district in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The administrative headquarters are based in the city Heidelberg, which is a district-free city. As of 2019, the district is the most populous in Baden-Württemberg.

History The district was created in 1973 by merging the previous districts of Heidelberg, Mannheim and Sinsheim.

Geography The district is named after the two main rivers which flow through the district, the Rhine and Neckar. The highest elevation is 580 m near the 584 m tall peak of the Odenwald mountain Stiefelhöhe, located near Heiligkreuzsteinach. The lowest elevation with 92 m is in Ilvesheim, located in the Neckar valley.

Sights Dilsberg Bergfeste Dilsberg is a castle on a mountain over the Neckar River in Neckargemünd. Eberbach The historic old town with its four towers, many timber-frame houses and some town wall remnants, is a magnet for tourists. Hockenheim The Hockenheimring is the home of the Formula One German Grand Prix. Ladenburg Ladenburg has an old town from the Late Middle Ages. Its history dates back to Celtic and Roman ages. Neckargemünd Neckargemünd still keeps its medieval charm. Schwetzingen Schwetzingen Castle was the summer residence of the Electors Palatine Karl III Philip and Charles Theodore. Sinsheim Sinsheim's main tourist attraction is the Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum, displaying a collection of historic vehicles to over 1 million visitors per year. Weinheim Weinheim is situated on the Bergstraße ("Mountain Road") on the western rim of the Odenwald.

Government The district is governed by a district assembly (Kreistag) and a district executive (Landrat). The eligible voters of the district elect the Kreistag every 5 years. This body in turn elects the Landrat every 8 years. The Landrat is the legal representative of the district as well as the speaker of the Kreistag and its committees. The Landrat manages the office of the Landrat (Landratsamt) and is the chief official of the district. The duties of the Landrat include the preparation of the district assembly meetings and its committees. The Landrat calls the meetings, acts as speaker, and carries out the decisions made. In the Kreistag, the Landrat has no vote. The Landrat has a second, called the first district official (Erste Landesbeamte).

Landrat of the district Heidelberg 1945–1972: 1945–1946: Hermann Specht (provisional) 1946–1947: Erich Reimann 1947–1954: Herbert Klotz 1954–1972: Georg Steinbrenner

Landrat of the district Mannheim 1945–1972: 1945: Richard Freudenberg (appointed) 1945–1946: Karl Geppert (appointed) 1946: Dr. Valentin Gaa (appointed) 1946–1948: Ernst Becherer 1948–1970: Dr. Valentin Gaa 1970–1972: Albert Neckenauer

Landrat of the district Sinsheim 1945–1972: 1945–1946: Roman Großmann (appointed) 1946: Gottlob Barth und Dr. Kurt von Kirchenheim (both appointed) 1946: Wolfgang Rutschke (appointed to oversee businesses) 1946–1947: Hermann Lindner (appointed) 1947–1948: Dr. Johann Gutermann 1948: Dr. Ludwig Bernheim 1948–1949: Georg Steinbrenner (appointed to oversee businesses) 1949–1950: Dr. Walther Reidel (appointed) 1950–1972: Dr. Paul Herrmann

Landrat of Rhein-Neckar-Kreis since 1973: 1973 Georg Steinbrenner, Amtsverweser 1973–1986: Albert Neckenauer 1986-2010: Dr. Jürgen Schütz 2010 - to present: Stefan Dallinger

Coat of arms The wavy line in the left of the coat of arms represent the two rivers Rhine and Neckar. The lion in the right side is the symbol of Palatinate, as the area belonged to that area historically.

Towns and municipalities

Städte (towns) Eberbach 15 258 81.2 km2 Eppelheim 14 629 5.6 km2 Hemsbach 12 230 12.9 km2 Hockenheim 21 031 34.8 km2 Ladenburg 11 473 19 km2 Leimen 26 932 20.6 km2 Neckarbischofsheim 3 946 26.4 km2 Neckargemünd 14 032 26.2 km2 Rauenberg 7 631 11.1 km2 Schönau 4 696 22.5 km2 Schriesheim 14 855 31.6 km2 Schwetzingen 22 159 21.6 km2 Sinsheim 35 517 127 km2 Waibstadt 5 659 25.6 km2 Walldorf 14 774 19.9 km2 Weinheim 43 692 58.1 km2 Wiesloch 25 897 30.3 km2Gemeinden (Municipalities) Altlußheim 5 296 16 km2 Angelbachtal 5 002 17.9 km2 Bammental 6 498 12.2 km2 Brühl 14 256 10.2 km2 Dielheim 8 933 22.7 km2 Dossenheim 12 008 14.1 km2 Edingen-Neckarhausen 14 127 12 km2 Epfenbach 2 517 13 km2 Eschelbronn 2 572 8.2 km2 Gaiberg 2 427 4.2 km2 Heddesbach 494 8.2 km2 Heddesheim 11 566 14.7 km2 Heiligkreuzsteinach 3 054 19.6 km2 Helmstadt-Bargen 3 793 28 km2 Hirschberg an der Bergstraße 9 405 12.4 km2 Ilvesheim 7 768 5.9 km2 Ketsch 12 808 16.5 km2 Laudenbach 6 110 10.3 km2 Lobbach 2 401 14.9 km2 Malsch 3 401 6.8 km2 Mauer 3 919 6.3 km2 Meckesheim 5 343 16.3 km2 Mühlhausen (Kraichgau) 8 218 15.3 km2 Neidenstein 1 820 8.5 km2 Neulußheim 6 675 3.4 km2 Nußloch 10 734 13.6 km2 Oftersheim 10 686 12.8 km2 Plankstadt 9 559 8.4 km2 Reichartshausen 2 015 10 km2 Reilingen 7 068 16.4 km2 Sandhausen 14 336 14.6 km2 Schönbrunn 2 987 34.5 km2 Spechbach 1 720 8.5 km2 St. Leon-Rot 12 539 25.6 km2 Wiesenbach 3 092 11.1 km2 Wilhelmsfeld 3 293 4.8 km2 Zuzenhausen 2 138 11.6 km2

International relations

Rhein-Neckar-Kreis is twinned with:

Vichy, France (since 1965)

References

External links