The Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis () is a district (Kreis) in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) the district-free city Worms, the district Bergstraße, district-free Mannheim, Frankenthal and Ludwigshafen, Rhein-Neckar, district-free Speyer, the districts Karlsruhe, Germersheim, Südliche Weinstraße and Bad Dürkheim.
History The district was created in 1886 under the name Bezirksamt Ludwigshafen, one of the last acts of king Ludwig II of Bavaria. The population in the area around Speyer had grown significantly, which made the splitting of the Bezirksamt Speyer necessary. In 1969, the Speyer and Ludwigshafen districts and parts of the Frankenthal and Neustadt districts were merged again to form the new Ludwigshafen district.
On 19 May 2003 the district parliament passed a resolution to rename the district "Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis" starting in 2004.
Partnerships The district started its first partnership in 1964 with the municipalities Schnals and Naturns in Italy. The Speyer district had a partnership with Schlanders and Martell, also in Italy, which were taken over after the merging of the district. As part of the partnership of Rhineland-Palatinate with Rwanda the district has a partnership with the municipality of Kinyami starting in 1983. After the German reunification the district supported the Saalkreis in Saxony-Anhalt in modernising the administration to western standard, which resulted in a friendship between the two districts. In 1991 a partnership with the district Radviliskis in Lithuania was started, and in 2002 with the Polish district Opole in Silesia.
Geography The district is located in the valley of the Rhine river, both the actual river valley and the Vorderpfälzer Tiefland, formed by the sediments of the rivers of the Palatinate hills. The district has a very warm climate, together with the fertile loess soil it makes the area favourable for growing vegetable. However the rainfall is comparatively low, thus irrigation is needed.
Coat of arms The wavy line from the bottom-right to the top-left symbolizes the Rhine river.
The lion in the left is the lion of the Electorate of the Palatinate, to which the largest part of the district belonged historically.
The silver cross in the right part is taken from the State of Speyer, taken from the coat of arms of the Speyer district.
The shield in the middle show water lily leaves, a typical symbol for the district, as this plant grows in the old arms of the Rhine river.
Towns and municipalities Verband-free municipalities
Bobenheim-Roxheim 9 967 inhabitants 20.5 km2 Böhl-Iggelheim 10 533 inhabitants 32.8 km2 Limburgerhof 10 834 inhabitants 9 km2 Mutterstadt 12 576 inhabitants 20.5 km2 Stadt Schifferstadt 19 392 inhabitants 28 km2
Verbandsgemeinden Verbandsgemeinde Dannstadt-Schauernheim 13 022 inhabitants 33.2 km2 Dannstadt-Schauernheim * 7 033 inhabitants 15.3 km2 Hochdorf-Assenheim 3 113 inhabitants 9.7 km2 Rödersheim-Gronau 2 876 inhabitants 8.2 km2 Verbandsgemeinde Lambsheim-Heßheim 15 987 inhabitants 37.68 km2 Beindersheim 3 054 inhabitants 5.7 km2 Großniedesheim 1 391 inhabitants 3.8 km2 Heßheim 3 060 inhabitants 5.8 km2 Heuchelheim bei Frankenthal 1 272 inhabitants 5.8 km2 Kleinniedesheim 942 inhabitants 3.9 km2 Lambsheim * 6 268 inhabitants 12.8 km2 Verbandsgemeinde Maxdorf 12 687 inhabitants 16.9 km2 Birkenheide 3 192 inhabitants 2.9 km2 Fußgönheim 2 484 inhabitants 6.7 km2 Maxdorf * 7 011 inhabitants 7.4 km2 Verbandsgemeinde Rheinauen 23 706 inhabitants 51.28 km2 Altrip 7 808 inhabitants 10.5 km2 Neuhofen 7 207 inhabitants 12.3 km2 Otterstadt 3 361 inhabitants 15.6 km2 Waldsee * 5 330 inhabitants 12.9 km2 Verbandsgemeinde Römerberg-Dudenhofen 20 498 inhabitants 54.98 km2 Dudenhofen * 5.812 inhabitants 13 km2 Hanhofen 2 410 inhabitants 5.8 km2 Harthausen 3 082 inhabitants 8.4 km2 Römerberg 9 194 inhabitants 27.9 km2
*seat of the Verbandsgemeinde
References
External links
Official website (German)