Eichsfeld Rural District

Eichsfeld
Eichsfeld
	District
	Coordinates: 51°20′N 10°15′E / 51.333°N 10.25°ECoordinates: 51°20′N 10°15′E / 51.333°N 10.25°E
Country	Germany
State	Thuringia
Capital	Heilbad Heiligenstadt
Area
• Total	940 km2 (360 sq mi)
Population (2001)
• Total	114,100
• Density	121.4/km2 (314.4/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Vehicle registration	EIC

Eichsfeld is a rural district in Thuringia, Germany, and is part of the historical region of Eichsfeld.

History

In medieval times, the district of Eichsfeld was much largaer than the present rural district and was owned by the Archbishops of Mainz.

Eichsfeld was the only part of Thuringia not to accept the Protestant Reformation, mostly because of the efforts of the Archbishop of Mainz.

In 1801, the clerical states were dissolved, and Prussia took over.

The present district was established in 1994 by merging the former districts of Worbis and Heiligenstadt.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms displays the heraldic eagle of Prussia together with the wheel, which was a symbol of the bishops of Mainz. These arms were granted shortly after Prussia gained the Eichsfeld (1801). They were reintroduced in 1994.