Märkischer Kreis
The Märkischer Kreis is a district (Kreis) in central North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 | |
| Country |  Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Adm. region | Arnsberg |
| Capital | Lüdenscheid |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,058.949 km2 (408.862 sq mi) |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 457,465 |
| • Density | 431.9991/km2 (1,118.8725/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Vehicle registration | MK |
| Website | http://www.maerkischer-kreis.de |
The district was created in 1975 as part of the reorganisation of North Rhine-Westphalian districts.
Twinning
The district is twinned with
Wales, Wrexham County Borough. This was started in 1970 by Iserlohn.
Brandenburg, Elbe-Elster. This started as a twin with Finsterwalde before Finsterwald became a part of Elbe-Elster.
Poland, Racibórz district.
Coat of arms
|
|
The lion and fess chequey (a stripe (fess) made up of little squares (chequey))are taken from the old coat of arms of the district of Altena, which is from the arms of the Counts of the Mark. In the first half of the 13th century a seal with both the fess and the lion was in use, as first used by Adolf I of Altena (1199-1241). Engelbert I of the Mark (1249-1277) dropped the lion in his seal. The original colour of the lion was unknown, so a black lion with red tongue and claws was chosen, as in the arms of the Dukes of Jülich. The black cross comes from the arms of Cologne, as the eastern part of the area historically belonged to the Archbishops of Cologne.
The coat of arms was designed by the herald Waldemar Mallek, and was granted on May 6, 1976. |
Towns and municipalities
| Cities (population) | Municipalities (population) | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Politics and administration
The district is led by a Landrat. The headquarters of the government of the county are in Lüdenscheid, but there are county halls with parts of the administration in Iserlohn and Altena, too. The police headquarters of the county are in Iserlohn.
| Landrat | Oberkreisdirektor |
|---|---|
|
|
The county council meets in the county hall in Iserlohn. Its last election was on September 26 2004.
| Party | Votes | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| CDU | 44.4% | 32 |
| SPD | 30.0% | 22 |
| Greens | 7.7% | 6 |
| FDP | 7.4% | 5 |
| Independent (UWG) | 6.7% | 5 |
| NPD | 1.9 % | 1 |
| Republican | 1.8 % | 1 |
Märkischer Kreis Media
Kreishaus des Märkischen Kreises in Lüdenscheid, Ansicht von der Heedfelder Straße
Luisenhuette - Balve, Germany
References
Other websites
- Official website (German)
- Touristical website for the Märkischer Kreis (German)