Unstrut-Hainich Rural District

Country	Germany
State	Thuringia
Capital	Mühlhausen
Area
• Total	975 km2 (376 sq mi)
Population (2002)
• Total	117,324
• Density	120.33/km2 (311.66/sq mi)

Unstrut-Hainich is a Landkreis (district) in the north of Thuringia, Germany.

History

The district was set up on July 1, 1994 by joining the two previous districts of Mühlhausen and Bad Langensalza.

Partnerships

The district has a partnership with the Wetteraukreis in Hesse dating back to the German reunification of 1990. The district also has a partnership with the Lithuanian districts of Ukmerge and Raseiniai.

Geography

The district is named after the river Unstrut and a hill chain, the Hainich. The Hainich became the 13th national park of Germany in 1997.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms combines the symbols of the historical territories which make up the area of the district. In the topleft is the eagle of the city Mühlhausen, in the topright the lion as the symbol of the dukes of Thuringia. In the bottom left is the wheel of Mainz, and the deer antler in the bottom right is the symbol of the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.