Bad Kreuznach (district)

Bad Kreuznach is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Rhein-Hunsrück, Mainz-Bingen, Alzey-Worms, Donnersbergkreis, Kusel and Birkenfeld.

History

The region is full of medieval castles, especially along the Nahe River. Best known is the Kyrburg of Kirn, built in the 12th century and sitting in state above the river.

In 1815 the district of Kreuznach was established by the Prussian government. In 1932 it was merged with the district of Meisenheim. The name of the district officially changed from Kreuznach to Bad Kreuznach in 1969.

Geography

The district is located in the hilly country between the mountain chains of the Hunsrück in the north and the North Palatine Uplands in the south. The main axis of the district is the Nahe River, which enters the territory in the west, runs through Kirn, Bad Sobernheim and Bad Kreuznach, and leaves to the northeast.

The region formed by this district and the adjoining Birkenfeld district is known as the Naheland. The banks of the lower Nahe are used for vineyards. Away from the stream there are sparsely populated forests crisscrossed by the narrow affluents of the Nahe River.

Bad Kreuznach

Bad Kreuznach (German pronunciation: [baːt ˈkʁɔʏtsnax]) is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It does not lie within any Verbandsgemeinde, even though it is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde. Bad Kreuznach is a spa town and the seat of several courts as well as federal and state authorities. Bad Kreuznach is also officially a große kreisangehörige Stadt ("large town belonging to a district"), meaning that it does not have the district-level powers that kreisfreie Städte ("district-free towns/cities") enjoy. It is, nonetheless, the district seat, and also the seat of the state chamber of commerce for Rhineland-Palatinate. It is classed as a middle centre with some functions of an upper centre, making it the administrative, cultural and economic hub of a region with more than 150,000 inhabitants. Moreover, the town and the surrounding areas are renowned both nationally and internationally for their wines, especially from the Riesling, Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau grape varieties.

Bad Kreuznach (Verbandsgemeinde)

The German Verbandsgemeinde of Bad Kreuznach includes the villages of Volxheim, Hackenheim, Tiefenthal, Pleitersheim, Pfaffen-Schwabenheim, Biebelsheim, Neu-Bamberg, Frei-Laubersheim and Fürfeld. These villages lie south of the town of Bad Kreuznach. The entire municipality is 48 square kilometers large and has 8000 inhabitants.

Kreuznacher white wines are well known.

See also

External links

Coordinates: 49°50′24″N 7°51′36″E / 49.84000°N 7.86000°E / 49.84000; 7.86000