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Bergstraße (district)

Coordinates: 49°38′27″N 8°38′40″E / 49.640712°N 8.644330°E / 49.640712; 8.644330
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bergstraße
District
Flag of Bergstraße
Flag
Coat of arms of Bergstraße
Coat of arms
Map
CountryGermany
StateHesse
Adm. regionDarmstadt
CapitalHeppenheim
Government
 • District admin.Christian Engelhardt (CDU)
Area
 • Total
719.54 km2 (277.82 sq mi)
Population
 (31 December 2022)[1]
 • Total
275,205
 • Density380/km2 (990/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Vehicle registrationHP
Websitekreis-bergstrasse.de

Bergstraße (German pronunciation: [ˈbɛʁkˌʃtʁaːsə] ⓘ, lit. 'Mountain Road') is a Kreis (district) in the south of Hesse, Germany. It is at the northern end of the Bergstraße route. Neighboring districts are Groß-Gerau, Darmstadt-Dieburg, Odenwaldkreis, Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, the urban district Mannheim, the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, and the urban district of Worms. Kreis Bergstraße belongs both to the Rhine Neckar Area and the Rhein-Main Region.[2]

History

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The district was created in 1938, when the two former districts Bensheim and Heppenheim were merged.[2]

Geography

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The Bergstraße district is situated along the western slopes of the Odenwald mountains in southern Hesse, Germany. Its highest point is the Melibokus, a 517-meter (1,696-foot) hill near Zwingenberg.[3] The district derives its name from the historic Bergstraße ("Mountain Road"), an 80-kilometer scenic route that runs from Darmstadt to Wiesloch, with its northern section passing through the district.[4]

Coat of arms

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The coat of arms is split into four quarters. In the top-left it shows the Starkenburg castle, which is one of the major landmarks in the district and a reminiscence of the former Province Starkenburg, a former provinces of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, to which the District once belonged. The flower in the top-right stands for the flower-richness in spring. The cross in the bottom-left derives from the coat of arms of the imperial abbey of Lorsch Abbey, and the lion in the bottom-right is the sign of Hesse.[2]

German Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel, who is from Heppenheim, has the Bergstraße coat of arms on the front (chin area) of his racing helmet.[5]

Politics

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The Bergstraße electoral district (Wahlkreis 187) is a federal constituency represented in the German Bundestag. Located in southern Hesse, it encompasses the entire Bergstraße district. Established for the inaugural 1949 federal election, it has undergone several numbering changes over the years, currently designated as constituency 187.[6][7]

In the 2025 federal election, the constituency had 195,419 eligible voters, with a voter turnout of 84.4%. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) candidate, Dr. Michael Meister, secured the direct mandate with 36.3% of the first votes. Dr. Meister has been serving as the directly elected representative for Bergstraße since 2005, reflecting the CDU's longstanding influence in the region.[8]

Towns and municipalities

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Groß-RohrheimZwingenbergBiblisViernheimLampertheimBürstadtEinhausenLorschBensheimLautertalLindenfelsHeppenheimHeppenheimFürthGrasellenbachRimbachMörlenbachWald-MichelbachBirkenauAbtsteinachGorxheimertalHirschhornNeckarsteinachMichelbuchRhineland-PalatinateBaden-WürttembergGroß-Gerau (district)Darmstadt-DieburgOdenwaldkreis
Clickable map of towns and municipalities in the district
Towns Municipalities
  1. Bensheim
  2. Bürstadt
  3. Heppenheim
  4. Hirschhorn
  5. Lampertheim
  6. Lindenfels
  7. Lorsch
  8. Neckarsteinach
  9. Viernheim
  10. Zwingenberg
  1. Abtsteinach
  2. Biblis
  3. Birkenau
  4. Einhausen
  5. Fürth
  6. Gorxheimertal
  7. Grasellenbach
  8. Groß-Rohrheim
  9. Lautertal
  10. Mörlenbach
  11. Rimbach
  12. Wald-Michelbach

References

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  1. ^ "Bevölkerung in Hessen am 31.12.2022 nach Gemeinden" (XLS) (in German). Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt. June 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Unser Landkreis". Kreis Bergstrasse (in German). Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  3. ^ PeakVisor. "Melibokus". PeakVisor. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  4. ^ e.V, Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus. "Bergstrasse Holiday Route: wine, magical woodland and a sea of blossoms - Germany Travel". www.germany.travel. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  5. ^ Bradley, Charles (26 July 2019). "The man behind the Vettel tribute helmet in Hockenheim". Motorsport.com.
  6. ^ "Wahlkreisbewerberinnen und -bewerber in Bergstraße - Die Bundeswahlleiterin". www.bundeswahlleiterin.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  7. ^ Aisch, Gregor; Bauer, Jakob; Blickle, Paul; Flemisch, Tamara; Goldschmidtböing, Lisa; Janzen, Mia; Schach, David; Stahnke, Julian; Tröger, Julius (2025-02-24). "Bundestagswahl 2025: Alle Wahlergebnisse in Bergstraße". Die Zeit (in German). ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  8. ^ "Ergebnisse Bergstraße - Die Bundeswahlleiterin". www.bundeswahlleiterin.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-05-05.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Landkreis Bergstraße.

49°38′27″N 8°38′40″E / 49.640712°N 8.644330°E / 49.640712; 8.644330

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