Altenkirchen district (Westerwald)

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coat of arms Germany map
Coat of arms of the district of Altenkirchen (Westerwald) Map of Germany, position of the district of Altenkirchen (Westerwald) highlighted

Coordinates: 50 ° 45 '  N , 7 ° 44'  E

Basic data
State : Rhineland-Palatinate
Administrative headquarters : Altenkirchen (Westerwald)
Area : 641.99 km 2
Residents: 128,805 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density : 201 inhabitants per km 2
License plate : AK
Circle key : 07 1 32
Circle structure: 119 parishes
Address of the
district administration:
Parkstrasse 1
57610 Altenkirchen (Westerwald)
Website : www.kreis-altenkirchen.de
District Administrator : Peter Enders ( CDU )
Location of the district of Altenkirchen (Westerwald) in Rhineland-Palatinate
Niederlande Belgien Frankreich Luxemburg Baden-Württemberg Hessen Nordrhein-Westfalen Saarland Frankenthal (Pfalz) Kaiserslautern Koblenz Landau in der Pfalz Landau in der Pfalz Ludwigshafen am Rhein Mainz Pirmasens Speyer Trier Worms Zweibrücken Landkreis Ahrweiler Landkreis Altenkirchen (Westerwald) Landkreis Alzey-Worms Landkreis Bad Dürkheim Landkreis Bad Kreuznach Landkreis Bernkastel-Wittlich Landkreis Birkenfeld Landkreis Cochem-Zell Donnersbergkreis Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm Landkreis Germersheim Landkreis Kaiserslautern Landkreis Kusel Landkreis Mainz-Bingen Landkreis Mayen-Koblenz Neustadt an der Weinstraße Landkreis Neuwied Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis Rhein-Lahn-Kreis Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis Landkreis Südliche Weinstraße Landkreis Südwestpfalz Landkreis Trier-Saarburg Landkreis Vulkaneifel Westerwaldkreismap
About this picture

The district of Altenkirchen (Westerwald) is a regional authority in northern Rhineland-Palatinate and lies between the metropolitan regions of Rhine-Ruhr and Rhine-Main . The seat of the district administration is the eponymous city of Altenkirchen (Westerwald) , the most populous city is Betzdorf .

geography

The area of ​​the district of Altenkirchen (Westerwald) is 642 square kilometers.

location

The Altenkirchen district is the northernmost district in Rhineland-Palatinate. It includes the northern part of the Westerwald and the southwestern part of the Siegerland (so-called upper district). The Wildenburgische Land, named after the county of Wildenburg, lies north of the Sieg . Other rivers in the district are the Wied and the Nister .

Neighboring areas

The district borders clockwise to the west, beginning with the Rhein-Sieg district , the Oberbergischer district , the district Olpe and the district Siegen-Wittgenstein (all in North Rhine-Westphalia ) as well as the Westerwaldkreis and the district Neuwied (both in Rhineland-Palatinate ).

history

The current district area belonged to different domains before 1803, u. a. the counties Sayn-Altenkirchen and Sayn-Hachenburg , the rule Wildenburg (already extinct in 1418, their possessions later came to the princes of Hatzfeld ) and the electorates of Cologne and Trier . All areas became Prussian in 1815. The state of Prussia divided its provinces into administrative districts and districts. This is how the Altenkirchen district in the Coblenz administrative district came into being in 1816 . The Prussian administration divided the district into the mayor offices of Altenkirchen , Daaden, Flammersfeld , Friesenhagen, Gebhardshain, Hamm, Kirchen, Weyerbusch and Wissen. The former lordships of Wildenburg and Schönstein were elevated to civil status in 1821 , but were again subordinated to the district administrator of Altenkirchen in 1839. The mayor's offices were renamed to offices in 1927 and existed until 1968. The association communities emerged from them . The name "Kreis Altenkirchen" was changed to "Landkreis Altenkirchen" in 1938, and the name "Kreis Altenkirchen" is still frequently used today. In March / April 1945, after the capture of the Remagen Bridge , American units fought here with the Wehrmacht .

The boundaries of the district have only changed insignificantly in the course of history. So on November 7, 1970, the municipality of Berod near Hachenburg was reclassified from the Oberwesterwaldkreis . On the same day, the Heckenhahn district of the Rott community was reclassified to the Neuwied district .

The Altenkirchen district has been part of the Rhineland-Palatinate state since 1946 .

Population statistics

As of December 31, 2019, the Altenkirchen (Westerwald) district had 128,805 inhabitants. The population density on the reference date was 201 inhabitants per square kilometer. At the end of 2013 there were more women (50.7 percent) than men (49.3 percent) in the district. At 34.9 percent, the old-age quotient exceeds the youth quotient (31.9 percent).

The proportion of foreigners (registered residents without German citizenship ) was 5.1 percent on December 31, 2013 (6,609 people). The most strongly represented nationalities are mainly residents from Turkey, Poland, Italy, Kosovo, Russia, Greece, Serbia, Romania, the Netherlands and Spain.

In March 2015, the district recorded an unemployment rate of 5.5 percent (3,791 people).

Population development in Altenkirchen (Westerwald) district from 1815 to 2017

The development of the number of inhabitants in relation to today's area of ​​the Altenkirchen district, the values ​​from 1871 to 1987 are based on censuses. From 1990 onwards, the status of December 31st is listed, based on the sole or main residence:

  • 1815: 026.860
  • 1835: 035.208
  • 1871: 048.653
  • 1905: 072.370
  • 1939: 090.557
  • 1950: 101.099
  • 1961: 112.396
  • 1965: 118.109
  • 1970: 121.181
  • 1975: 122.066
  • 1980: 122.618
  • 1985: 120,648
  • 1987: 120.757
  • 1990: 126.489
  • 1995: 134.993
  • 2000: 137.223
  • 2005: 136.425
  • 2010: 131,952
  • 2015: 129,171
  • 2017: 128,791

Denomination statistics

According to the 2011 census , 34.0% of the population in 2011 were Protestant , 42.1% were mostly Roman Catholic and 23.8% were non-denominational , belonged to another religious community or did not provide any information. The number of Protestants and Catholics has fallen since then. Currently (as of May 31, 2020) of the 129,777 inhabitants, 30.4% are Protestant, 37.3% are predominantly Roman Catholic and 32.3% are non-denominational or belong to another religious community.

politics

District election in the Altenkirchen district 2019
 %
40
30th
20th
10
0
35.2
25.0
13.0
8.6
8.1
6.5
3.5
Gains and losses
compared to 2014 e.g.
 % p
 10
   8th
   6th
   4th
   2
   0
  -2
  -4
  -6
  -8th
-10
-7.7
-8.9
+6.1
+8.6
+0.6
+2.6
-0.2
Template: election chart / maintenance / notes
Remarks:
z weighted result
Distribution of seats in the
district council of the Altenkirchen district in 2019
       
A total of 46 seats

District council

The district council of the district of Altenkirchen (Westerwald) consists of 46 district council members, who were elected in a personalized proportional representation in the local elections on May 26, 2019 , and the district administrator as chairman.

Election results and distribution of seats in the Altenkirchen district council (Westerwald)
Parties and constituencies %
2019
Seats
2019
%
2014
Seats
2014
%
2009
Seats
2009
%
2004
Seats
2004
%
1999
Seats
1999
CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany 35.2 16 42.9 20th 42.4 19th 51.3 24 49.8 24
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany 25.0 11 33.9 15th 30.1 14th 29.2 13 35.9 16
FWG District Association of Free Voting Groups 8.1 4th 7.5 3 7.6 3 7.7 3 6.0 2
GREEN Alliance 90 / The Greens 13.0 6th 6.9 3 6.4 3 5.8 3 4.1 2
FDP Free Democratic Party 6.5 3 3.9 2 9.9 5 5.9 3 4.3 2
THE LEFT. THE LEFT. 3.5 2 3.7 2 3.6 2 - - - -
PIRATES Pirate Party Germany - - 1.2 1 - - - - - -
AfD Alternative for Germany 8.6 4th - - - - - - - -
total 100.0 46 100.0 46 100.0 46 100.0 46 100.0 46
Turnout in percent 59.5 56.8 53.4 55.8 62.6

District administrators

Peter Enders (CDU) was elected in direct election on May 26, 2019 with a share of the vote of 54.9% and took office on September 1, 2019.

Landtag and Bundestag

badges and flags

The district of Altenkirchen (Westerwald) has a coat of arms and a flag.

Coat of arms of the district of Altenkirchen (Westerwald)
Blazon : "Split by a curved silver tip, inside a continuous cross, cut in black and red, in front a double-tailed, blue-armored lion, in front in red, an upright black wall anchor in gold."
Justification of the coat of arms: The lion stands for the County of Sayn, the wall anchor for the Lords of Wildenburg and the two-colored cross for the two electoral principalities of Cologne (black) and Trier (red). The coat of arms was approved on December 11, 1967.

traffic

The federal motorway 3 Frankfurt – Cologne runs through the district in the extreme southwest with the Neuwied / Altenkirchen exit in Willroth. A 45 Gießen – Dortmund is located a little to the east of the district . Since the end of 2016, the district has been connected to the Siegen junction by the Hüttentalstrasse , which ends in Mudersbach- Niedererschelderhütte . In the north, leads A 4 Cologne-Olpe over. The district is otherwise crossed by numerous federal highways, including the B 8 , B 62 and B 256 .

As early as 1860, the Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft ran its railway line from Cologne in the Siegtal up to Wissen and a year later to Siegen ( Siegbahn ). Since 1861 the main line has branched off as the Hellertalbahn from Betzdorf via Herdorf towards Haiger – Dillenburg .

A quarter of a century later the Prussian State Railway opened up the side valleys and the high Westerwald : The Limburg railways reached the district town of Altenkirchen in 1884 via Siershahn ( Unterwesterwaldbahn / Holzbachtalbahn) and in 1885 via Hachenburg ( Oberwesterwaldbahn ); the connection to the route in the Siegtal near Au followed in 1887.

A branch line was opened from Betzdorf to Daaden in 1885/86, the cross connection from Kirchen to Freudenberg followed in 1887/88 , later to Olpe (1907) and in 1890 the Wissertal Railway from Wissen to Morsbach was added. Finally, the Kasbachtalbahn from Linz am Rhein in Flammersfeld was connected to the Siershahn – Altenkirchen line .

The Gebhard Hainer country opened up the circle old churches themselves through the opened in 1913 and later repeatedly extended "district light railway Scheuerfeld-Nauroth" , as Altenkirchen Westerwaldbahn the circle GmbH today is and the traffic on the state railway Betzdorf - Daaden (Daadetalbahn) and Hellertalbahn has taken over.

The Free Grunder Railway, which today belongs to KSW Kreisbahn Siegen-Wittgenstein GmbH, began in Herdorf in 1907/08 .

Passenger traffic was stopped on several branch lines with a total length of 78 km between 1945 and 1984:

63 km remained for passenger traffic, i.e. less than half of the previous network.

Since August 1, 2002, the tariff of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS) has been used as a transitional tariff on all rail routes in the Altenkirchen district if the start or destination station is in the area of ​​the VRS. From the municipalities of Wissen, Betzdorf, Daaden and Kirchen as well as from the city of Herdorf, journeys at the Westphalian tariff to selected cities in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district are possible on the rail routes and on individual bus routes ; From the VG Kirchen, journeys via Freudenberg to the Olpe district are also permitted. On January 1, 2009, the Altenkirchen district joined the Rhein-Mosel transport association (VRM). For trips within the district boundaries and, for example, also to the neighboring district of Neuwied , its ticket prices have been valid since then.

Association and local congregations

The district of Altenkirchen (Westerwald) comprises 119 local communities , which are part of seven association communities . The largest town is Betzdorf with 10,064 inhabitants, the smallest municipality is Eulenberg with 48 inhabitants. The following lists the municipalities with their local municipalities and cities as well as the number of inhabitants as of December 31, 2019. (The administrative offices of the municipalities are marked with an asterisk. They are listed alphabetically according to the municipalities.)

Friesenhagen Harbach (Landkreis Altenkirchen) Niederfischbach Mudersbach Brachbach Kirchen (Sieg) Herdorf Daaden Emmerzhausen Mauden Derschen Nisterberg Friedewald (Westerwald) Weitefeld Niederdreisbach Schutzbach Grünebach Alsdorf (Westerwald) Betzdorf Scheuerfeld Wallmenroth Willroth Krunkel Horhausen (Westerwald) Pleckhausen Güllesheim Obersteinebach Niedersteinebach Bürdenbach Eulenberg (Westerwald) Peterslahr Rott (Westerwald) Burglahr Oberlahr Eichen (Westerwald) Seifen (Westerwald) Seelbach (Westerwald) Flammersfeld Kescheid Reiferscheid Berzhausen Obernau (Westerwald) Walterschen Schürdt Orfgen Ziegenhain (Westerwald) Giershausen Katzwinkel (Sieg) Birken-Honigsessen Wissen (Stadt) Hövels Mittelhof Nauroth Elkenroth Rosenheim (Landkreis Altenkirchen) Kausen Dickendorf Malberg (Westerwald) Steinebach/Sieg Fensdorf Gebhardshain Elben (Westerwald) Steineroth Molzhain Selbach (Sieg) Forst (bei Wissen, Sieg) Bitzen Etzbach Roth (Landkreis Altenkirchen) Bruchertseifen Fürthen Hamm (Sieg) Seelbach bei Hamm (Sieg) Breitscheidt Pracht Birkenbeul Niederirsen Kircheib Hirz-Maulsbach Fiersbach Mehren (Westerwald) Rettersen Ersfeld Hasselbach (Westerwald) Forstmehren Kraam Werkhausen Oberirsen Weyerbusch Hemmelzen Neitersen Birnbach Ölsen Schöneberg (Westerwald) Stürzelbach Fluterschen Oberwambach Berod bei Hachenburg Gieleroth Almersbach Altenkirchen (Westerwald) Michelbach (Westerwald) Ingelbach Sörth Mammelzen Eichelhardt Idelberg Isert Helmeroth Racksen Volkerzen Hilgenroth Obererbach (Westerwald) Bachenberg Busenhausen Heupelzen Wölmersen Kettenhausen Helmenzen Nordrhein-Westfalen Landkreis Neuwied Westerwaldkreis Landkreis NeuwiedMap: Association and local communities in the district of Altenkirchen (Westerwald)
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Local parish Residents
Verbandsgemeinde Altenkirchen-Flammersfeld
Almersbach 412
Altenkirchen (Westerwald) , city * 6,305
Bachenberg 104
Berod near Hachenburg 562
Berzhausen 204
Birnbach 626
Bürdenbach 587
Burglahr 496
Busenhausen 349
Eichelhardt 519
Oak trees 544
Ersfeld 69
Eulenberg 48
Fiersbach 254
Flammersfeld 1,356
Floodlight 644
Forstmehren 141
Gieleroth 649
Giershausen 112
Güllesheim 726
Hasselbach 311
Helmets 884
Helmeroth 186
Hemmelzen 279
Haylofts 247
Hilgenroth 303
Hirz-Maulsbach 307
Horhausen (Westerwald) 2,026
Idelberg 65
Ingelbach 502
Isert 109
Kescheid 119
Kettenhausen 280
Churchib 516
Kraam 177
Krunkel 617
Mammelzen 1,074
More 495
Michelbach (Westerwald) 532
Neitersen 860
Niedersteinebach 216
Obererbach (Westerwald) 548
Oberirsen 609
Oberlahr 750
Obernau 187
Obersteinebach 245
Oberwambach 416
Oils 88
Orfgen 236
Peterslahr 293
Pleckhausen 821
Racksen 137
Reiferscheid 430
Rescuers 363
Red 371
Schöneberg 416
Stokes 257
Seelbach (Westerwald) 294
Soap 119
Sörth 250
Stürzelbach 230
Volkerzen 85
Walterschen 140
Werkhausen 227
Weyerbusch 1,385
Willroth 859
Wölmersen 371
Goat grove 150
Local parish Residents
Verbandsgemeinde Betzdorf-Gebhardshain
Alsdorf 1,484
Betzdorf , city * 10,064
Dickendorf 345
Elves 338
Elkenroth 1,834
Fensdorf 384
Gebhardshain 1,885
Grünebach 506
Chew 761
Malberg 1.009
Molzhain 545
Nauroth 1,127
Rosenheim (Altenkirchen district) 755
Scheuerfeld 2,043
Steinebach / victory 1,211
Steineroth 573
Wallmenroth 1,206
Verbandsgemeinde Daaden-Herdorf
Daaden , city * 4,243
Those 952
Emmerzhausen 656
Friedewald 1,099
Herdorf , city 6,546
Mauden 111
Niederdreisbach 852
Nisterberg 350
Schutzbach 366
Weitefeld 2,246
Verbandsgemeinde Hamm (Sieg)
Birch bump 427
Bitches 721
Breitscheidt 983
Bruchertseifen 775
Etzbach 1,296
Forest 553
Fürthen 1,168
Hamm (victory) * 3,483
Niederirsen 92
Splendor 1,435
Roth 1,464
Seelbach near Hamm (victory) 124
Verbandsgemeinde Kirchen (Sieg)
Brachbach 2,285
Friesenhagen 1,569
Harbach 543
Churches (Sieg) , City * 8,492
Mudersbach 5,857
Niederfischbach 4.117
Verbandsgemeinde knowledge
Birch honey meal 2,488
Hövels 521
Katzwinkel (victory) 1,776
Central courtyard 993
Selbach (victory) 748
Knowledge , city * 8,315

The following municipalities in the district have lost their independence to this day:

Several parishes have been renamed:

For lists on the term "area changes" see area reforms in Rhineland-Palatinate .

Emergency numbers

In the district of Altenkirchen (Westerwald), new emergency numbers have been in effect in some cases since November 1, 2008. The police emergency number 110 has remained unchanged and is still used by the police in Betzdorf, Altenkirchen (Westerwald), Straßenhaus , Siegen or Gummersbach . There were changes to the emergency number 112. It is now switched to the integrated rescue control center in Montabaur . All fire brigades as well as the emergency doctors and ambulances in the district are alerted from here. The obsolete service number 19222 from the German Red Cross has had its day.

Sons and daughters of the circle

  • Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen (born March 30, 1818 in Hamm (Sieg) ; † March 11, 1888 in Heddesdorf ), social reformer (founder of the Raiffeisen banks)
  • Joseph Höffner (born December 24, 1906 in Horhausen ; † October 16, 1987 in Cologne), social and economic ethicist, Bishop of Münster, Archbishop of Cologne, cardinal, chairman of the German Bishops' Conference

License Plate

On July 1, 1956, the district was assigned the distinctive sign AK when the vehicle registration number that is still valid today was introduced . It is still issued today.

See also

Portal: Westerwald  - Overview of Wikipedia content on the subject of Westerwald

Literature (selection)

  • Iris Benner: cultural landscape Altenkirchen. A journey to art and nature. Altenkirchen 2006, ISBN 3-00-018481-3 .
  • Margot Bitterauf-Remy: The art monuments of the Altenkirchen district. Düsseldorf 1935.
  • Matthias Dahlhoff: History of the County of Sayn. Dillenburg 1874.
  • Manfred Hermanns : The social and economic spatial structure of the Altenkirchen district. Diss. Phil. the Westf. Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Westf.). 1964.
  • Manfred Hermanns: District of Altenkirchen (Westerwald) (= Institute for Regional Studies [Hrsg.]: The districts in Rhineland-Palatinate . Volume 6 ). Altenkirchen (Westerwald) 1969 (with 32 maps, 7 illustrations and 28 plates).
  • Heinrich Holschbach: Folklore of the Altenkirchen district. Elberfeld 1928.
  • Erwin Katzwinkel and Franz-Eugen Volz: Small bibliography of the Altenkirchen district (Westerwald). Altenkirchen district (publisher), Altenkirchen 1978.
  • Josef Klein: The economic development of the Altenkirchen district since the beginning of the 19th century. Knowledge 1926.
  • Hermann Krämer (Ed.): The district of Altenkirchen. Oldenburg 1972.
  • District administration Altenkirchen (Ed.): Land to Sieg and Wied. Local history of the Altenkirchen district. Knowledge 1987.
  • District administration Altenkirchen (Ed.): The district Altenkirchen in the 20th century. A chronicle. Altenkirchen 1992, ISBN 3-925190-10-4 .
  • Peter Lindlein: 200 years of the Altenkirchen district. Photographs by Peter Lindlein. With photos by Peter Weller , August Sander and Bernd and Hilla Becher . Frankfurt 2016, ISBN 978-3-9817020-1-9 .
  • Jakob Rausch: History of the Altenkirchen district. Reprint of the 1921 edition, Schaan / Liechtenstein 1983.
  • Daniel Schneider: The history of the local community Obererbach (Westerwald). The villages of Hacksen, Niedererbach, Obererbach and Koberstein from the Middle Ages to the present. 2 volumes, Obererbach 2009, ISBN 978-3-00-027494-7 (with a summary of the development of the Altenkirchen district).
  • Martin Sinemus: The history of the Protestant parishes of the parish of Altenkirchen (Westerwald). Saarbrücken 1933.

Web links

Commons : Landkreis Altenkirchen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b State Statistical Office of Rhineland-Palatinate - population status 2019, districts, municipalities, association communities ( help on this ).
  2. a b c d My district, my independent city - Altenkirchen district (Westerwald). State Statistical Office of Rhineland-Palatinate, accessed on April 28, 2015 .
  3. The end of the war at home ( Memento from July 31, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  4. Official municipality directory (= State Statistical Office of Rhineland-Palatinate [Hrsg.]: Statistical volumes . Volume 407 ). Bad Ems February 2016, p. 147 (PDF; 2.8 MB).
  5. Reporting month March 2015 - Altenkirchen (Westerwald). Central statistics service of the Federal Employment Agency , accessed on April 28, 2015 .
  6. District Altenkirchen Religion , 2011 census
  7. Altenkirchen district statistics , accessed on June 15, 2020
  8. What is a weighted result? (No longer available online.) The State Returning Officer Rhineland-Palatinate, archived from the original on October 2, 2011 ; Retrieved April 28, 2015 .
  9. The election supervisor: Announcement of the results of the election of the district administrator of the Altenkirchen district on May 26, 2019 (PDF) June 3, 2019, accessed on December 2, 2019 .
  10. State Statistical Office of Rhineland-Palatinate - population status 2019, districts, communities, association communities ( help on this ).