Märkischer Rural District facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Märkischer Kreis
District
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 Märkischer Kreis is a special area, like a county, located in the middle of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It's a place where many towns and communities come together. This district was formed in 1975 when the districts in North Rhine-Westphalia were reorganized to make things work better.

Connecting with Other Places: Twinning Programs

The Märkischer Kreis has special partnerships, called 'twinning,' with places in other countries and regions. These partnerships help people learn about different cultures and build friendships.

• Wrexham County Borough in Wales. This partnership began in 1970, started by the town of Iserlohn.
• Elbe-Elster in Brandenburg, Germany. This twinning started with the town of Finsterwalde before it became part of Elbe-Elster.
• Racibórz district in Poland.

Understanding the Märkischer Kreis Coat of Arms

The official coat of arms for the Märkischer Kreis district.

The coat of arms for the Märkischer Kreis tells a story about its history.

• The lion and the checkered stripe (called a fess chequey) come from the old coat of arms of the Altena district. These symbols were originally used by the Counts of the Mark.
• In the early 13th century, a seal with both the checkered stripe and the lion was used by Adolf I of Altena.
• Later, Engelbert I of the Mark stopped using the lion in his seal.
• The original color of the lion was not known. So, a black lion with red tongue and claws was chosen, similar to the arms of the Dukes of Jülich.
• The black cross on the coat of arms comes from the arms of Cologne. This is because the eastern part of the Märkischer Kreis historically belonged to the Archbishops of Cologne.

The herald Waldemar Mallek designed this coat of arms. It was officially approved on May 6, 1976.

Towns and Communities in the District

The Märkischer Kreis is home to many different cities and smaller communities. Here are some of them, along with their populations:

How the District is Governed

The Märkischer Kreis is led by a person called a Landrat, which is like a chief executive for the district. The main office for the district government is in Lüdenscheid. However, there are also other offices in Iserlohn and Altena that help with the administration. The main police headquarters for the district are located in Iserlohn.

District Leaders (Landrat)

Here are the people who have served as the Landrat for the Märkischer Kreis:

District Council and Elections

The district council is a group of elected representatives who make decisions for the Märkischer Kreis. They meet in the county hall in Iserlohn. The last election for the district council was held on September 26, 2004.

Here's how the seats were divided among the different political parties: