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Rügen Rural District facts for kids

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Rügen
District
Coat of arms of Rügen
Coat of arms
Mecklenburg wp rueg.png
Country  Germany
State Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Disbanded September 2011
Capital Bergen
Area
 • Total 973.92 km2 (376.03 sq mi)
Population
 (2003)
 • Total 73,301
 • Density 75.2639/km2 (194.9326/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Vehicle registration RÜG
Website http://www.kreis-rueg.de

Rügen was a special area, like a county, in northeastern Germany. It was part of a bigger state called Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Rügen is unique because it was mostly made up of islands, not mainland!

The Rügen district included two large islands, Rügen and Hiddensee. It also had some smaller islands like Ummanz and Vilm. This made it the only district in Germany that was not on the mainland. The Rügen district stopped being a separate district in September 2011.

The Rügen Coat of Arms

A coat of arms is like a special symbol for a place. Rügen's coat of arms comes from a very old symbol. It was used by the Principality of Rügen way back in the 13th century.

The symbol shows a lion with a crown. This coat of arms was officially given to the Rügen district on January 18, 1993.

DEU Landkreis Ruegen COA
The official coat of arms for the former Rügen district.

Towns and Communities

Even though Rügen is no longer a separate district, the towns and communities that were part of it are still there. These places are important for the people who live on the islands.

Some of the main towns that were in the Rügen district include:

  • Putbus
  • Sassnitz
  • Binz

The district also had many smaller communities. These communities were grouped into areas called Ämter. An Amt is a type of local government office that helps manage several smaller towns or villages together.

Some of the Ämter and their main towns were:

  • Bergen auf Rügen: This Amt included the town of Bergen auf Rügen, which was the capital of the district.
  • Mönchgut-Granitz: This Amt included towns like Baabe and Sellin.
  • Nord-Rügen: This Amt had towns such as Sagard and Altenkirchen.
  • West-Rügen: This Amt included places like Samtens and the island of Insel Hiddensee.
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