Rhein-Neckar-Kreis

This article is about the district. For the metropolitan region, see Rhine-Neckar.

The Rhein-Neckar-Kreis is a district in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The administrative headquarters are based in the city Heidelberg, which is a district-free city. As of 2019, the district is the most populous in Baden-Württemberg.

Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
District
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 49°22′N 8°44′E
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Adm. region	Karlsruhe
Founded	1973
Capital	Heidelberg
Government
• District admin.	Stefan Dallinger (CDU)
Area
• Total	1,061.7 km2 (409.9 sq mi)
Population  (31 December 2022)
• Total	555,352
• Density	520/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Vehicle registration	HD
Website	www.rhein-neckar-kreis.de

History

The district was created in 1973 by merging the previous districts of Heidelberg, Mannheim and Sinsheim.

Geography

The district is named after the two main rivers which flow through the district, the Rhine and Neckar. The highest elevation is 580 m near the 584 m tall peak of the Odenwald mountain Stiefelhöhe, located near Heiligkreuzsteinach. The lowest elevation with 92 m is in Ilvesheim, located in the Neckar valley.

Sights

	Dilsberg	Bergfeste Dilsberg is a castle on a mountain over the Neckar River in Neckargemünd.
	Eberbach	The historic old town with its four towers, many timber-frame houses and some town wall remnants, is a magnet for tourists.
	Hockenheim	The Hockenheimring is the home of the Formula One German Grand Prix.
	Ladenburg	Ladenburg has an old town from the Late Middle Ages. Its history dates back to Celtic and Roman ages.
	Neckargemünd	Neckargemünd still keeps its medieval charm.
	Schwetzingen	Schwetzingen Castle was the summer residence of the Electors Palatine Karl III Philip and Charles Theodore.
	Sinsheim	Sinsheim's main tourist attraction is the Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum, displaying a collection of historic vehicles to over 1 million visitors per year.
	Weinheim	Weinheim is situated on the Bergstraße ("Mountain Road") on the western rim of the Odenwald.

Government

The district is governed by a district assembly (Kreistag) and a district executive (Landrat). The eligible voters of the district elect the Kreistag every 5 years. This body in turn elects the Landrat every 8 years. The Landrat is the legal representative of the district as well as the speaker of the Kreistag and its committees. The Landrat manages the office of the Landrat (Landratsamt) and is the chief official of the district. The duties of the Landrat include the preparation of the district assembly meetings and its committees. The Landrat calls the meetings, acts as speaker, and carries out the decisions made. In the Kreistag, the Landrat has no vote. The Landrat has a second, called the first district official (Erste Landesbeamte).

Landrat of the district Heidelberg 1945–1972:

• 1945–1946: Hermann Specht (provisional)
• 1946–1947: Erich Reimann
• 1947–1954: Herbert Klotz
• 1954–1972: Georg Steinbrenner

Landrat of the district Mannheim 1945–1972:

• 1945: Richard Freudenberg (appointed)
• 1945–1946: Karl Geppert (appointed)
• 1946: Dr. Valentin Gaa (appointed)
• 1946–1948: Ernst Becherer
• 1948–1970: Dr. Valentin Gaa
• 1970–1972: Albert Neckenauer

Landrat of the district Sinsheim 1945–1972:

• 1945–1946: Roman Großmann (appointed)
• 1946: Gottlob Barth und Dr. Kurt von Kirchenheim (both appointed)
• 1946: Wolfgang Rutschke (appointed to oversee businesses)
• 1946–1947: Hermann Lindner (appointed)
• 1947–1948: Dr. Johann Gutermann
• 1948: Dr. Ludwig Bernheim
• 1948–1949: Georg Steinbrenner (appointed to oversee businesses)
• 1949–1950: Dr. Walther Reidel (appointed)
• 1950–1972: Dr. Paul Herrmann

Landrat of Rhein-Neckar-Kreis since 1973:

• 1973 Georg Steinbrenner, Amtsverweser
• 1973–1986: Albert Neckenauer
• 1986-2010: Dr. Jürgen Schütz
• 2010 - to present: Stefan Dallinger

Coat of arms

The wavy line in the left of the coat of arms represent the two rivers Rhine and Neckar. The lion in the right side is the symbol of Palatinate, as the area belonged to that area historically.

Towns and municipalities

Clickable map of towns and municipalities in the district

Städte (towns)
		Eberbach	15 258	81.2 km2
		Eppelheim	14 629	5.6 km2
		Hemsbach	12 230	12.9 km2
		Hockenheim	21 031	34.8 km2
		Ladenburg	11 473	19 km2
		Leimen	26 932	20.6 km2
		Neckarbischofsheim	3 946	26.4 km2
		Neckargemünd	14 032	26.2 km2
		Rauenberg	7 631	11.1 km2
		Schönau	4 696	22.5 km2
		Schriesheim	14 855	31.6 km2
		Schwetzingen	22 159	21.6 km2
		Sinsheim	35 517	127 km2
		Waibstadt	5 659	25.6 km2
		Walldorf	14 774	19.9 km2
		Weinheim	43 692	58.1 km2
		Wiesloch	25 897	30.3 km2
Gemeinden (Municipalities)
		Altlußheim	5 296	16 km2
		Angelbachtal	5 002	17.9 km2
		Bammental	6 498	12.2 km2
		Brühl	14 256	10.2 km2
		Dielheim	8 933	22.7 km2
		Dossenheim	12 008	14.1 km2
		Edingen-Neckarhausen	14 127	12 km2
		Epfenbach	2 517	13 km2
		Eschelbronn	2 572	8.2 km2
		Gaiberg	2 427	4.2 km2
		Heddesbach	494	8.2 km2
		Heddesheim	11 566	14.7 km2
		Heiligkreuzsteinach	3 054	19.6 km2
		Helmstadt-Bargen	3 793	28 km2
		Hirschberg an der Bergstraße	9 405	12.4 km2
		Ilvesheim	7 768	5.9 km2
		Ketsch	12 808	16.5 km2
		Laudenbach	6 110	10.3 km2
		Lobbach	2 401	14.9 km2
		Malsch	3 401	6.8 km2
		Mauer	3 919	6.3 km2
		Meckesheim	5 343	16.3 km2
		Mühlhausen (Kraichgau)	8 218	15.3 km2
		Neidenstein	1 820	8.5 km2
		Neulußheim	6 675	3.4 km2
		Nußloch	10 734	13.6 km2
		Oftersheim	10 686	12.8 km2
		Plankstadt	9 559	8.4 km2
		Reichartshausen	2 015	10 km2
		Reilingen	7 068	16.4 km2
		Sandhausen	14 336	14.6 km2
		Schönbrunn	2 987	34.5 km2
		Spechbach	1 720	8.5 km2
		St. Leon-Rot	12 539	25.6 km2
		Wiesenbach	3 092	11.1 km2
		Wilhelmsfeld	3 293	4.8 km2
		Zuzenhausen	2 138	11.6 km2

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Rhein-Neckar-Kreis is twinned with:

• Vichy, France (since 1965)