Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis

District in Thuringia, Germany

Flag

Coat of arms

CountryGermanyStateThuringiaCapitalMühlhausenGovernment

• District admin.Harald Zanker (SPD)Area

• Total931.70 km² (359.73 sq mi)Population

(31 December 2022)^[1]

• Total97,388 • Density100/km² (270/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)Vehicle registrationUH, LSZ, MHLWebsitewww.landkreis-unstrut-hainich.de

Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis is a Kreis (district) in the north of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) the districts Eichsfeld, Kyffhäuserkreis, Sömmerda, Gotha, Wartburgkreis and the district Werra-Meißner in Hesse.

History

The district was created on 1 July 1994 by merging the two previous districts of Mühlhausen and Bad Langensalza.

Partnerships

The district has a partnership with the Wetteraukreis in Hesse dating back to the German reunification of 1990. The district also has a partnership with the Lithuanian districts Ukmerge and Raseiniai.

Geography

The district is named after the river Unstrut and a hill chain, the Hainich. The Hainich became the 13th national park of Germany in 1997.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms combines the symbols of the historical territories which make up the area of the district. In the top left is the eagle of the city Mühlhausen, in the top right the lion as the symbol of the dukes of Thuringia. In the bottom left is the Wheel of Mainz, and the deer antler in the bottom right is the symbol of the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.

Towns and municipalities

Verwaltungsgemeinschaft-free towns	and municipalities
Bad Langensalza Mühlhausen Nottertal-Heilinger Höhen	Großvargula Herbsleben Kammerforst Körner Marolterode	Oppershausen Südeichsfeld Unstrut-Hainich Unstruttal Vogtei

Verwaltungsgemeinschaften
1. Bad Tennstedt Bad Tennstedt^{1, 2} Ballhausen Blankenburg Bruchstedt Haussömmern Hornsömmern Kirchheilingen Kutzleben Mittelsömmern Sundhausen Tottleben Urleben
¹seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft; ²town

Verwaltungsgemeinschaften

1. Bad Tennstedt

¹seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft; ²town

References

^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden, erfüllenden Gemeinden und Verwaltungsgemeinschaften in Thüringen Gebietsstand: 31.12.2022" (in German). Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik. June 2023.