Vogtlandkreis

Statistics
State:	Saxony
Capital:	Plauen
Adm. Region:	Chemnitz
Area:	1,309.8 km²
Inhabitants:	202,685 (2001)
pop. density:	155 inh./km²
Car identification:	V
Homepage:	http://www.vogtlandkreis.de
Map

The Vogtlandkreis is a Kreis (district) in the south-west of Saxony, Germany, at the borders to Thuringia, Bavaria, and the Czech Republic. Neighboring districts are (from south clockwise) Hof, Saale-Orla, Greiz, Zwickauer Land, Aue-Schwarzenberg. The district-free city of Plauen is located in the center of the district.

History

The Vogtland became part of the Holy Roman Empire in the 12th century by king Conrad III. In 1209 the minister dynasty administrating the area split into three lines, Weida, Greiz and Gera-Plauen. When the central power over the area decreased these leaders, called in Latin advocatus or in German Vögte could rise from administrators to actual county leaders. 1354-1357 the Vogtland war ended these leadership and the area changed ownership to Bohemia.

In 1546 Henry IV from Plauen got the area from the Bohemian king and later emperor Ferdinand I. His children did not only inherit the land, but also very high debt, so to pay these 1563 the area was bought by Saxony from Henry VI, and when in 1569 Henry VI finally ceased to claim ownership the new leadership created the first Vogtland district (Voigtländischen Creiß).

1657-1718 Saxony was split into parts, the Vogtland belonged to Saxony-Zeitz. In 1835 the new constitutional monarchy changed the administration and abolished the old district, and instead the Amtshauptmannschaft Plauen was created, and in 1867 those of Auerbach and Oelsnitz. 1907 the city of Plauen left the district and became district-free city.

1952 the East German government with the big administrative reform renamed them to Kreise (districts), and created the new districts Klingenthal and Reichenbach by decreasing the size of the previous ones. After the German Reunification the changes of the 1952 reform were mostly undone, and in 1996 the 5 districts were merged to form the Vogtlandkreis.

Geography

The Vogtlandkreis is named after the geographic area it covers, the Vogtland. Located in the Ore Mountains it contains a lot of forests. The main river is the Weiße Elster.

Misc

The first German cosmonaut, Sigmund Jähn was born in the Vogtland. His hometown, the small municipality Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz (in the Verwaltungsverband Waldgebiet Vogtland) in the south-west of the district houses a small space exhibition.

Coat of arms

The lion on the left side of the coat of arms is traditional symbol of the Vögte of Weida, Gera and Plauen, which was confirmed in 1294. The eagle on the right side stands for the Holy Roman Empire, as the Vogtland belonged to the Empire directly.

Towns and municipalities

¹ Has city-rights, but is administrated together with the surrounding Verwaltungsgemeinschaft

External links

Official website (http://www.vogtlandkreis.de) (German, Czech)