Göttingen () is a district () in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the northwest and clockwise) the districts of Northeim and Goslar, and by the states of Thuringia (district of Eichsfeld) and Hesse (districts of Werra-Meißner and Kassel, and the district-free city of Kassel). The capital is the university city of Göttingen.
History
In 1885 the Prussian government established the districts of Göttingen, Münden and Duderstadt within the Province of Hanover. These districts existed for 88 years, before they were merged in 1973 to form the present district of Göttingen.
In 1964, the formerly district-free Göttingen city was incorporated into the district.
On 1 November 2016, it was reformed by the addition of the former district of Osterode.
Geography
The western half of the district is occupied by the Weserbergland mountains. The Weser River receives its name near the town of Hannoversch Münden, where the Fulda joins the Werra. Further east the Leine river runs through the district from south to north.
Sights and museums
A popular museum in the district of Göttingen is the Borderland Museum Eichsfeld which attracts around 50,000 visitors from many countries every year. It deals with the inner-German border and the history of the GDR. The museum area includes a hiking trail along the former Iron Curtain.
Coat of arms
In the upper part is the heraldic lion of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Below is a combination of the arms of the former districts, which were merged in 1973 to form the present district: the shield of Münden, the anchor of Göttingen, and the wheel of Duderstadt.
Towns and municipalities
TownsSamtgemeindenBad Grund Bad Lauterberg Bad Sachsa Duderstadt Göttingen Hann. Münden Herzberg am Harz Osterode am Harz Walkenried
Free municipalities Adelebsen Bovenden Friedland Gleichen Rosdorf Staufenberg
Unincorporated area Harz (267.37 km², uninhabited)1. Dransfeld Bühren Dransfeld1, 2 Jühnde Niemetal Scheden2. Gieboldehausen Bilshausen Bodensee Gieboldehausen1 Krebeck Obernfeld Rhumspringe Rollshausen Rüdershausen Wollbrandshausen Wollershausen3. Hattorf am Harz Elbingerode Hattorf am Harz1 Hörden am Harz Wulften am Harz4. Radolfshausen Ebergötzen1 Landolfshausen Seeburg Seulingen Waake1seat of the Samtgemeinde; 2town
See also Metropolitan region Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg
References
External links
Official website (German)