Country Germany Adm. region Arnsberg Vehicle registration SI Founded 1174 Capital Siegen | State North Rhine-Westphalia Time zone CET (UTC+1) Website siegen-wittgenstein.de Population 282,681 (31 Dec 2010) Administrative region Arnsberg | |
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Siegen-Wittgenstein is a Kreis (district) in the southeast of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Olpe, Hochsauerlandkreis, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Lahn-Dill, Westerwaldkreis, Altenkirchen.
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History
In 1816–1817, the two districts of Siegen and Wittgenstein were created as parts of the Prussian province of Westphalia. In 1974, the two districts were merged, and in 1984 the name Siegen-Wittgenstein was adopted.
Geography
Geographically, it covers the hills southeast of the Sauerland hills, the Siegerland and Wittgensteiner Land.
Coat of arms
The two upper sections show, to the right, the arms of the Dukes of Nassau, who founded Siegen, and to the left, those of the Counts of Sayn-Wittgenstein. At the bottom a miner's lamp and a coppicing hook are depicted, in reference to the mining and charcoal-burning history of the district.