Südwestpfalz
The county Southwest Palatinate region is a circle in the south of Rhineland- Palatinate. Adjacent counties and cities are (clockwise): Saar Pfalz-Kreis (Saarland), district-free city Zweibrücken, districts Kaiserslautern and Bad Durkheim, district-free city Landau in der Pfalz, County Southern Wine Route and the French département Bas -Rhin and Moselle. The district-free city Pirmasens is completely surrounded by the district of Southwest Palatinate.
Geography
The county Southwest Palatinate region has a bipartite structure of landscapes. To the east lie the hills of the Palatinate Forest. On sandstone rocks here spreads out a varied forest landscape, interrupted by the flood plains of various streams. The source of Lauterbach located near Pirmasens. In Dahn, are in the free-standing sandstone rock, tourism is.
The west of the district participates in the Westricher plateau, and is dominated by open, agrarian landscapes. In the extreme southwest of the circle lies Hornbach, whose former Benedictine monastery one of the most important cultural and development centers of the German Empire in the Middle Ages.
History
The area of today's circle was split before 1800 into numerous dominions. The most important was the Electorate Palatinate, the county of Hanau -Lichtenberg and the Duchy of Pfalz- Zweibrücken. From 1816 it belonged to Bavaria. They formed in 1818, inter alia, the land commissioners Pirmasens and Zweibrücken, which later became the district offices, known from 1938 counties emerged that in 1946 part of Rhineland- Palatinate were (initially Regierungsbezirk Pfalz). The county Zweibrücken, however, was changed by the formation of Saarland several times. Due to the district reform in the years 1968-1972, there were several changes. In 1969, the neighboring district of Bad Bergzabern was disbanded and assigned to some parts of the district Pirmasens. In 1972 the district was abolished and two bridges also allocated to the district Pirmasens, which was renamed the Southwest Palatinate district in 1997.
Policy
Council
The district council elections on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
The District Administrator of the Southwest Palatinate, Hansjörg Duppré, since December 2002, President of the German Association of District Councils, whose presidency he joined in 1994.
Coat of arms
Description:
Split: Right in gold three red chevrons above one another, left in black and a red -winning and reinforced golden lion (Coat - approval December 20, 1972 )
Meaning:
The lion symbolizes the Electorate Palatinate, the rafters the county of Hanau - Lichtenberg. Both gentlemen shared before 1800, the vast circle area
→ List of coats of arms in the district of Southwest Palatinate
Traffic
By the district the federal highways lead 8 (Perl -Zweibrücken - Pirmasens ) and 62 ( Pirmasens - Landstuhl ). Furthermore, the circuit area of several federal highways and county roads will be developed, including the B 10, B 270 and B 427
The main railway line, which crosses the district area, is the running east -west rail route Landau -Rohrbach, who has inter-regional traffic is now lost. Also lost on the significance of the Biebermühlbahn that connects with Pirmasens Kaiserslautern and Pirmasens which runs from north to Steinalben in the county. Is operated solely in leisure traffic, the Wieslauter train from Hinterweidenthal east to Bundenthal - Rumbach. From 1913 to 1971 there was the Hornbach web anband Althornbach and Hornbach on the railway network. From 1921 to 1930 there was also still the schmalöspurige Wasgauwaldbahn of Bundenthal by Ludwig angle.
Cities and Towns
(Population at 31 December 2012)
Association of communities with their member municipalities:
( The seat of the municipality *)