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Altenkirchen (district)

Altenkirchen
District
Coat of arms of Altenkirchen
Coat of arms
Rhineland-Palatinate AK.svg
Country  Germany
State Rhineland-Palatinate
Capital Altenkirchen
Area
 • Total 642 km2 (248 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2015)
 • Total 129,171
 • Density 200/km2 (520/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Vehicle registration AK
Website kreis-altenkirchen.de

Altenkirchen (German pronunciation: [ˈaltn̩ˌkɪɐ̯çn̩]) is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the North Rhine-Westphalian districts Rhein-Sieg, Oberbergischer Kreis, Olpe and Siegen-Wittgenstein, and the districts of Westerwaldkreis and Neuwied.

The history of the district is linked with the Westerwald region.

The district was established in 1816 by the Prussian administration. It combined the county of Wildenburg and the two counties of Sayn. The former had been part of Berg, the latter ones had belonged to the duchy of Nassau.

Altenkirchen is the northernmost district of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is occupied by the northern portions of the Westerwald mountains. The valley of the Sieg River borders the Westerwald on the north. The lands north of the Sieg are called Wildenburgisches Land, after the tiny county of Wildenburg, that once existed here.

Coordinates: 50°45′N 7°45′E / 50.75°N 7.75°E / 50.75; 7.75


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