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Kreis Euskirchen

Euskirchen
District
North rhine w eu.png
Country  Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Adm. region Cologne
Capital Euskirchen
Area
 • Total 1,249.093 km2 (482.278 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2015)
 • Total 191,165
 • Density 150/km2 (400/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Vehicle registration EU
Website http://www.kreis-euskirchen.de

Euskirchen is a Kreis (district) in the south-west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Aachen, Düren, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, Rhein-Sieg, Ahrweiler, Daun, Bitburg-Prüm, and the Liège province (Belgium).

In 1827 a first district around the city of Euskirchen was created, however much smaller than today. In 1932 the district of Rheinbach was dissolved, whereby the Euskirchen district gained its southern part. In 1972 the Euskirchen district grew again by the inclusion of the Schleiden district.

Geographically, the south-western half of the district is inside the Eifel hill chain. This land is hardly suitable for agriculture, and therefore in historical times the region was rather poor. Areas further to the north-east are more flat and have historically been used to grow a variety of crops, most notably sugar beets. The only other source of wealth was the iron ore, but today the many forests there make the area interesting for tourists.

The coat of arms was granted in 1973.

Coordinates: 50°30′N 6°40′E / 50.5°N 6.67°E / 50.5; 6.67


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