Editing District of Duchy of Lauenburg (section)

==Politics==

===Coat of arms===
The [[coat of arms]] displays a white horse, the ancient symbol of the duchy of Saxony. The horse is surrounded by a black and white checked border, which represents the colours of [[Prussia]]. This is a modified version of the arms used when Saxe-Lauenburg was ruled in [[personal union]] with the [[Denmark|Danish]] monarchy, 1815-64. The former arms featured a golden horse's head on a red shield.

The coat of arms was granted on 12 November 1866, after the [[Hohenzollern]] dynasty started to rule [[Saxe-Lauenburg]] in personal union with the [[Kingdom of Prussia]]. In 1876 the duchy was incorporated in a [[real union]] into Prussia, forming a district within the Prussian [[Province of Schleswig-Holstein]]. The usage of the coat of arms was discontinued, as then districts were not allowed to use coats of arms. Today the coat of arms is used by the district, displayed with a crown on top.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

=== ''District Administrator'' ===
From 1873–82 the Hereditary Land Marshal (''Erblandmarschall'') was responsible for administration of the district and the appointment of offices. The ''landrat'' (about in {{langx|en|county commissioner}}), as a Prussian official, dealt only with the national administration.

*1873–1874: ''Regierungsassessor'' [[Jungbluth]]
*1874–1881: [[Graf Andreas von Bernstorff]]

After 1 October 1882 the ''[[Landrat]]'' became responsible also for local administration, free from state control.

*1882–1897: [[Oskar von Dolega-Kozierowski]]
*1897–1900: [[Graf Finck von Finckenstein]]
*1900–1907: [[Friedrich von Bülow]]
*1907–1919: [[Emil Mathis]]
*1919–1927: [[Kurt Schönberg]]
*1927–1933: [[Gustav Voigt]]
*1933–1938: [[Theodor Fründt]], [[NSDAP]]
*1939–1945: [[Erich Jüttner]], [[NSDAP]]

A change in government came about after the [[Second World War]] with the 1946 county statute issued by the [[Control Commission for Germany–British Element|British military government]].  The ''Landrat'' now temporarily functioned as an honorary head of the district council (''Kreistag''), which now dealt with the administration of the district directly. Later, however, the ''Landrat'' took over the district administration again.

*1945–1946: [[Ewald Raaz]]
*1946–1948: [[Wilhelm Gülich]], [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]
*1948–1950: [[Fritz Vagt]], [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|CDU]]
*1950–1969: [[Gerhard Wandschneider]]
*1969–1975: [[Klaus Prößdorf]]
*1975–2002: [[Günter Kröpelin]], [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|CDU]]
*2002–2015: [[Gerd Krämer]], [[Independent (politician)|independent]]
*2015–present: Dr. Christoph Mager, [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]]

===District President===
The District President (''Kreispräsident'') is the chairman of the district council and is selected from its members. The president chairs the meetings of the council and represents the district, together with the landrat, abroad.

* 19??–1994: [[Norbert Brackmann]], [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|CDU]]
* 1994–2003: [[Helga Hinz]], [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]
* 2003–present: [[Meinhard Füllner]], [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|CDU]]

===Organisation===
Contrary to others in Schleswig-Holstein, this district is characterised by numerous relatively small municipalities, which practise direct democracy and citizens' participation. The administration most often takes place via offices, which are often of a very manageable size. To that extent, the scope of the planned Schleswig-Holstein Administrative Structure Law will be quite significant: according to the draft of the Ministry of the Interior, a minimum size of 8000 inhabitants was to be implemented for [[Amt (country subdivision)|''Ämter'']] and independent municipalities as a regional reorganisation due 1 April 2007. Thus, the existence of six of the eleven ''Ämter'' of the district is threatened. However, a minimum size for municipalities belonging to an ''Amt'' has not yet been officially determined. Until the deadline, the possibility for voluntary unions exists, which, according to the draft, may as well cross district boundaries.
<!--Wasn't the reorganisation draft turned down after all?-->

The economical emphasis of the district lies on the [[Hamburg bacon-belt]], while the eastern parts in the [[Lauenburg Lakes Nature Park]] with their abundance of water cater more to tourism and are largely focused on agriculture. The district belongs to [[Hamburg Metropolitan Region]].