Editing Elbe-Elster

{{About|the county or district|the tourist region|Elbe-Elster Land}}
{{Infobox District DE
|name=Elbe-Elster
|state=Brandenburg
|image_flag=Flagge des Landkreises Elbe-Elster.svg
|image_coa=Wappen des Landkreises Elbe-Elster.svg
|capital=[[Herzberg, Brandenburg|Herzberg]]
|area=1,889.4
|Kreisschlüssel    = 12062
| district_admin    = Christian Jaschinski 
| admin_party       = CDU
|carsign= EE, FI, LIB
|url=[http://www.landkreis-elbe-elster.de landkreis-elbe-elster.de]|
map={{Germany district OSM map |parent_subdivision = Q1208}}
}}
'''Elbe-Elster''' is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the southern part of [[Brandenburg]], [[Germany]]. Neighboring districts are [[Teltow-Fläming]], [[Dahme-Spreewald]], [[Oberspreewald-Lausitz]], [[Meißen (district)|Meißen]],
[[Nordsachsen]] and [[Wittenberg (district)|Wittenberg]]. The district has a partnership with the [[Märkischer Kreis]].

==History==
The district was established in 1993 by merging the former districts (Kreise) of Finsterwalde, Bad Liebenwerda and Herzberg.

==Geography==
The district is named after two rivers - the [[Elbe]] river forms the western border with [[Saxony]], the [[Black Elster]] (''Schwarze Elster'') is a tributary of the Elbe and runs through the district. The district is part of the [[Lusatia]] region. The fens along the Black Elster are a habitat of several rare animals, like [[common kingfisher]]s, [[European Beaver|beaver]]s and [[Eurasian otter]]s.

== Demography ==
<gallery widths="250" heights="200">
File:Bevölkerungsentwicklung Landkreis Elbe-Elster.pdf|Development of Population since 1875 within the Current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population Development of Brandenburg state)
File:Bevölkerungsprognosen Landkreis Elbe-Elster.pdf|Recent Population Development and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to the [[Census in Germany]] in 2011 (blue bordered line); Official projections for 2005-2030 (yellow line); for 2014-2030 (red line); for 2017-2030 (scarlet line)
</gallery>

{{historical populations
|align=none | cols=3 | percentages=pagr
|title = Landkreis Elbe-Elster: Population development <br>within the current boundaries (2017)<ref>Detailed data sources are to be found in the Wikimedia Commons.[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Population_projection_Brandenburg Population Projection Brandenburg at Wikimedia Commons]</ref>
| 1875 | 89046
| 1890 | 95414
| 1910 | 116632
| 1925 | 124457
| 1933 | 129274
| 1939 | 135724
| 1946 | 175945
| 1950 | 174612
| 1964 | 156012
| 1971 | 156734
| 1981 | 149216
| 1985 | 147731
| 1989 | 144932
| 1990 | 142679
| 1991 | 139850
| 1992 | 139065
| 1993 | 139058
| 1994 | 137947
| 1995 | 136889
| 1996 | 136286
| 1997 | 135624
| 1998 | 134684
| 1999 | 132873
| 2000 | 131161
| 2001 | 129066
| 2002 | 127159
| 2003 | 125526
| 2004 | 124041
| 2005 | 122031
| 2006 | 119773
| 2007 | 117522
| 2008 | 115560
| 2009 | 113586
| 2010 | 111975
| 2011 | 109087
| 2012 | 107649
| 2013 | 106157
| 2014 | 104997
| 2015 | 104673
| 2016 | 104397
| 2017 | 103455
| 2018 | 102638
| 2019 | 101827
}}

==Coat of arms==
[[File:Banner des Landkreises Elbe-Elster.svg|thumb|right|150px|District banner of Elbe-Elster]]
The coat of arms was granted in 1995. The lion in the bottom left derives from the county of Meissen (see [[Saxony]]), to which the southern area of the district belonged historically. The black bars derive from the [[Saxony-Wittenberg]] county as the area around [[Bad Liebenwerda]] belonged there in the past. The red bars derive from the oldest coat of arms of [[Brandenburg]], and the bull is the symbol for the [[Lusatia|Lower Lusatia]] area were the district is located.

==Towns and municipalities==
{{Imagemap Germany district EE|Municipalities in EE.png|300px{{!}}thumb{{!}}Clickable map of towns and municipalities in the district}}
{|
! width=25% align=left|Amt-free towns
! width=25% align=left|[[Amt (political division)|Ämter]]
! width=25% align=left|
! width=25% align=left|{{lang|de|[[Verbandsgemeinde]]}}
|- valign=top
||
#[[Doberlug-Kirchhain]]
#[[Elsterwerda]]
#[[Finsterwalde]]
#[[Herzberg (Elster)]]
#[[Schönewalde]]
#[[Sonnewalde]]
<br>
'''Amt-free municipality'''
#[[Röderland]]
||
'''1.''' [[Elsterland]]
#[[Heideland, Brandenburg|Heideland]]
#[[Rückersdorf, Brandenburg|Rückersdorf]]
#[[Schilda]]
#[[Schönborn, Brandenburg|Schönborn]]<sup>1</sup>
#[[Tröbitz]]

'''2.''' [[Kleine Elster (Niederlausitz)]]
#[[Crinitz]]
#[[Lichterfeld-Schacksdorf]]
#[[Massen-Niederlausitz]]<sup>1</sup>
#[[Sallgast]]

'''3.''' [[Plessa (Amt)|Plessa]]
#[[Gorden-Staupitz]]
#[[Hohenleipisch]]
#[[Plessa]]<sup>1</sup>
#[[Schraden]]
||
'''4.''' [[Schlieben (Amt)|Schlieben]]
#[[Fichtwald]]
#[[Hohenbucko]]
#[[Kremitzaue]]
#[[Lebusa]]
#[[Schlieben]]<sup>1, 2</sup>

'''5.''' [[Schradenland]]
#[[Gröden]]<sup>1</sup>
#[[Großthiemig]]
#[[Hirschfeld, Brandenburg|Hirschfeld]]
#[[Merzdorf]]
||
'''1.''' [[Liebenwerda (Verbandsgemeinde)|Liebenwerda]]
#[[Bad Liebenwerda]]<sup>1, 2</sup>
#[[Falkenberg/Elster]]<sup>2</sup>
#[[Mühlberg, Brandenburg|Mühlberg]]<sup>2</sup>
#[[Uebigau-Wahrenbrück]]<sup>2</sup>
|-
|colspan=4 align=center|<sup>1</sup>seat of the Amt; <sup>2</sup>town
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Landkreis Elbe-Elster|Elbe-Elster}}
*[http://www.landkreis-elbe-elster.de Official Website] (German)
*[http://www.elbe-elster-tour.de Touristic website]

{{Germany districts brandenburg}}
{{Coord|51|36|N|13|26|E |region:DE-BB_scale:300000_type:adm2nd |display=title }}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Elbe-Elster| ]]