Editing Heidekreis

{{short description|District in Lower Saxony, Germany}}
{{Infobox District DE 
| name=Heidekreis 
| state=Lower Saxony 
| capital=[[Bad Fallingbostel]] 
| area=1873.5
| Kreisschlüssel    = 03358 
| carsign=HK (until 31.7.2011: SFA) 
| url= {{url|https://www.heidekreis.de/}}
| map={{Germany district OSM map |parent_subdivision = Q1197}}
| Landrat=Jens Grote
|admin_party = Independent
|image_coa = Wappen des Heidekreises.svg
|image_flag = Flagg Landkreis Heidkreis.svg
}}

'''Heidekreis''' ("Heath district") is a [[districts of Germany|district]] (''Landkreis'') in [[Lower Saxony]], [[Germany]]. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of [[Harburg (district)|Harburg]], [[Lüneburg (district)|Lüneburg]], [[Uelzen (district)|Uelzen]], [[Celle (district)|Celle]], [[Hanover (district)|Hanover]], [[Nienburg (district)|Nienburg]], [[Verden (district)|Verden]] and [[Rotenburg (district)|Rotenburg]].

[[File:Wilseder Berg 006.jpg|thumb|Wilseder Berg in the Lüneburg Heath]]

==History==
Historically the region belonged to the [[Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] and its [[successor state]]s. The district was established in 1977 by merging the former districts of Soltau and Fallingbostel as '''Soltau-Fallingbostel''' ({{IPA|de|ˈzɔltaʊ falɪŋˈbɔstəl}}). On 1 August 2011 it was renamed to Heidekreis.

==Geography==
The district includes the western half of the [[Lüneburg Heath]] (''Lüneburger Heide''). Since this landscape is so characteristic for the district, it calls itself "the Heath District". The capital is [[Bad Fallingbostel]], although it has only 11,800 inhabitants and is only the fifth-largest town in the district.

==Coat of arms==
The coat of arms displays:
* in the upper half the [[heraldry|heraldic]] lion of the [[Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg]]
* in the lower half a [[megalith]]ic grave

==Towns and municipalities==
{{Imagemap Germany district HK|Municipalities in HK.svg|300px{{!}}thumb{{!}}Clickable map of towns and municipalities in the district}}

{|
! align=left width=33%|Towns
! colspan=2 align=center width=67%|[[Amt (country subdivision)|Samtgemeinden]]
|- valign=top
||
#[[Bad Fallingbostel]]
#[[Munster, Lower Saxony|Munster]]
#[[Schneverdingen]]
#[[Soltau]]
#[[Walsrode]]
<br>
'''Free municipalities'''
#[[Bispingen]]
#[[Neuenkirchen (Lüneburg Heath)|Neuenkirchen]]
#[[Wietzendorf]]
<br>
[[Unincorporated area]]
#[[Osterheide]]
||
*'''1. [[Ahlden (Samtgemeinde)|Ahlden]]'''
# [[Ahlden]]
# [[Eickeloh]]
# [[Grethem]]
# [[Hademstorf]]
# [[Hodenhagen]]<sup>1</sup>
*'''2. [[Rethem/Aller (Samtgemeinde)|Rethem/Aller]]'''
# [[Böhme, Lower Saxony|Böhme]]
# [[Frankenfeld]]
# [[Häuslingen]]
# [[Rethem]]<sup>1, 2</sup>
||
*'''3. [[Schwarmstedt (Samtgemeinde)|Schwarmstedt]]'''
# [[Buchholz, Soltau-Fallingbostel|Buchholz]]
# [[Essel, Lower Saxony|Essel]]
# [[Gilten, Germany|Gilten]]
# [[Lindwedel]]
# [[Schwarmstedt]]<sup>1</sup>
|-
|||colspan=2 align=center|<sup>1</sup>seat of the Samtgemeinde; <sup>2</sup>town
|}

== Culture and places of interest ==
Cultural matters are looked after by those charged with communal cultural support within the towns and municipalities, the parishes, the banks, the [[Lüneburg Regional Association]] and private cultural initiatives.

=== Museums and collections ===
* Dat ole Hus (heath and open-air museum in [[Wilsede]])
* [[German Tank Museum]] in [[Munster, Lower Saxony|Munster]] (German military history of the 20th century)
* [[Düshorn]] Village Museum (life and work around 100 years ago)
* Hof der Heidmark in [[Bad Fallingbostel]] (memorial to the Heidmark)
* Klingendes Museum (mechanical musical instruments) in [[Schwarmstedt]]
* Museum of the Archaeological Working Group in Bad Fallingbostel 
* [[Soltau Museum]] (local history and archaeological exhibition) in [[Soltau]]
* [[Soltau Toy Museum]] (toys from four centuries)
* Peetshof (Zeugen Wietzendorfs um 1900) in [[Wietzendorf]]
* Prussian History (Pavillon im Landschaftspark Iserhatsche) in [[Bispingen]]
* Pult- und Federkielmuseum (Schulmuseum in Insel) in Schneverdingen
* [[Rischmannshof Heath Museum]] (heath and open-air museum) in [[Walsrode]]
* Schäferhof Neuenkirchen (Moorland sheep rearing to preserve the heath and moorlands between Neuenkirchen and Soltau) in [[Neuenkirchen (Lüneburg Heath)|Neuenkirchen]] 
* Heimathaus auf dem Schroershof (historic farmstead with many buildings) in Neuenkirchen
* [[Kunst-Landschaft Springhornhof|Art Society and Springhornhof Foundation]] in Neuenkirchen
* Bothmer School Museum (schools in the times of the Emperor) in Schwarmstedt
* Ehrhorn Woodland Museum (woods – heathland – people) in Schneverdingen

=== Cinemas ===
* Munster: Deutsches Haus 
*
* Walsrode: Capitol-Theater

=== Lüneburg Regional Association ===
The district is a member of the [[Lüneburg Regional Association]] (''Lüneburgischer Landschaftsverband''), which looks after regional, cultural-political tasks.

=== Nature reserves ===
There are 29 [[nature reserve]]s in the Heidekreis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nlwkn.niedersachsen.de/naturschutz/schutzgebiete/die_einzelnen_naturschutzgebiete/landkreis-heidekreis-45213.html |title=Landkreis Heidekreis, Liste der Naturschutzgebiete |publisher=[[Lower Saxon State Department for Waterway, Coastal and Nature Conservation|NLWKN]]| access-date=3 December 2022}}</ref> The largest one ([[Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve]]) has an area of 13,222 [[hectare|ha]] in the territory of the Heidekreis, the smallest (Söhlbruch) has an area of 8 ha.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nlwkn.niedersachsen.de/naturschutz/schutzgebiete/die_einzelnen_naturschutzgebiete/steckbrief-naturschutzgebiet-soehlbruch-40016.html |title=Steckbrief Naturschutzgebiet "Söhlbruch" |publisher=[[Lower Saxon State Department for Waterway, Coastal and Nature Conservation|NLWKN]]| access-date=3 December 2022}}</ref>
{{see also|Nature reserves in Lower Saxony}}

=== Jewish cemeteries ===
There are four [[Jewish cemetery|Jewish cemeteries]] in Soltau-Fallingbostel : in [[Jüdischer Friedhof Ahlden|Ahlden]], [[Jüdischer Friedhof Rethem|Rethem]], [[Jüdischer Friedhof Soltau|Soltau]] und [[Jüdischer Friedhof Walsrode|Walsrode]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991006220528/http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/sonst/aj/FRIEDHOF/NIEDERSA/PROJEKTE/liste-k.htm#LANDKREISSOLTAUFALLINGBOSTEL LANDKREIS SOLTAU-FALLINGBOSTEL. In: Jüdische Friedhöfe nach der heutigen Verwaltungsgliederung – Niedersachsen. In: Übersicht über alle Projekte zur Dokumentation jüdischer Grabinschriften auf dem Gebiet der Bundesrepublik Deutschland]</ref> There are protected [[cultural heritage management|cultural monuments]] – stone witnesses to former [[Judaism|Jewish communities]] and a thriving Jewish parish live into the 1930s. The cemeteries are mainly on the edge of parishes.

==See also==
*[[Hannover–Braunschweig–Göttingen–Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Landkreis Heidekreis}}
* [http://www.heidekreis.de/ Official website] (German)

{{Germany districts lower saxony}}

{{Coord|52.92|9.75|display=title|format=dms}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Heidekreis| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Lower Saxony]]