Editing Helmstedt (district)

{{short description|District in Lower Saxony, Germany}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2010}}
{{Infobox District DE
| name=Helmstedt
| state=Lower Saxony
| capital=[[Helmstedt]]
| area=674
| Kreisschlüssel    = 03154
| district_admin    = Gerhard Radeck
| admin_party       = CDU
| carsign=HE
| url= [http://www.helmstedt.de helmstedt.de]
| map={{Germany district OSM map |parent_subdivision = Q1197}}
|image_coa = DEU Landkreis Helmstedt COA.svg
|image_flag = Flagge Landkreis Helmstedt.svg
}}
'''Helmstedt''' is a district in [[Lower Saxony]], [[Germany]]. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the district of [[Wolfenbüttel (district)|Wolfenbüttel]], the City of [[Braunschweig (city)|Braunschweig]], the District of [[Gifhorn (district)|Gifhorn]], the City of [[Wolfsburg]] and the State of [[Saxony-Anhalt]] (districts of [[Börde (district)|Börde]] and [[Harz (district)|Harz]]).

==Geography==
The district is bounded by the [[Elm (hills)|Elm]] (a hill chain) in the west and the [[Lappwald]] (a riparian forest) in the east. Large parts of the district are part of the ''Elm-Lappwald Nature Park''.

==History==
In the Elm, [[limestone]] was mined in medieval times; limestone from the region was used for the tomb of [[Henry the Lion]] as well as for the imperial cathedral of [[Königslutter]]. In the Middle Ages, Königslutter was among the wealthiest cities of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. In 1576, the [[University of Helmstedt]] was founded, which was the largest university of [[protestantism|protestant]] Germany.

The [[Duchy of Brunswick]] (deriving from [[Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Brunswick-Lüneburg]]) created administrative districts (''Kreise'') in 1833; the District of Helmstedt was one of those districts. It was subdivided into the [[Amt (political division)|Ämter]] of [[Calvörde (Amt)|Calvörde]], [[Königslutter (Amt)|Königslutter]], [[Helmstedt (Amt)|Helmstedt]], [[Schöningen (Amt)|Schöningen]], and [[Vorsfelde (Amt)|Vorsfelde]].
In 1944, the Amt of Calvörde, which formed an [[exclave]], was moved to the District of [[Haldensleben (district)|Haldensleben]], [[Province of Saxony]]. During the administrative reforms of the 1970s, northern areas of the district were moved to the District of [[Gifhorn (district)|Gifhorn]] and to the City of [[Wolfsburg]]; the district gained areas in the west from the District of Gifhorn and the District of [[Braunschweig (district)|Brunswick]] (see [[List of territorial changes to the District of Helmstedt]]).

During the 20th century, the area between Helmstedt and [[Schöningen]] was used for [[lignite]] mining by the [[Braunschweigische Kohlenbergwerke]] AG. Several villages ([[Alversdorf]], [[Büddenstedt]] and [[Runstedt]]) were destroyed by [[surface mining]]; their inhabitants moved to Helmstedt, Schöningen and to the newly built village of [[Neu Büddenstedt]], later on renamed [[Büddenstedt]].

==Coat of arms==

In the upper part the heraldic horse of Lower Saxony is displayed. In the bottom there are symbols for [[mining]] and [[agriculture]].

==Towns and municipalities==
{{Imagemap Germany district HE|Municipalities in HE.svg|250px{{!}}thumb{{!}}Clickable map of towns and municipalities in the district}}
{|
! align=left width=33%|Towns
! colspan=2 align=center width=67%|[[Amt (political division)|Samtgemeinden]]
|- valign=top
||
#[[Helmstedt]]
#[[Königslutter]]
#[[Schöningen]]
<br>
'''Free municipalities'''
#[[Lehre]]
||
*'''1. [[Grasleben (Samtgemeinde)|Grasleben]]'''
# [[Grasleben]]<sup>1</sup>
# [[Mariental, Germany|Mariental]]
# [[Querenhorst]]
# [[Rennau]]
*'''2. [[Heeseberg]]'''
# [[Beierstedt]]
# [[Gevensleben]]
# [[Jerxheim]]<sup>1</sup>
# [[Söllingen]]
||
*'''3. [[Nord-Elm]]'''
# [[Frellstedt]]
# [[Räbke]]
# [[Süpplingen]]<sup>1</sup>
# [[Süpplingenburg]]
# [[Warberg]]
# [[Wolsdorf]]
*'''4. [[Velpke (Samtgemeinde)|Velpke]]'''
# [[Bahrdorf]]
# [[Danndorf]]
# [[Grafhorst, Germany|Grafhorst]]
# [[Groß Twülpstedt]]
# [[Velpke]]<sup>1</sup>
|-
|||colspan=2 align=center|<sup>1</sup>seat of the Samtgemeinde
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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

{{Germany districts lower saxony}}

{{Coord|52.25|10.92|display=title|format=dms}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helmstedt (District)}}
[[Category:Helmstedt (district)| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Lower Saxony]]