Wittmund | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
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| Country | Germany |
| State | Lower Saxony |
| Capital | Wittmund |
| Government | |
| • District admin. | Holger Heymann (SPD) |
| Area | |
• Total | 656.65 km2 (253.53 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2023)[1] | |
• Total | 56,013 |
| • Density | 85.301/km2 (220.93/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Vehicle registration | WTM |
| Website | landkreis-wittmund.de/ |
Wittmund is aLandkreis (district) in the northwestern part ofLower Saxony, Germany. It is situated inEast Frisia, on theNorth Sea coast. Neighboring districts are (from the east clockwise)Friesland,Leer andAurich.
The district contains part of theWadden Sea and of theLower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park. The coastal areas of the mainland are also known asHarlinger Land. The islands ofLangeoog andSpiekeroog, both belonging to theEast Frisian Islands, are part of this district.
The district was created by theKingdom of Prussia in 1885 from the Amt Wittmund, the Amt Esens and the City ofEsens. All were previously part of the District ofAurich. In 1977 the district was merged with theDistrict of Friesland; however, the merger was not popular. The merger was declared unconstitutional in 1979 because it violated the rights of the formerState of Oldenburg to which Friesland had belonged, and the two districts were re-established in their old boundaries.
The district has a partnership with the district ofSchönebeck inSaxony-Anhalt. It was started withGerman reunification in 1990 to help to establish district administration in formerEast Germany.
The ship in the coat of arms symbolizes the coastal location of the district. The three sails show heraldic symbols for the district — the front one shows a bear as the symbol of the Attena family from Esens, who ruled in the 14th and 15th century. The legend of the bear saving the City of Esens from its besiegers is associated withBalthasar Oomkens von Esens. The main sail shows two tournament lances as the symbol of the Hero Omken orHero Oomkens von Esens, taken from the coat of arms of the City of Wittmund. The eagle in the rear sail stands for the castle and Amt Friedeburg.
| Towns | Samtgemeinden | |
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| 1seat of the Samtgemeinde;2town | ||
Media related toLandkreis Wittmund at Wikimedia Commons
 Urban and rural districts in the state ofLower Saxony in Germany | |
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