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Heinsberg, Rural district in western North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Description

Heinsberg is a rural district in western North Rhine-Westphalia, covering lowland farmland between the Rur and Wurm rivers up to the Dutch border. Ten municipalities make up the district area of 627 square kilometers (242 square miles), where villages and small towns alternate with open fields.

History

Three separate administrative regions merged in 1972 to form this single district from the former territories of Heinsberg, Geilenkirchen, and Erkelenz. These areas belonged to Prussia since 1815 and served for centuries as border zones between different territories.

Culture

Coats of arms from the old ducal houses appear on flags and official buildings throughout the area. Local breweries and farm shops still use flax motifs on their signs, connecting modern life to the crop that once dominated these fields.

Practical

The district capital connects by rail to Aachen, and buses run from there to all ten municipalities across the area. Most destinations within the district can be reached by public transport or car along country roads.

Did you know?

In 2020, the Robert Koch Institute chose this district as a main research site for studies on infection spread. Scientists used the local municipality of Gangelt to track patterns that later shaped national health responses.

Inception
1972
Capital city
Heinsberg
Elevation above the sea
38 m
Shares border with
Aachen cities region, Düren district, Viersen, Rhein-Kreis Neuss, Mönchengladbach
GPS coordinates
51.00000,6.17000
Latest update
December 13, 2025 17:47

AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide. Discover all places nearby (Cologne Government Region).

« Heinsberg - Rural district in western North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany » is provided by Around Us (aroundus.com). Images and texts are derived from Wikimedia project under a Creative Commons license. You are allowed to copy, distribute, and modify copies of this page, under the conditions set by the license, as long as this note is clearly visible.

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