View source for Ortenaukreis

{{Onesource|date= August 2020}}
{{Infobox German district
| name = Ortenaukreis
| state = Baden-Württemberg
| image_flag= Flagge Ortenaukreis.svg
| image_coa=DEU Ortenaukreis COA.svg
| capital = [[Offenburg]]
| regierungsbezirk = [[Freiburg (region)|Freiburg]]
| area = 1,860.74
| Kreisschlüssel =  08317
| district_admin    = Frank Scherer 
| admin_party       = 
| carsign = OG, BH, KEL, LR, WOL
| url = [https://www.ortenaukreis.de www.ortenaukreis.de]
| map ={{Germany district OSM map|parent_subdivision=Q985}}
}}
'''Ortenaukreis''' ({{langx|gsw|label=[[Low Alemannic German|Low Alemannic]]|Ortenaukrais}}; {{langx|fr|Arrondissement de l'Ortenau}}) is a [[Districts of Germany|''Landkreis'' (district)]] in the west of [[Baden-Württemberg]], [[Germany]]. Neighboring districts are (clockwise from north) [[Rastatt (district)|Rastatt]], [[Freudenstadt (district)|Freudenstadt]], [[Rottweil (district)|Rottweil]], [[Schwarzwald-Baar]] and [[Emmendingen (district)|Emmendingen]]. To the west it borders the [[France|French]] [[Bas-Rhin]] ''[[département]]''.

==History==
The district was created in 1973 by merging the districts of Kehl, Lahr, Offenburg, Wolfach and the southern part of the district of Bühl.

==Geography==
The western part of the district is located in the [[Upper Rhine]] Valley, the eastern part belongs to the northern [[Black Forest]]. The highest elevation of the district, the [[Hornisgrinde]] (1164 m), is located in the north-east of the district. The lowest elevation (124.3 m) is in the Rhine valley to the north. The district is named after the historical territory of the [[Ortenau]].

==Partnerships==
The district has a friendship with the [[Altenburger Land]] district in [[Thuringia]]. Offenburg district already had a city partnership with [[Altenburg]] so, after [[German reunification]] in 1990, Ortenaukreis chose to help modernize the Altenburger Land administration to the West German standard.

[[France]] and [[Germany]] have created the [[Strasbourg-Ortenau Eurodistrict|Strasbourg-Ortenau eurodistrict]] straddling the Rhine and combining Ortenaukreis and Greater [[Strasbourg]], with an overall population of 950,000.

==Coat of arms==
The coat of arms is identical with that of the former Offenburg district, and is based on the coat of arms of the Ortenau canton of the League of [[Imperial Knight]]s. It shows an [[Reichsadler|imperial eagle]] with two heads, which also stands for the [[free imperial city|free imperial cities]] of [[Offenburg]], [[Gengenbach]] and [[Zell am Harmersbach|Zell]]. In an [[escutcheon (heraldry)|escutcheon]] on the breast of the eagle is the patron [[Saint George]], depicted killing the dragon.

==Cities and municipalities==
{{Imagemap Germany district OG|Municipalities in OG.svg|300px{{!}}thumb{{!}}Clickable map of towns and municipalities in Ortenaukreis}}
{|
! width=25% align=left|Cities
! width=25% align=left|Administrative districts
! width=25% align=left|Municipalities
! width=25% align=left|
|- valign=top
||
#[[Achern]]
#[[Ettenheim]]
#[[Gengenbach]]
#[[Haslach im Kinzigtal|Haslach]] (Kinzigtal)
#[[Hausach]]
#[[Hornberg]]
#[[Kehl]]
#[[Lahr]] (Schwarzwald)
#[[Mahlberg]]
#[[Oberkirch (Baden)|Oberkirch]]
#[[Offenburg]]
#[[Oppenau]]
#[[Renchen]]
#[[Rheinau (Baden)]]
#[[Wolfach]]
#[[Zell am Harmersbach]]
||
#Achern
#Ettenheim
#Gengenbach
#Haslach
#Hausach
#Kappelrodeck
#Lahr
#Oberes Renchtal
#Oberkirch
#Offenburg
#Seelbach
#Schwanau
#Wolfach
#Zell
||
#[[Appenweier]]
#[[Bad Peterstal-Griesbach]]
#[[Berghaupten]]
#[[Biberach, Baden|Biberach]] (Baden)
#[[Durbach]]
#[[Fischerbach]]
#[[Friesenheim (Baden-Württemberg)|Friesenheim]]
#[[Gutach (Schwarzwaldbahn)]]
#[[Hofstetten, Baden-Württemberg|Hofstetten]]
#[[Hohberg]]
#[[Kappel-Grafenhausen]]
#[[Kappelrodeck]]
#[[Kippenheim]]
#[[Lauf (Baden)]]
#[[Lautenbach (Ortenaukreis)|Lautenbach]]
#[[Meißenheim]]
#[[Mühlenbach, Baden-Württemberg|Mühlenbach]]
#[[Neuried]]
||
<ol start=19>
<li>[[Nordrach]]
<li>[[Oberharmersbach]]
<li>[[Oberwolfach]]
<li>[[Ohlsbach]]
<li>[[Ortenberg, Baden-Württemberg|Ortenberg]]
<li>[[Ottenhöfen]]
<li>[[Ringsheim]]
<li>[[Rust, Germany|Rust]] (Baden)
<li>[[Sasbach (Ortenau)|Sasbach]]
<li>[[Sasbachwalden]]
<li>[[Schuttertal]]
<li>[[Schutterwald]]
<li>[[Schwanau, Baden-Württemberg|Schwanau]]
<li>[[Seebach, Baden-Württemberg|Seebach]]
<li>[[Seelbach, Baden-Württemberg|Seelbach]]
<li>[[Steinach, Baden-Württemberg|Steinach]]
<li>[[Willstätt]]
</ol>
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170603212547/https://www.ortenaukreis.de/ Official website] (German)

{{Germany_districts_baden-württemberg}}
{{Cities and towns in Ortenau (district)}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|48|25|N|8|00|E|region:DE_type:adm2nd|display=title}}

[[Category:Ortenaukreis| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Baden-Württemberg]]
[[Category:Freiburg (region)]]