Steinburg

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Steinburg
Map of Schleswig-Holstein highlighting the district Steinburg
State	Schleswig-Holstein
County seat	Itzehoe
Area	1056 km²
Population	136,800 (2002)
pop. density	130 inh./km²
Car identification	IZ
Web page	http://www.kreis-steinburg.de

Steinburg is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the districts of Dithmarschen, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Segeberg and Pinneberg, and by the Elbe River (and the district of Stade beyond).

1 History
2 Geography
3 Coat of arms
4 Towns and municipalities
5 External links

[edit] History

The district's name is derived from a medieval castle called Steinburg, where the reeves ruled by order of their lords, the dukes of Holstein. This castle was first mentioned in 1307, and it was abandoned and demolished in 1630. However, Steinburg remained the name of the region, and its new centre became Glückstadt before gradually moving to the town of Itzehoe.

When Schleswig-Holstein became a province of Prussia in 1867, the district of Steinburg was established. The borders remained unchanged until 1970 when the newly founded town Schenefeld (formerly part of Rendsburg district) joined Steinburg.

[edit] Geography

The district is situated on the northern bank of the Elbe river, close to its mouth. The countryside is very plain. The Stör river, a right-hand tributary of the Elbe, flows through the district. Today the towns in Steinburg gradually become a part of the growing Hamburg metropolitan area.

[edit] Coat of arms

The coat of arms displays a castle (symbolising Steinburg Castle) above a wavy line (representing the Elbe River). Below the castle's towers there are three shields depicting Christ, a nettle leaf (from the arms of Holstein) and a swan.

[edit] Towns and municipalities

Towns	Ämter
Itzehoe Glückstadt Kellinghusen Wilster Krempe	Breitenburg Herzhorn Hohenlockstedt Horst Itzehoe-Land Kellinghusen-Land Krempermarsch (incl. town Krempe) Schenefeld Wilstermarsch

[edit] External links

Official website (German)

	Urban and rural districts in the Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany
Urban districts	Flensburg \| Kiel \| Lübeck \| Neumünster
Rural districts	Dithmarschen \| Lauenburg \| Nordfriesland \| Ostholstein \| Pinneberg \| Plön \| Rendsburg-Eckernförde Schleswig-Flensburg \| Segeberg \| Steinburg \| Stormarn