Mainz-Bingen is a district (''Kreis'') in the east of
Rhineland-Palatinate,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise)
Rheingau-Taunus, the district-free cities
Wiesbaden and
Mainz, the districts
Groß-Gerau,
Alzey-Worms,
Bad Kreuznach, and
Rhein-Hunsrück.
History
During the French occupation under
Napoleon the district was part of the
departement Donnersberg (fr.:
Mont-Tonnerre). After the
Congress of Vienna, the area north of the Nahe river went to the
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
n Rhine province, the biggest part however became part of the
Grand Duchy of Hesse and was called
Rhenish Hesse
Rhenish Hesse or Rhine HesseDickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, p. 542. . (german: Rheinhessen) is a region and a former government district () in the German state of Rhineland- ...
. In 1835 the Mainz district was created when the province Rheinhessen was abolished. In 1852 the Oppenheim district was created, and took some of the area of the Mainz district; in 1938 this district was abolished again. The current area of the district was formed in 1969, when the districts of Mainz and Bingen were merged.
Geography
The main river in the district is the
Rhine, which marks the border of the district to the east. In
Bingen the river
Nahe enters the Rhine, after flowing a short part through the district. The flanks of the
Hunsrück mountains in the west of the district to the Rhine valley are used for
wine production. The southern part of the district is part of the ''Rheinhessische Hügellandschaft'', its gentle hills and the good climate make it a farming area for vegetables, especially
asparagus
Asparagus, or garden asparagus, folk name sparrow grass, scientific name ''Asparagus officinalis'', is a perennial flowering plant species in the genus '' Asparagus''. Its young shoots are used as a spring vegetable.
It was once classified in ...
, and cherries.
Coat of arms
The district
coat of arms might be described thus: Per pale gules a wheel spoked of six argent and sable a lion rampant Or armed, langued and crowned of the first, in a chief of the last an eagle displayed of the third armed, langued and beaked of the first. The
charge
Charge or charged may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* '' Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary
Music
* ''Charge'' (David Ford album)
* ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album)
* ''Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
s in the coat of arms show the three historic states which influenced the district. In the chief (horizontal band at the top) is the Imperial
eagle, on the dexter (armsbearer's right, viewer's left) side the
Wheel of Mainz
The Wheel of Mainz or ''Mainzer Rad'', in German, was the coat of arms of the Archbishopric of Mainz and thus also of the Electorate of Mainz (Kurmainz), in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It consists of a silver wheel with six spokes on a red bac ...
, and on the sinister (armsbearer's left, viewer's right) side the
lion of the
Electorate of the Palatinate (''Kurpfalz''). The coat of arms was designed by Dr. Hans Leitermann of
Mainz, and was granted in 1970.
Towns and municipalities
Festivals and cultural events
Beneath the typical regional
carnival with
parades and in nearly every village or municipality there are a number of
wine festival
Annual wine festivals celebrate viticulture and usually occur after the harvest of the grapes which, in the northern hemisphere, generally falls at the end of September and runs until well into October or later. They are common in most wine regio ...
s, like the
Bodenheimer Albansfest Bodenheimer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* (born 1965), Swiss literary scholar and author
* (1944-2017), Israeli writer and educator , director
* (1923-2011), Swiss physician , psychiatrist , psychoanalyst and author of pr ...
, the
Guntersblumer Kellerwegfest, the
Ingelheimer Rotweinfest, the wine presentation on the
Roten Hang in Nierstein or the feast of the young wine in Gau-Algesheim.
References
External links
Official website(German)
Germany at one viewcity population
{{Authority control
Districts of Rhineland-Palatinate
Mainz
1969 establishments in West Germany