Kleve (Cleves in English use) or Kreis Kleve is a
Kreis (local-government district) in the
Lower Rhine region of northwestern
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
, Germany. Neighbouring districts are
Borken,
Wesel, and
Viersen in Germany, and the Dutch provinces of
Limburg and
Gelderland
Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...
.
History
The district in its current borders was created in 1975 when the former district of Kleve and
Geldern was merged with the Rees District towns of
Emmerich and
Rees and the Moers District municipality of
Rheurdt.
The two precursor districts had been created in 1816 when the whole of the
Rhineland became a province of
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
. Territorially they corresponded roughly to the historic Duchies of
Cleves and
Guelders.
Geography
The district is located in the lower valley of the
Rhine
The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
, in the region where that river flows into the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms, which was granted in 1983, combines the shields of the two constituent duchies.
The
dexter side depicts the emblem of the dukes of Cleves: On a red (
gules) field a white (
argent)
escutcheon (shield shape) with an eightfold
fleur-de-lys (escarbuncle/metal shield reinforcement). The
sinister side shows a golden (
or) lion (in
rampant position) on a blue (
azure) field (background): the emblem of the dukes of Geldern.
Towns and municipalities
Gallery of churches in Kleve
Bimmen, die Sankt Martinuskirche Dm34 IMG 7924 2020-11-07 14.13.jpg, Bimmen, St. Martin
Düffelward - katholische St.-Mauritius-Kirche - panoramio.jpg, Düffelward, St. Maurice
Griethausen imp 104.JPG, Griethausen, St. Martin
Keeken, katholieke kerk foto4 2011-02-09 15.23.JPG, Keeken, St. Mariae Himmelfahrt
Keeken, die evangelische Kirche Dm47 foto4 2015-10-26 11.55.jpg, Keeken, Reformed church
Kleve-Kellen St. Willibrord PM18-01.jpg, Kellen, St. Willibrord
Kleve Stiftskirche 01.jpg, Kleve, St. Mariae Himmelfahrt
Sankt Anna.jpg, Materborn, St. Anna
Rindern, Sankt Willibrordkirche foto8 2011-02-09 14.50.JPG, Rindern, St. Willibrord
Evangelische Kirche (Schenkenschanz) PM2011.JPG, Schenkenschanz, Reformed church
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kleve (District)
Districts of North Rhine-Westphalia
Düsseldorf (region)