Meißen is a district in Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Riesa-Großenhain, Kamenz, the district-free city Dresden, the districts Weißeritzkreis, Freiberg, Mittweida and Döbeln.

History

The district dates back to the Amt Meißen, which was first mentioned in 1334. The district was ruled by the Wettin dynasty. Graf Meißen created the administrative division Amt in the 13th century. In 1835 the Amt was converted into a Amtshauptmannschaften, with the area of the district of today covered by the Amtshauptmannschaft Meißen, Dresden and Großenhain. In 1939 they were renamed to Landkreise (district). In the administrative reform of 1952 several municipalities changed into the new district Freiberg and Döbeln. In 1990 the old district borders were restored, and in 1996 parts of the districts Dresden Land were added to the district to give it its current size.

Geography

The main river of the district is the Elbe, which also flows through the city of Meißen.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms show a lion, the symbol of the counts of Meißen. The coat of arms were granted on November 16, 1992, and again after the enlargement of 1996 on February 20, 1997.

Towns and municipalities

External links

• Official website (German)
• Inofficial website (German)