Sankt Wendel (district)

Sankt Wendel is a Kreis (district) in the north of the Saarland, Germany. Neighboring districts are Trier-Saarburg, Birkenfeld, Kusel, Neunkirchen, Saarlouis, Merzig-Wadern.

 History 
The district was created in 1834 when Prussia bought the Lichtenfeld area from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. After World War I the Saar area came under special rulership of the League of Nations, and the Sankt Wendel district was split into two parts. The northern part, the Restkreis Sankt Wendel, was merged into the district Birkenfeld, the southern part stayed in the Saarland in its smaller size.

 Geography 
The district is located in the Saar-Hunsrück natural area, a hilly area with elevations between 200 and 600 meters.
The main river in the district is the Nahe. The Bostalsee is the biggest tourist lake in the south-west of Germany, covering an area of about 1.2 km2.

 Coat of arms 
100px|Coat of armsThe blue lion represents the counts of Veldenz, a branch of the Wittelsbach family. The silver lion is taken from Nassau-Saarbrücken. The two counties had the most important possessions in the districts. The shield in the middle show a fleur-de-lis taken from the city Sankt Wendel, in the colours taken from the Lorraine.

Towns and municipalities
TownsMunicipalities Sankt Wendel Freisen
 Marpingen
 Namborn
 Nohfelden<li>Nonnweiler
<li>Oberthal
<li>Tholey

References

Other websites
 Official website (German)
 Touristic website

Category:Districts of the Saarland