Arrondissements of the Bas-Rhin department

There are 5 arrondissements in the Bas-Rhin department. The French departments, and in other countries, are divided into arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts (in some cases, as boroughs). The capital of an arrondissement is called a subprefecture.

If the prefecture (capital) of the department is in an arrondissement, that prefecture is the capital of the arrondissement, acting both as a prefecture and as a subprefecture.

Arrondissements are further divided into communes.

The arrondissements of Bas-Rhin are:
+ Arrondissements of Bas-Rhin INSEEcode  Arrondissement  Capital  Population(2013)  Area(km²)  Density(Inh./km²)  Communes 672  Haguenau-Wissembourg  Haguenau  239,965  1,421.9    142 673  Molsheim  Molsheim  102,824  771.2    77 674  Saverne  Saverne  129,344  1,243.8    165 675  Sélestat-Erstein  Sélestat  154,943  980.5    101 678  Strasbourg  Strasbourg  482,384  337.6    33
History
Bas-Rhin is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was divided in four districts: Haguenau, Benfeld, Strasbourg and Wissembourg, with Strasbourg as is capital. Soon, the district of Sarre-Union was created and the name of the district of Benfeld was changed to Sélestat (in its origins, Schlestadt).

In 1800, with the creation of the arrondissements in France, the five districts were changed into four arrondissements: Strasbourg, Barr, Saverne and Wissembourg. The subprefecture of Barr was moved to Schlestadt (Sélestat) in 1806.

The Bas-Rhin department was eliminated in 1871 when the territory became part of Germany.

In 1919, Bas-Rhin is again an department when the territory became part of France with the arrondissements Strasbourg-Ville, Strasbourg-Campagne, Erstein, Haguenau, Molsheim, Saverne, Sélestat and Wissembourg.

The arrondissements Sélestat and Erstein were combined in 1974 to form the arrondissement of Sélestat-Erstein.

In 2015, the arrondissements Strasbourg-Campagne and Wissembourg were eliminated and their territories passed to the remaining arrondissements, and only 5 were kept: Haguenau-Wissembourg, Molsheim, Saverne, Sélestat-Erstein and Strasbourg.

Related pages
 List of arrondissements of France

References

Bas-Rhin
Category:Lists of arrondissements of France