The Weißeritzkreis is a district (Kreis) in the south of Saxony, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from west clockwise) Freiberg, Meißen, the district-free city Dresden, Sächsische Schweiz, and to the south it borders the Czech Republic.

History

The district was created in 1994 when the two districts Dippoldiswalde and Freital were merged.

Geography

The district is located in the Ore Mountains, the central part is the Tharandter Wald. The district got its name after the two rivers Wilde Weißeritz and Rote Weißeritz, who merge near Freital into the Weißeritz river, and then mouths into the Elbe in Dresden. The highest elevation is the Kahleberg with 905 m.

During the flooding in August 2002 the Weißeritz river had to drain many times the normal amount of water, and did destroy a lot of buildings in the river valley - houses, streets and bridges.

Partnerships

1. Rottweil
2. Berchtesgadener Land
3. Göttingen
4. Zollernalbkreis

Coat of arms

The blue lines symbolize the two Weißeritz rivers, and their merging into a single river. The mining symbol in the bottom represents the old ore and coal mining tradition in the Ore Mountains. The tree stands for the rich forests in the district, and the lion to the right is the symbol of Meißen, as the area historically belonged to the duchy Meißen.

Towns and municipalities

External links

• Official website (German)
• Website about the 2002 Flooding (German)