Rügen (district)

"This is the article about the district of Rügen. For the island see Rügen"Infobox German district noregbez
name=Rügen
state=Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
capital=Bergen
area=973.92
population=73,301
population_as_of=2003
density=75
carsign=RÜG
url=http://www.kreis-rueg.de

Rügen is a "Kreis" (district) in the northeastern part of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is bordered entirely by the Baltic Sea. The nearest district is Nordvorpommern and the district-free city Stralsund.

Geography

The district covers the islands Rügen and Hiddensee, and several small islands like Ummanz and Vilm. It is thus the only district of Germany which consists solely of islands.

History

"See also:" History of Rügen

The district of Rügen was created in 1806 by the Swedish administration of Swedish Pomerania. At first it was named "Amt Bergen", in 1810 it was renamed to "Kreis Bergen".

With an administrative reform of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania due in 2008 the district is scheduled to be merged into a larger district around the city Stralsund. However an initiative to keep the independence of the district of Rügen has already been started.

Coat of arms

External links

* [http://www.kreis-rueg.de Official website] (German)
* [http://www.ruegen.de Tourism website] (German, English)