HILDBURGHAUSEN (DISTRICT)

'Hildburghausen' is a district in Thuringia, Germany. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen, the city of Suhl, the districts of Ilm-Kreis, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt and Sonneberg, and the state of Bavaria (districts of Coburg, Haßberge and Rhön-Grabfeld). Located roughly halfway between the mountain chains of the Rhön and the Thuringian Forest, the district is densely forested and covered by hilly countryside.

Contents

History

Dukes of Saxe-Hildburghausen

Coat of arms

Towns and municipalities

External links

History

Despite its tiny territory, this was an autonomous duchy from 1680 to 1826; in 1684 the capital was moved from Heldburg to Hildburghausen, and the mini-state became known as Saxe-Hildburghausen. The dukes built a palace, a French-style park and other pompous buildings in Hildburghausen.
In 1810, a princess of Saxe-Hildburghausen, Therese, was married to Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, who became king of Bavaria 15 years later; this event is the (almost forgotten) reason for the Oktoberfest, held annually in Munich.
In 1826, the states of Thuringia were reorganised: the last ruler of Saxe-Altenburg died without an heir; the duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen became his successor, but he had to cede his own realm to Saxe-Meiningen.
In 1868, four districts were established in the duchy of Saxe-Meiningen. Hildburghausen was one of these districts, with boundaries very similar to those of the former duchy. It remained almost unchanged until 1993, when the former district of Suhl was dissolved and most of its municipalities joined the district.

Dukes of Saxe-Hildburghausen

★ Ernst II (1675–1715)

★ Ernst Frederick I (1715–24)

★ Ernst Frederick II (1724–45)

★ Ernst Frederick III (1745–80)

★ Frederick (1780–1825)
Incorporated into Saxe-Meiningen

Coat of arms

The coat of arms displays:

★ the heraldic lion of Meißen, the precursor state to Saxony

★ the cock representing the counts of Henneberg, who ruled the region until 1583

★ below the symbol of the bishopric of Würzburg is displayed

Towns and municipalities

Towns	Verwaltungsgemeinschaften	Free municipalities
#Bad Colberg-Heldburg#Eisfeld#Hildburghausen#Römhild#Schleusingen#Themar#Ummerstadt	#Feldstein#Gleichberge#Heldburger Unterland	#Auengrund#Bockstadt#Gleichamberg#Masserberg#Nahetal-Waldau#Sachsenbrunn#Sankt Kilian#Schleusegrund#Straufhain#Veilsdorf

External links

★ Official website