Main-Tauber-Kreis is a Landkreis (district) in the northeast of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from northwest clockwise) Miltenberg, Main-Spessart, Würzburg, Neustadt (Aisch)-Bad Windsheim and Ansbach (all in Bavaria), and the districts of Schwäbisch Hall, Hohenlohe and Neckar-Odenwald.
History
Traces of human population in the area were found to go back as early as 5500 B.C.
Throughout the 18th and 19th century, during the so-called Kleinstaaterei, southern parts of today's district were part of the free imperial city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the Principality of Ansbach, while the city of Weikersheim played a major role in the history of the Hohenlohe dynasty and temporarily was one of its seats.
District in modern Germany
The district originated in 1973 with the merging of the districts of Bad Mergentheim, Tauberbischofsheim and parts of the district of Buchen. At first called the district of Tauber, it took its current name, the district of Main-Tauber, in 1974. The name comes from the two primary rivers in the district, the Main and the Tauber.
Geography
The Main forms the northern border of the district, while its affluent Tauber flows through the district from southeast to north. The north of the district covers part of the Odenwald mountains, while the southern area is called Bauland.
Area
The Main-Tauber Kreis has a total area of 1304.1 km<sup>2</sup>, that is distributed as follows:
Infrastructure
Roads
The total length of the road network in the district is about 909 kilometres, of which about half (463 km) are county roads (Kreisstraßen), just over a third (347 km) are state roads (Landesstraßen), and about 10 per cent (99 km) are federal highways (Bundestraßen).
International relations
Comparable with the concept of twin towns, the Kreis has partnerships with:
- Tolna County, Hungary
- Bautzen District, Saxony
- Zabkowice Slaskie, Poland
- , formal partnership with a part of the German Army Aviation Corps.
References
External links
- Official website (German)