Düren (district)
District in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Düren (German pronunciation: [ˈdyːʁən])[3] is a Kreis (district) in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Heinsberg, Neuss, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, Euskirchen and Aachen.
Düren | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Adm. region | Cologne |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Capital | Düren |
| Government | |
| • District admin. | Ralf Nolten since 1st November 2025[1] (CDU) |
| Area | |
• Total | 941.15 km2 (363.38 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2024)[2] | |
• Total | 279,285 |
| • Density | 296.75/km2 (768.58/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Vehicle registration | DN, JÜL, MON, SLE |
| Website | http://www.kreis-dueren.de |
History
The district was created in 1972 by merging the former districts of Jülich and Düren. Both districts date back to 1816 when the new Prussian Rhine Province was created. Before the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1794), all of the area belonged to the duchy of Jülich.
Geography
Geographically, it covers both the lowlands of the Lower Rhine Bay as well as the mountains and hills of the Eifel. The district has rich lignite (brown coal) deposits, which is used in open pit mining. Another big industry is paper production, which dates back to the second part of the 16th century. The main river in the district is the Roer. The eastern parts drain into the Erft via Neffelbach and Rotbach.
Parts of the Düren district belong to Eifel National Park.
Coat of arms
Towns and municipalities
| Towns | Municipalities | |
|---|---|---|
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Sister County
Düren has a partnership with Dorchester County in Maryland.
