Düren (district)
Düren is a Kreis in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Heinsberg, Neuss, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, Euskirchen and Aachen.
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 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 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 the Eifel National Park.