Dithmarschen
Dithmarschen is a rural district (Kreis) in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Its administrative seat is the town of Heide. The district lies on the North Sea coast in the western part of Schleswig-Holstein, bordered by the Elbe estuary to the south and by parts of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park along its coast. The landscape is flat and low-lying, dominated by marshes and reclaimed land with a system of dikes and drainage channels. Agriculture is the main economic activity, with extensive vegetable farming and greenhouse horticulture, as well as dairy farming and some coastal fishing. The Kiel Canal ends at Brunsbüttel within the district, linking the North Sea with the Baltic Sea and serving as a major transportation hub.
Historically, Dithmarschen was the Land of Dithmarschen, an autonomous peasant republic that governed itself through local
Notable towns in the district include Heide (the capital), Brunsbüttel, Meldorf, Marne and Wöhrden. The western