is a district in
Bavaria ,
Germany . It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of
Donau-Ries ,
Augsburg and
Günzburg , and by the state of
Baden-Württemberg (district of
Heidenheim ).
In ancient times the
Danube river was a border between the
Roman Empire and the
Germanic Tribes north of the river. The Roman camp of (now Faimingen) was a bridgehead crossing the danube. There was an
Apollo temple being one of the largest buildings north of the
Alps in that time.
In medieval times the county of Dillingen was established. The counts of Dillingen ruled from the 10th to the 13th century, then (
1258 ) the territory was turned over to the Prince Bishops of
Augsburg , who gained several villages for their clerical state, hence subdividing the region into several patches, which were dissolved in the early 19th century. In 1804 Dillingen and its area became part of the state of Bavaria.
The district was established in
1972 by merging the former district of Dillingen (which had existed since
1804 ) with the western half of the former district of Wertingen. The city of Dillingen lost its status as a district-free city and became the capital of the newly established district.
The district is crossed by the river
Danube , which enters the district in the southwest and leaves to the east. All cities in the district except for Wertingen are located along the Danube.
