The district was formed in 1994 by merging two previous districts, Löbau and Zittau. In August 2008, it became a part of the new district of Görlitz.
Geography
The main river in the district is the Lusatian Neisse, which also forms the boundary to Poland. It is mostly hilly landscape of the Lausitzer Bergland; the highest elevation is the Lausche with 793 m above sea level.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms show a typical house of the area, with two towers behind it. The towers represents the town halls of the cities Löbau and Zittau.