In the 12th century there was a castle on the Kyffhäuser mountains, which was built during the reign of emperor Frederick I. According to the local legend, the emperor did not die, but instead went to sleep in this castle.
In 1952 the two districts of Artern and Sondershausen were set up by the East German government. These districts were merged in 1994, with only a few municipalities joining other districts.
The district is named after the Kyffhäuser mountains. The main river is the Unstrut, which flows through the east of the district.
Coat of arms
The main symbol of the coat of arms is the lion of the counts of Schwarzburg, who historically ruled most of the district. The lion holds a shield which contains the coat of arms of the Counts of Mansfeld, who owned the area around Artern in the 18th century. The three green hills in the bottom symbolize the mountainous landscape with many forest, the big wavy line stands for the river Unstrut, the small one for the Wipper river.
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