Düren (dpa / lnw) - In a referendum in the district of Düren, a large majority of citizens spoke out against renaming the district. 83 percent of the votes were cast in favor of retaining the previous name "Kreis Düren". In December 2021, the district council decided on the new name "Rurkreis Düren-Jülich" with a large majority. This should better describe the rural region with 270,000 inhabitants between Cologne and Aachen. However, only 17 percent chose this name in the referendum.
Participation in the vote was high: a week before the count, half of the citizens had sent back the letter with the ballot paper. In the end, almost 120,000 eligible voters took part.
The opponents of renaming had argued that the name "Rurkreis Düren-Jülich" ignored the 13 other cities and communities that were also important for the district. The Eifel, the Börde and the other rivers are also not taken into account. The information on the costs was also questioned.
Other circles have also expressed the wish for a name change. The former district of Neuss was renamed Rhein-Kreis Neuss. The former Erft district has been called the Rhein-Erft district since 2003.
