Kusel District

Kusel is a district (Kreis) in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north-west clockwise) Birkenfeld, Bad Kreuznach, Donnersbergkreis, Kaiserslautern, Saarpfalz and Sankt Wendel (the latter two belonging to the state of Saarland).

History
The district of Kusel was created at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1939 it was renamed as Landkreis Kusel. The boundary was altered slightly as part of the communal reform of 1969/72 with some parts of the district of Birkenfeld being added to Kusel.

Geography
The district of Kusel is located in the North Palatian Hills (Nordpfälzer Bergland), to the north of the industrial areas of Saarland. The largest rivers are Lauter and Glan.