The district stretches from the Ore Mountains on the Czech Republic–Germany border to the plains between Leipzig and Dresden.

In 2008, upon the creation of the Mittelsachsen district, the heraldic society "Schwarzer Löwe" in Leipzig, in collaboration with graphics studio Eberhard Heinicker, put forward several proposals for a new coat of arms.

The former mayor of Mittweida, Matthias Damm (CDU), won with an absolute majority (65.74% of votes).

Four main railway lines run through the district: Dresden-Freiberg-Chemnitz-Werdau, Riesa-Döbeln-Chemnitz, Neukieritzsch-Chemnitz and Borsdorf-Döbeln-Coswig.

The interregional Dresden-Nuremberg connection via Freiberg and Flöha, which existed until 2014 and was most recently marketed as the Franken-Sachsen-Express, was interrupted at Hof in order to be able to run between Dresden, Freiberg, Flöha and Hof with electric traction and barrier-free vehicles in the future.

The once dense rail network had already been severely thinned out by Deutsche Bahn before the district reform in 2008.

Today, the Nossen-Holzhau, Berthelsdorf-Brand-Erbisdorf, Flöha-Marienberg, Pockau-Lengefeld-Neuhausen, Hainichen-Niederwiesa and Hartmannsdorf-Wittgensdorf branch lines in the Ore Mountains are still in operation, although not all sections have regular passenger services.