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Images (4): Wolfsburg Marketing GmbH Wolfsburg Modern Wolfsburg Wolfsburg is a town in Niedersachsen undergoing change, from one of the legends of the German economic miracle to a young exciting town in the countryside. by Juliette Rahn Wolfsburg. A modern wind is literally blowing in this young metropolis in eastern Niedersachsen. A spirit of optimism has been unleashed in a town which has long shed its image of a pure industrial district which transformed itself into a “ghost town” during holiday periods. Wolfsburg is reinventing itself without losing sight of its history in the process. It is presenting itself as green, dynamic, family-friendly, innovative and cosmopolitan. According to a study from the Medizinische Hochschule in Hannover, Wolfsburg is the town with the highest quality of life in Niedersachsen. Primarily families are attracted to the green town on the southern edge of the Aller glacial valley. This was not always the case, as for decades Wolfsburg conveyed a totally different picture. The Volkswagen plant was the main employer of the people of Wolfsburg and was almost the only attraction of the town. Joachim Schingale, Managing Director of Wolfsburg Marketing GmbH, confirms: “Wolfsburg has developed in seven decades from a mono-structural industrial town into a modern and innovative town with a sense of adventure.” Retrospective. Nearly 75 years ago the town was founded as a residential district for the employees of the Volkswagen plant located nearby. With the mass production of the VW-Beetle, the head office of the Volkswagen Group in the early post-war years advanced to become a prime example of the German economic miracle. And the young metropolis is still one of the most important centres of the Niedersachsen economy today. Its opportune geographic location at one of the most important European east/west transportation axes and the good infrastructure still make Wolfsburg one of the most dynamic economic locations of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its 16 trading and industrial areas alone, which cover approximately 400 hectares, provide a lot of space for successful innovations. In addition to the automotive suppliers, it is primarily trading, servicing and craftsmanship companies which are based here. Wolfsburg is famous for its cosmopolitan outlook. The town has partnership and town twinning agreements in the UK, France, Italy, Russia and Poland to name but a few. Cosmopolitan also underpins the spirit of the International Suppliers Fair, (IZB), Europe‘s leading trade fair for the automotive supplies industry
Local Niedersachsen Global 55 and which continues to increase the significance of Wolfsburg as an international trade fair location. (See page 6) Wolfsburg still has more to offer. “Many research and development institutions from the Volkswagen plant, the supplier industry, the AutoUni and particularly the emerging Ostfalia – University of Applied Sciences are consolidating the reputation of Wolfsburg as a location for science and education”, explains Schingale. The young town also presents its climate change and renewable energy credentials in a modern manner and conscientiously. Through Wolfsburg Solar Land Registry, the recently opened emobility station and the biogas plant of the Wolfsburg sewage works on the site of the municipal waste water treatment plant, the young metropolis is playing its part in the use of renewable energy sources. Wolfsburg is looking into a green future – and Volkswagen is also on-board. The VW-Group has been ranked by “Best Global Green Brands 2012” in 4th place for the most sustainable brands and thereby is the most environmentally-friendly automotive manufacturer and the “greenest” company in Germany. Surrounded by two cultural landscapes worth visiting - in the south by the Harz Mittelgebirge and in the north-west by the beautiful Lüneburger Heide, the young metropolis is an absolute highlight for every nature lover. Green oases can also be found in the 40 districts and areas of the town. 30 percent of the municipal districts are green spaces, forests and water areas as well as moors and heaths. The extensive parks such as the 130-hectare Aller Park, the Schlosspark, the Stadtwald (city forest) on the Klieversberg and the Schillerteich also form part of the townscape as do many architectural structures from the 20th century. Unmistakeable also are the historical roots of the traditional districts of Vorsfelde and Fallersleben which were independent towns before the creation of Wolfsburg. One of the youngest towns in Germany was named after Schloss Wolfsburg – a late Renaissance structure located in today‘s Alt-Wolfsburg district. Other architectural highlights of the town include the theatre by Hans Scharoun, the phæno by Zaha Hadid, the Alvar-Aalto Kulturhaus and the front façade of the Volkswagen Group with the four chimneys standing as an industrial monument. “The many attractions for the general public have reinforced the town as a tourist destination and are also giving Wolfsburg an international focus” explains Joachim Schingale. Shopping in Wolfsburg can also be an adventure. Between the installed water landscapes and light installations, designer outlets, the “Wolfsburger Flaniermeile” on Porschestraße, the over 90 shops in Wolfsburg City-Galerie invite you to shop and linger. The Autostadt “People, cars and what moves them” is the motto of the Volkswagen Group communications platform. This is where visitors and customers collecting their new cars obtain an insight into the know-how and values of Europe’s biggest automotive producer. Originally created as a decentralised project for Expo Hanover, it was opened in 2000. Today the 28 hectare experience park where you can find out anything and everything related to cars and machines and which houses the most visited car museum in the world, guides visitors through a two-hour voyage of discovery into the realm of the passenger car. An additional highlight of the Autostadt is the Movimentos Festival Week, a festival for contemporary dance and modern cultural performances. The phæno experimental landscape Children can learn about the world of phenomena from an early age in phæno. The science museum contains a structural world of adventure made up of craters, caves, terraces and plateaus. Science and nature can be experienced by both adults and technical specialists alike through more than 350 mainly interactive experimentation stations. Also the external façade of the Science Center is very experimental. Here, architect and Pritzker prize winner Zaha Hadid has created one of the most coveted sculptures in Germany. Schloss Wolfsburg First mentioned in a deed dated 1302 as a low-lying moated castle, the Schloss Wolfsburg of today has become the cultural centrepoint of the young metropolis. In the mid-15th century the fortification was transformed into a Renaissance castle. Today the historical building in the Alt-Wolfsburg district is a place of modern art. Also located here in addition to the Städtische Galerie and the Kunstverein Wolfsburg e.V. is the Heidersberger Photography Institute. And anyone wanting to discover more about Wolfsburg‘s history can visit the town‘s museum located inside the castle.
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Niedersachsen ISSUE 2 I 2012 6 EURO
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Page 59 and 60: We prepare you for the future Intel
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