magazine for business and investment - Innovatives Niedersachsen
magazine for business and investment - Innovatives Niedersachsen
magazine for business and investment - Innovatives Niedersachsen
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Local<br />
<strong>Niedersachsen</strong> Global 55<br />
<strong>and</strong> which continues to increase the significance of Wolfsburg as<br />
an international trade fair location. (See page 6)<br />
Wolfsburg still has more to offer. “Many research <strong>and</strong> development<br />
institutions from the Volkswagen plant, the supplier industry,<br />
the AutoUni <strong>and</strong> particularly the emerging Ostfalia – University<br />
of Applied Sciences are consolidating the reputation of Wolfsburg<br />
as a location <strong>for</strong> science <strong>and</strong> education”, explains Schingale. The<br />
young town also presents its climate change <strong>and</strong> renewable energy<br />
credentials in a modern manner <strong>and</strong> conscientiously. Through Wolfsburg<br />
Solar L<strong>and</strong> Registry, the recently opened emobility station <strong>and</strong><br />
the biogas plant of the Wolfsburg sewage works on the site of<br />
the municipal waste water treatment plant, the young metropolis is<br />
playing its part in the use of renewable energy sources. Wolfsburg is<br />
looking into a green future – <strong>and</strong> Volkswagen is also on-board. The<br />
VW-Group has been ranked by “Best Global Green Br<strong>and</strong>s 2012”<br />
in 4th place <strong>for</strong> the most sustainable br<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> thereby is the most<br />
environmentally-friendly automotive manufacturer <strong>and</strong> the “greenest”<br />
company in Germany. Surrounded by two cultural l<strong>and</strong>scapes<br />
worth visiting - in the south by the Harz Mittelgebirge <strong>and</strong> in the<br />
north-west by the beautiful Lüneburger Heide, the young metropolis<br />
is an absolute highlight <strong>for</strong> every nature lover. Green oases can also<br />
be found in the 40 districts <strong>and</strong> areas of the town. 30 percent of the<br />
municipal districts are green spaces, <strong>for</strong>ests <strong>and</strong> water areas as well<br />
as moors <strong>and</strong> heaths. The extensive parks such as the 130-hectare<br />
Aller Park, the Schlosspark, the Stadtwald (city <strong>for</strong>est) on the Klieversberg<br />
<strong>and</strong> the Schillerteich also <strong>for</strong>m part of the townscape as do<br />
many architectural structures from the 20th century. Unmistakeable<br />
also are the historical roots of the traditional districts of Vorsfelde <strong>and</strong><br />
Fallersleben which were independent towns be<strong>for</strong>e the creation of<br />
Wolfsburg. One of the youngest towns in Germany was named after<br />
Schloss Wolfsburg – a late Renaissance structure located in today‘s<br />
Alt-Wolfsburg district. Other architectural highlights of the town<br />
include the theatre by Hans Scharoun, the phæno by Zaha Hadid,<br />
the Alvar-Aalto Kulturhaus <strong>and</strong> the front façade of the Volkswagen<br />
Group with the four chimneys st<strong>and</strong>ing as an industrial monument.<br />
“The many attractions <strong>for</strong> the general public have rein<strong>for</strong>ced the<br />
town as a tourist destination <strong>and</strong> are also giving Wolfsburg an international<br />
focus” explains Joachim Schingale. Shopping in Wolfsburg<br />
can also be an adventure. Between the installed water l<strong>and</strong>scapes<br />
<strong>and</strong> light installations, designer outlets, the “Wolfsburger Flaniermeile”<br />
on Porschestraße, the over 90 shops in Wolfsburg City-Galerie<br />
invite you to shop <strong>and</strong> linger.<br />
<br />
The Autostadt<br />
“People, cars <strong>and</strong> what moves them” is the<br />
motto of the Volkswagen Group communications<br />
plat<strong>for</strong>m. This is where visitors <strong>and</strong> customers<br />
collecting their new cars obtain an insight into the<br />
know-how <strong>and</strong> values of Europe’s biggest automotive<br />
producer. Originally created as a decentralised<br />
project <strong>for</strong> Expo Hanover, it was opened in 2000.<br />
Today the 28 hectare experience park where you<br />
can find out anything <strong>and</strong> everything related to<br />
cars <strong>and</strong> machines <strong>and</strong> which houses the most<br />
visited car museum in the world, guides visitors<br />
through a two-hour voyage of discovery into the<br />
realm of the passenger car. An additional highlight<br />
of the Autostadt is the Movimentos Festival Week,<br />
a festival <strong>for</strong> contemporary dance <strong>and</strong> modern<br />
cultural per<strong>for</strong>mances.<br />
The phæno experimental l<strong>and</strong>scape<br />
Children can learn about the world of phenomena<br />
from an early age in phæno. The science museum<br />
contains a structural world of adventure made up<br />
of craters, caves, terraces <strong>and</strong> plateaus. Science <strong>and</strong><br />
nature can be experienced by both adults <strong>and</strong> technical<br />
specialists alike through more than 350 mainly<br />
interactive experimentation stations. Also the external<br />
façade of the Science Center is very experimental.<br />
Here, architect <strong>and</strong> Pritzker prize winner Zaha Hadid<br />
has created one of the most coveted sculptures<br />
in Germany.<br />
Schloss Wolfsburg<br />
First mentioned in a deed dated 1302 as a low-lying moated castle, the<br />
Schloss Wolfsburg of today has become the cultural centrepoint of the<br />
young metropolis. In the mid-15th century the <strong>for</strong>tification was trans<strong>for</strong>med<br />
into a Renaissance castle. Today the historical building in the Alt-Wolfsburg<br />
district is a place of modern art. Also located here in addition to the Städtische<br />
Galerie <strong>and</strong> the Kunstverein Wolfsburg e.V. is the Heidersberger Photography<br />
Institute. And anyone wanting to discover more about Wolfsburg‘s<br />
history can visit the town‘s museum located inside the castle.