magazine for business and investment - Innovatives Niedersachsen

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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.