Wolfsburg is an independent city in the east of Lower Saxony. The
city was founded in 1938 as the headquarters of the Volkswagen
factory and is the fifth largest city in Lower Saxony with around
125,000 inhabitants.
Wolfsburg is one of the few city
foundations in Germany in the first half of the 20th century. Until
May 1945, the city was called the city of the KdF car near
Fallersleben. The city was designed as a place to live for the
employees of the Volkswagen factory, where the KdF car - later the
VW Beetle - was to be produced. In 1972 the population exceeded
100,000, making Wolfsburg a major city. In 2010, the gross domestic
product per capita was the highest of all German cities.
Wolfsburg forms a regiopole region with the cities of Braunschweig
and Salzgitter as well as one of the nine regional centers in Lower
Saxony and belongs to the metropolitan region of
Hanover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg. The closest larger cities
are Braunschweig around 26 kilometers southwest, Magdeburg around 64
kilometers southeast and Hanover around 74 kilometers west.
Wolfsburg - a city without a history?
Lower Saxony's most famous city is undoubtedly Hanover. In second
place is a relatively small town with 125,000 inhabitants, the name
of which is known around the world: Wolfsburg stands for Volkswagen,
the automobile manufacturer that has been based in the town on the
Aller since 1938.
For most of them, Wolfsburg is nothing more
than the home of Volkswagen. In fact, the Volkswagen factory, the
largest automobile factory in the world, takes up a large area of
the city, is announced on street signs and can be seen from afar.
Originally, the city and factory were largely separated by the
Mittelland Canal. There were only a few parts of the city on the
other side of the canal, and the plant was accessed via bridges and
later through tunnels. In the meantime this line has blurred. The
districts in the north of the city have grown. Volkswagen has also
settled south of the canal.
The closest link between the
factory and the city is the Autostadt, a theme and adventure park -
not just for car enthusiasts. It is one of the most visited tourist
attractions in Germany. When it opened in 2000, it wasn't just the
Volkswagen group that built a figurehead that binds customers or
woos them. At the same time, the city of Wolfsburg has gained
another attraction.
Wolfsburg was mentioned in a document as early as 1302. At that time
it was the seat of the aristocratic von Bartensleben family. It
includes today's "Alt Wolfsburg" north of the city center. In
addition to the castle and the castle church of St. Marien, this
district includes several farmsteads and half-timbered houses.
To the east of the city center there are also several historic
buildings in the villages of Heßlingen and Rothenfelde (Heßlingen
was mentioned in a document as early as 871), including the St.
Anne's Church from 1250. The districts of Fallersleben and Vorsfelde
are also historically significant.
Fallersleben, for example,
was first mentioned in a document in 942, then as "Valareslebo".
Excavations have shown that as early as 200 BC. A settlement stood
at this point. The center of Fallersleben consists of an old town
with historic half-timbered buildings, the Fallersleben Castle, the
old brewery (built in 1765) and the Michaliskirche from 1805.
Until 1951, Wolfsburg was still
part of the Gifhorn district. On October 1, 1951, Wolfsburg became
an independent city. Since then the license plate has been WOB. At
that time Wolfsburg had almost 30,000 inhabitants. That number grew
significantly in the years that followed. In 1970 the city already
had almost 90,000 inhabitants.
The 100,000 inhabitant mark
was broken in 1972 with the Lower Saxony regional reform. At that
time, 20 towns were incorporated into Wolfsburg, so that the
population soared to 131,000. These included the cities of
Fallersleben (12,000 inhabitants) and Vorsfelde (11,000
inhabitants). The city area multiplied from 35 to 204 km². Many of
the then incorporated districts and city districts are no longer
structurally separated from the old city center. However, each
incorporated town still has its own place name sign and its own
local mayor.
Wolfsburg is divided into the
following 16 districts:
Almke / Neindorf - 2,200 inhabitants
Barnstorf / Nordsteimke - 3,450 inhabitants
Brackstedt / Velstove
/ Warmenau - 2,300 inhabitants
Detmerode - 8,600 inhabitants
Ehmen / Mörse - 6,700 inhabitants
Fallersleben / Sülfeld - 14,850
inhabitants
Hattorf / Heiligendorf - 3,550 inhabitants
Hehlingen - 1,750 inhabitants
Kästorf / Sandkamp - 2,000
inhabitants
Middle-West - 18,800 inhabitants
these include:
Laagberg, Wohltberg, Hohenstein, Rabenberg, Eichelkamp,
Klieversberg, Hageberg
Neuhaus / Reislingen - 8,300 inhabitants
Nordstadt - 10,350 inhabitants
these include: Kreuzheide,
Tiergartenbreite, Teichbreite, Alt-Wolfsburg
City center - 14,200
inhabitants
these include: Stadtmitte, Hellwinkel, Schillerteich,
Heßlingen, Rothenfelde, Steimker Berg, Köhlerberg
Vorsfelde -
12,600 inhabitants
Wendschott - 2,100 inhabitants
Westhagen -
9,900 inhabitants
Wolfsburg is conveniently located on the A2 and A39 motorways and
is a railway junction on the Hanover-Berlin ICE route, from which
routes to Braunschweig and Magdeburg branch off.
By plane
The closest commercial airport is Hanover Airport (IATA code: HAJ),
which can be reached in just 45 minutes. We recommend the S5 from
the airport to Hanover main station and from there either the
regional express (1 hour) or ICE (31 minutes) to Wolfsburg.
Braunschweig-Wolfsburg Airport is used for general air traffic.
By train
There are connections to Wolfsburg Hauptbahnhof by
regional train, regional express, InterCity and InterCityExpress.
The regional trains also stop in the Fallersleben district of
Wolfsburg.
From the south (Braunschweig): With the regional
train you can reach Wolfsburg in 20 minutes from Braunschweig, the
ICE is only slightly shorter. From Frankfurt am Main (ICE connection
every two hours) it takes a good 3 hours, Karlsruhe 4:15 hours,
Basel a good 6 hours.
From the west (Hanover): With the regional
express it takes just under an hour from Hanover. The ICE or IC
takes half an hour from Hanover, Osnabrück 1:45 hours, Dortmund 2:15
hours, Cologne 3:15 hours, Amsterdam just under 5 hours.
From the
east (Berlin): There is an ICE every hour from Berlin, the journey
time is a little over an hour. Regional trains run hourly from
Magdeburg, travel time 1:15 hours.
By bus
Long-distance
buses from Flixbus travel to Wolfsburg. The Wolfsburg long-distance
bus stop is located near the entrance to the Autostadt and can be
reached on foot from the center over the city bridge to the other
side of the Mittelland Canal.
The Wolfsburg bus network is
part of the Braunschweig region's transport association, which means
that there are numerous regional bus connections to the surrounding
area, including to Gifhorn (line 170) or Braunschweig (line 230).
City buses run between all parts of the city and district within
Wolfsburg. You can change at the central bus station, 200 m from the
main train station.
In the street
From the north
(Lüneburg): Federal road B 4 to Gifhorn, there in the direction of
Wolfsburg on the B 188.
From the west (Bremen / Hanover): A 2 to
the Wolfsburg-Königslutter junction, then take the A 39 towards
Wolfsburg to the Wolfsburg Nord exit.
From the south (Göttingen /
Kassel): A 7 to Dreieck Salzgitter, there on the A 39 towards
Braunschweig and Wolfsburg to the Wolfsburg Nord exit.
From the
east (Berlin): A 2 to Kreuz Wolfsburg-Königslutter, there on the A
39 towards Wolfsburg to the Wolfsburg Nord exit.
By boat
Mittelland Canal to Wolfsburg-Fallersleben port or Wolfsburg pier
opposite the Autostadt.
Buses
Wolfsburger Verkehrs GmbH (WVG) operates bus routes
within Wolfsburg. It belongs to the Verkehrsverbund Braunschweig
(VRB). The ZOB at the north end of the pedestrian zone, 200 m from
the main train station, serves as the central transfer station.
201 Kästorf - Nordstadt - city center - Laagberg - Westhagen -
Detmerode
202 Wendschott - Vorsfelde - city center - Rabenberg -
Detmerode
203 Sülfeld - Fallersleben - city center
204 City
center - Westhagen - Mörse - Ehmen - Fallersleben - city center
214 City center - Fallersleben - Ehmen - Mörse - Westhagen - city
center
241 City center - Fallersleben - Ehmen - Fallersleben -
city center
205 Wendschott - Vorsfelde - Reislingen - city center
- Eichelkamp
206 Fallersleben - Westhagen - Detmerode
207
Reislingen south - city center - Hageberg - Laagberg
208 Neuhaus
- City center - Badeland (Allerpark)
209 City center -
Nordsteimke - Hehlingen - Almke - Neindorf - Heiligendorf -
Barnstorf - Nordsteimke - city center
219 City center -
Nordsteimke - Barnstorf - Heiligendorf - Neindorf - Almke -
Hehlingen - Nordsteimke - city center
211 Nordstadt - Vorsfelde -
Neuhaus
212 Vorsfelde - Velstove - Brackstedt - Warmenau -
Kästorf - city center
218 City center - Hattorf - Heiligendorf -
Neindorf - Almke
230 Wolfsburg - Flechtorf - Apprenticeship -
Braunschweig
There are also numerous special bus routes, for
example to the Autovision Forum (line 244), regional buses (e.g. to
Braunschweig, Helmstedt, Gifhorn), buses to the Volkswagen factory
and buses to the Volkswagen Arena.
Out and about by bike
Wolfsburg's cycle paths are usually well developed and long-distance
routes are signposted at central intersections. Nevertheless,
orientation is difficult for those unfamiliar with the area, as no
inner-city destinations are signposted. Cyclists are also likely to
have difficulties in the city center, where many streets are either
closed to cyclists as pedestrian zones or do not have separate cycle
paths. Here it is advisable to leave your bike at the train station
or town hall and continue your way to the city center on foot.
Boat tour
An old Hamburg excursion boat, the MS Osterbek,
runs on the Mittelland Canal from the landing stage in front of the
Autostadt. She makes five one-hour tours every day on the Mittelland
Canal for up to 60 people.
Departure times: 11:00 a.m., 12:30
p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Prices: adults 6 euros,
children (4-14 years) 4 euros
St. Annen (Ev.-Luth.): historic church building (1302) in the old
village of Hesslingen near today's downtown Wolfsburg
to reach on
foot: along Rothenfelder Straße, then left at Rothenfelder Markt
St.
Markus (Ev.-Luth.): neo-Gothic village church (1318) with old parish
barn and historic half-timbered rectory in the district of Sülfeld
Bus line 203 in the direction of "Sülfeld/Denkmal" to the "Sülfeld" stop
Kreuzkirche (Ev.-Luth.): round brick church (1957) on the Hohenstein
Seat of the superintendent of the church district of Wolfsburg
Bus
line 201 (direction Mörser Winkel/Detmerode) and 204/214 (direction
Ehmen/Stadtmitte) to the "Kreuzkirche" stop
St. Heinrich (Roman
Catholic): crown-shaped church building (1961) in the Rabenberg district
Bus line 202 in the direction of Detmerode/Mörser Winkel to "Am
Stemmelteich"
Heilig-Geist (ev.-luth.): built by Alvar Aalto (1962)
on the Klieversberg
free-standing bell tower, baptismal font with
running water, Scandinavian elements, wooden ceiling panels
open to
visitors during the day
Bus line 205 in the direction of Eichekamp to
the "Sauerbruchstraße" stop
Castles, palaces and castles
Wolfsburg Castle. The city is named after the Weser Renaissance castle
from the 13th century, which is located in today's "Alt Wolfsburg"
district. In addition to the city museum and the city gallery, the
building houses several studios and exhibition rooms.
City Museum is
located in Wolfsburg Castle
Arriving by bus: Line 201 towards
Nordfriedhof, line 208 towards Allerpark/ Badeland, line 202 towards
Vorsfelde/Wendschott to the "Schloss" stop
Arriving by car: A 39 exit
Weyhausen, towards Wolfsburg. In Wolfsburg, turn left at the second set
of traffic lights, then turn left twice and park on the side of the
road.
Fallersleben Castle. Historic moated castle in the old
half-timbered town of Fallersleben. The castle was first mentioned in
1551 and at that time belonged to Duchess Clara zu Gifhorn. Since 1991
it has been home to the Hoffmann von Fallersleben Museum in memory of
Hoffmann von Fallersleben as well as changing exhibitions.
Arriving
by bus: Lines 204 and 214 in the direction of Ehmen or Stadtmitte to
"Altes Brauhaus"
Arriving by car: A 39 exit Fallersleben, turn
towards Fallersleben; turn left at the end of the street, parking spaces
are located a few meters on the right side of the street
Castle
Neuhaus. Neuhaus Castle is idyllically situated on a pond in the east of
Wolfsburg. It is a medieval moated castle from the 14th century. A large
craft market is held here every year. Small museum: history of the
castle, model of the complex, weapons and documents on the life of the
people up to 1800.
Arriving by bus: Lines 208 and 211 in the
direction of Neuhaus to "Burg"
Arriving by car: A 39 exit Wolfsburg
Nord, follow the road until you leave Wolfsburg, then turn right at the
second set of traffic lights and turn left at the next set of traffic
lights, follow the signs to "Burg Neuhaus".
Old brewery. In what is now the district of Fallersleben is the old
brewery, which was built in 1765 from rubble stones. Today the castle is
privately owned, but beer is still brewed (Fallersleber Schlossbräu).
The building now also houses an inn with a beer garden.
Arriving by
bus: Lines 204 and 214 in the direction of Ehmen or Stadtmitte to "Altes
Brauhaus"
Arriving by car: A 39 exit Fallersleben, turn towards
Fallersleben; turn left at the end of the street, parking spaces are
located a few meters on the right side of the street
Theatre. If the
theater of the city of Wolfsburg on the slope of the Klieversberg
reminds you of the Berlin Philharmonic, you are right: the architect
Hans Scharoun designed both buildings, but adapted them very differently
to the structural and landscape conditions. The Wolfsburg Theater
stretches along the slope of the mountain and reflects the contours of
the Klieversberg in its contours.
Parking directly in front of the
theater, bus lines 202, 205, 218, 230 to "Theater"
Art museum. A
controversial building at the southern end of the pedestrian zone is the
Wolfsburg Art Museum, which exhibits contemporary art. It consists
largely of glass and steel, but due to its success and international
reputation, it is now more loved than despised by most Wolfsburg
residents.
Parking in the underground car park "Rathaus"
pheno. The latest and at the same time most controversial major
architectural project in Wolfsburg is the phaeno Science Center at the
northern end of the pedestrian zone in the immediate vicinity of the
Autostadt and the main train station. The unusually designed structure
was built by Zaha Hadid. It stands on massive pillars (so-called cones)
and appears to be floating, even though it is visibly made of concrete.
The construction is so complicated that the construction costs amounted
to around 80 million euros.
Parking in the phaeno underground car
park.
Autostadt: Museum and amusement park of the Volkswagen Group, opened
for Expo 2000. The core is the customer center for handing over up to
800 vehicles to their new owners every day. The two car towers in which
the new vehicles are waiting for delivery are striking. The Group Forum
shows the innovation, technology and philosophy of the VW Group. The
Zeithaus shows milestones in automobile construction in the context of
contemporary history, taking into account all brands and automobile
manufacturers. Various pavilions for the individual main brands of the
Volkswagen group Audi, Skoda, Seat, Bentley, Lamborghini and VW
commercial and leisure vehicles. There are different installations and
attractions depending on the season. For many years now, the old power
station has been open to the public during the Movimentos festival weeks
every year in May. In winter, the lagoon landscape is transformed into
an artificial ice surface, on which elaborately produced shows are also
shown. There is also an off-road course for driving a VW Touareg. A
one-hour safety training course in a separate area gives you a feeling
for controlling the vehicles in borderline situations. On weekdays, a
visit to the Volkswagen factory is possible on different tours.
architecture and landscape architecture.
Opening times: 9am to 6pm
daily, with the park and restaurants generally open until 11pm
Admission: €15, 2 days: €22, annual ticket €34, children 6-17 years and
students: €5 / €9, families: €38 / €57, evening ticket from 4 p.m. costs
€7 and is valid as a voucher in all restaurants.
Adventure tour: €11
(120 min.), overview tour: €5 (45 min.) (as of Jan. 2012)
Can be
reached on foot via the city bridge, paid parking spaces directly in
front of the Autostadt
Phaeno (Willy-Brandt-Platz 1, near
Wolfsburg main station, Tel.: 0180/1060600): 250 interactive
experimental stations on natural sciences and technology: life, light
and vision, movement, wind and weather, micro and macro, energy, matter
, information, games
Opening hours: Tue - Fri: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sat,
Sun, public holidays: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., visit duration 3 - 4 hours.
Admission: €12, up to 6 years: free, 6 to 17 years: €7.50, reduced
(pupils, students, trainees, people doing military and community
service, disabled people (from 80%), social card holders, unemployed):
9, - €, group tickets, family tickets. · (as of Jan. 2012)
within
walking distance, directly between the main train station and the
central bus station
Gallery Porschehütte: gallery on the
Klieversberg in the former home of the automobile pioneer Ferdinand
Porsche; a few meters from the Porschehütte (from the monument) you have
a fascinating view of the city and the Volkswagen factory
within
walking distance, from the theater through the forest in the direction
of the clinic, turn right just before.
Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg
(Schlossstraße 8, Tel.: 05361/8285-10/-15/-17, email:
Staedtische.Galerie@Stadt.Wolfsburg.de): modern art, collection and
temporary exhibitions
Opening times: Tue: 1pm - 8pm, Wed - Fri: 10am
- 5pm, Sat: 1pm - 6pm, Sun: 11am - 6pm
Admission is free.
Arriving
by bus: Line 201 towards Nordfriedhof, line 208 towards
Allerpark/Badeland, line 202 towards Vorsfelde/Wendschott to the
"Schloss" stop
Arriving by car: A 39 exit Weyhausen, towards
Wolfsburg. In Wolfsburg, turn left at the second set of traffic lights,
then turn left twice and park on the side of the road.
Automuseum
Volkswagen (Dieselstrasse 35, Tel.: 05361-52071): History of the
Volkswagen, also many special models
Opening hours: daily 10 a.m. - 5
p.m
By bus: Line 208 in the direction of Neuhaus to the "Automuseum"
stop
Neuhaus Castle Town Museum (Neuhaus district, Tel.:
05363-40017): History of the moated castle and the former Neuhaus office
Opening times: Sun 2pm - 5pm
Admission free
Arriving by bus: Lines
208 and 211 in the direction of Neuhaus to "Burg"
Arriving by car: A
39 exit Wolfsburg Nord, follow the road until you leave Wolfsburg, then
turn right at the second set of traffic lights and turn left at the next
set of traffic lights, follow the signs to "Burg Neuhaus".
Hoffmann von Fallersleben Museum (Fallersleben Castle, Tel.:
05362-52623): Life and work of the poet Hoffmann von Fallersleben,
history of German poetry and democracy in the 19th century
Opening
times: Tue-Fri 10am-5pm; Sat 1pm-6pm; Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m
Arriving
by bus: Lines 204 and 214 in the direction of Ehmen or Stadtmitte to
"Altes Brauhaus"
Arriving by car: A 39 exit Fallersleben, turn
towards Fallersleben; turn left at the end of the street, parking spaces
are located a few meters on the right side of the street
Stadtmuseum Schloss Wolfsburg (Schlossstr. 8, Tel.: (05361)828540,
E-Mail: stadtmuseum@stadt.wolfsburg.de): Castle, regional and city
history
Arriving by car: A 39 exit Weyhausen, towards Wolfsburg. In
Wolfsburg, turn left at the second set of traffic lights, then turn left
twice and park on the side of the road.
streets and squares
Porschestrasse
The pedestrian zone in downtown Wolfsburg is mainly
limited to Porschestrasse, which runs dead straight from the "Südkopf"
at the art museum to the "Nordkopf" at the main train station/bus
station. It was a four-lane main thoroughfare until it was converted
into a pedestrian zone. In order to loosen up the inner city, pavilions,
green areas and water features were built on Porschestrasse.
The
Porschestraße originally formed a visual axis from the Klieversberg to
Wolfsburg Castle, as planned by the city planner Peter Koller. This line
of sight is blocked by the pavilions and now also the Autostadt.
Piazza Italia
At the intersection of Pestalozzi-Allee,
Schillerstrasse and Goethestrasse is the Piazza Italia, probably the
most beautiful square in downtown Wolfsburg. It is strictly rectangular,
but is particularly green and lively by Wolfsburg standards. The name
Piazza Italia comes from the fact that Italian shops, cafés and
restaurants as well as the Italian consulate have settled around the
square. Wolfsburg has this Italian influence through numerous Italian
guest workers from the time of the economic miracle.
parks
Allerpark Modern park that underwent major structural changes for the
2004 State Horticultural Show. In the middle of the large park are the
Allersee and the LaGa-See.
Water ski facility on Lake LaGa
Volkswagen Arena, stadium of VfL Wolfsburg
Volksbank
Braunschweig-Wolfsburg EisArena, among other things the venue of the ice
hockey club Wolfsburg EHC
boat rental
Café in the former EXPO
pavilion of Colombia
Cafe by the LaGa Lake
STRIKE bowling center
Parking spaces directly at the Allerpark
Castle Garden Diverse
park area, partly wooded; in the midst of this is the historic Wolfsburg
Castle; crossed by the moat and the Aller
Rhododendron Garden
Baroque garden with tea house
Museums and exhibitions in Wolfsburg
Castle
Café-Restaurant in the Castle Remisen
Annually in autumn:
WOB Open, festival in the castle garden
Directions: A 39 exit
Weyhausen, towards Wolfsburg. In Wolfsburg, turn left at the second set
of traffic lights, then turn left twice and park on the side of the
road.
Animal enclosure Animal park with native animal species in the
idyllic old quarry on the Klieversberg
open daily from 8:30 a.m. to
5:30 p.m
Right next to the Wolfsburg City Hospital, parking in the
hospital car park
Bus line 205 in the direction of Eichekamp to the
"Klinikum" stop
Sports
BadeLand Wolfsburg BadeLand Wolfsburg was reopened in 2002
and was the largest leisure and fun pool in Germany at the time. It
includes a large pool area with two slides and a lazy river, a sports
pool with 50 m lanes, and a sauna area with solariums
At the
Allerpark, phone: (05361)8900-0, email: info@badeland-wolfsburg.de
Free parking directly in front of the bathing area
Bus line 208 in
the direction of Allerpark to the "Badeland" stop
Wake-Park Europe's
only 6-mast water ski facility, 568 m long cable car on the artificial
LaGa lake; also suitable for beginners; Operating April 14th to October
15th
Free parking spaces in the Allerpark
Bus line 201 in the
direction of Nordfriedhof, line 202 in the direction of
Wendschott/Vorsfelde or line 208 in the direction of Badeland/Allerpark
to the "Allerpark" stop
Eispalast Wolfsburg Ice rink in Allerpark,
venue of the Ice Hockey Club Wolfsburg (EHC) "Grizzly Adams"; Free for
ice skating on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, ice disco in the
evenings
Am Allerpark 5, phone: (05361)61254
Free parking spaces
in the Allerpark
Bus line 208 in the direction of Allerpark to the
"Badeland" stop
movie theater
Cinemaxx large-capacity cinema
directly opposite the main train station; 7 cinema halls with a total of
1,636 seats; The view of the Autostadt from the upper floors is
worthwhile, especially in the evening
Willy-Brandt-Platz 4, 38440
Wolfsburg
Phone (05361) 4649647
Parking in your own car park
Delphin Kino-Center 3 cinemas (Delphin, Herbie, Victoria) in the middle
of Wolfsburg's pedestrian zone; Program only Fridays to Sundays
Porschestr. 39, 38440 Wolfsburg
Tel (05361) 13797
Parking: best on
the - unfortunately few - parking spaces at the Kaufhofpassage
METROPOL THEATER Small cinema in Fallersleben in a family business, 280
seats with a screen (36 sqm)
Bahnhofstrasse 33, 38442
Wolfsburg-Fallersleben
Tel.: (05362) 2236 / Internet:
www.metropol-fallersleben.de
Parking spaces on Bahnhofsstrasse and
next to the cinema
Bus line 203 in the direction of Sülfeld to the
"Bahnhofsstraße" stop
Cinema in the indoor pool The cinema in the
indoor pool is the only art house cinema in the region. 1 cinema hall -
in the indoor swimming pool - Kultur am Schachtweg - in the middle of
downtown Wolfsburg; Program only Sun - Wed at 8:30 p.m.
Schachtweg
31, 38440 Wolfsburg
Phone (05361) 2728100
Parking: preferably at
the back of the indoor pool (in Schachtweg) in the available parking
spaces
theatre
Theater of the City of Wolfsburg The City
Theater was created under the direction of architect Hans Scharoun and
opened in 1973. With 833 seats (in the drama, 777 in the music theater)
it is the largest theater in the city. It doesn't have its own ensemble,
but it's usually sold out.
Klieverhagen 50, 38440 Wolfsburg
Phone:
(05361) 267337
Parking spaces directly at the theatre
Bus lines
202, 205, 218, 230 to the "Theater" stop
Gallery Theater This theater
impresses above all with its incomparable flair. It is in the center of
the city and still in a half-timbered barn. The theater seats 95 and
frequently hosts contemporary art exhibitions.
At St. Anne's Church
28, 38440 Wolfsburg
Tel: (05361) 17650
Parking spaces in front of
the house
planetarium
In addition to the Hamburg planetarium,
the Wolfsburg planetarium is the only large-scale planetarium in
northern Germany. The history of the building is very interesting: In
1977, Volkswagen AG and the GDR concluded a contract according to which
VW was to deliver 10,000 Golfs to the GDR and in return received a
planetarium projector from the Carl Zeiss company in Jena worth DM 1.5
million. On the occasion of the 40th birthday of the city of Wolfsburg
in 1978, Volkswagen gave this projector to the city, which led to the
creation of the spherical planetarium on the Klieversberg in 1983.
Information: Tel: (05361) 21939
Opening hours: Wed 3 p.m., 5
p.m.; Sat 3 p.m., 4 p.m.; Sun 2.00 p.m. (children's programme), Sun 3.00
p.m.; Duration: approx. 45 minutes
Admission: Adults €5; Children,
pupils, students, conscripts, people doing community service,
unemployed, holders of social cards 3€; Family ticket €10, group
discounts
Parking spaces at the theater or underground car park
Südkopf/Rathaus
Bus lines 202, 205, 218, 230 to "Theater"
January/ February: Wedding fair in the CongressPark Wolfsburg
April/May: Movimentos - International Dance Festival at KraftWerk /
Autostadt
May: Schützen- und Volksfest in the Allerpark (approx.
450,000 visitors each time)
May: every two years the Drömling fair on
the Bürgerplatz and in the Schützenhaus Vorsfelde
June: International
summer stage at Wolfsburg Castle
June/July: Romantic Garden at
Wolfsburg Castle
August: Old town festival in the old town of
Fallersleben
August: Boar festival in the old town of Vorsfelde
September: Knights' tournaments and guild market at Wolfsburg Castle
(every two years)
September: Wolfsburg Open at Wolfsburg Castle -
Festival of Young Culture
October: Autumn market for artisans at
Neuhaus Castle
October: Every two years the IZB (International
Suppliers Exchange), the largest automotive supplier exchange in Europe
(2004 for the first time in the Allerpark due to lack of space in the
CongressPark)
October: Every two years the Wolfsburger Messe, a trade
fair for the Wolfsburg economy with approx. 40,000 visitors in the
CongressPark
December: Christmas market in Wolfsburg Castle and
various squares in the city
Other
Youth centers: The
best-known youth centers are the Kashpa on Schachtweg and the
Schlachthaus, which provides rehearsal rooms for young musicians. There
is also the indoor pool – culture on Schachtweg in the former indoor
pool on Schachtweg.
Edit youth campsite info
City Library, Alvar
Aalto Cultural Center, Porschestraße 51.
Upscale
Aqua, Parkstrasse 1, 38440 Wolfsburg (The Ritz-Carlton).
Tel.: +49 (0)5361 606056, Fax: +49 (0)5361 608000. The best German
restaurant in the Gault Millau. Open: Tue – Sat 6.30 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Cheap
Campsite on the Allersee, In den Allerwiesen 5. Tel.:
(0)5361 63395, e-mail: allerseecamping@gmx.de. Open: all year round.
Middle
Hotel Restaurant Conni, Neuhäuser Str. 19, 38448
Wolfsburg. Tel.: (0)5363 97770, fax: (0)5363 9777-53, e-mail:
info@hotel-conni.de. Feature: ★★★. Open: the associated restaurant: Mon
- Sat from 4 p.m. (kitchen 5 p.m. - 9.30 p.m.), Sun closed. Price:
Single room from €70, double room from €85.
Upscale
Hotel An
der Wasserburg, An der Wasserburg 2. Tel.: (0)5363 9400, e-mail:
info@an-der-wasserburg.de. Wellness hotel, seminar hotel. Feature: ★★★★.
The Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg, Parkstrasse 1, 38440 Wolfsburg. Tel:
(0)5361 607000, Fax: (0)5361 608000.
Tourist Information Wolfsburg, Willy-Brandt-Platz 3 (in the main station). Tel: (0)5361 89993-0, Fax: (0)5361 89993-94. Open: Mon - Sat 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
The glacial valley of the Aller with the Mittelland canal runs from east to west through Wolfsburg. The urban area extends south to the East Brunswick Lowland Plateau, north to Forsfelder Werder, west to the Barnbruch Wetlands, and east to the Dremling Lowland. The highest point is 140 m above sea level. NHN in Almka, lowest at 54 m above sea level. NHN in Ilkerbruch. The highest point in the city center is 110 m above sea level. NHN Cleaversburg.
The average annual rainfall in the reference period from 1960 to 1990
was 603 mm and thus was below the German average. The driest month is
February (37 mm), the most precipitation falls in June (70 mm). The
amount of precipitation fluctuates slightly, but most of them occur in
the summer.
The average annual temperature is 8.9 °C, the coldest
month is January with an average temperature of 0.3 °C, the warmest is
July with an average temperature of 18.7 °C.
The city of Wolfsburg is a unitary municipality and is divided into
16 localities, which, in turn, are divided into 41 districts. Each of
the 16 localities is represented by a local council. Each local council
is chaired by the local mayor.
Initially, settlements were formed
only in areas incorporated into Wolfsburg in 1972 under the Wolfsburg
Act. Eleven localities were created at that time, and a local council
was established in each locality. In 1991, the cities of Detmerode,
Westhagen and Nordstadt were formed from the core city, and in 2001 the
cities of Stadtmitte and Mitte-West were created. Thus, Wolfsburg is now
divided into a total of 16 towns and cities. The local councils are
directly elected by the citizens and should be consulted on all
important matters in their area.
Wolfsburg was first mentioned in 1302 as the seat of the Bartensleben
family. Originally it was a residential tower on the river Aller, which
only in later centuries acquired the fortified character of a castle
surrounded by a moat. The forerunner was probably the castle on the hill
with the Rotehof tower, built around 1200 by the Rotehöfer family. In
1372 Neuhaus Castle was first mentioned in a document. After the von
Bartensleben family died out in 1742, their estates, including
Wolfsburg, were inherited by the von der Schulenburg counts. The count's
estate was an important employer for the nearby settlements of
Rothenfelde and Hesslingen, as well as for the Rothehof estate in
Schulenburg.
Some of today's districts, including Gösslingen with
Wolfsburg, which was an independent manor district until 1928, belonged
to the forest district of the Duchy of Magdeburg in the 18th century and
thus formed Prussian exclaves between the two Guelph territories. In
1932 they were reclassified from the district of Gardelegen, which now
belonged to the Prussian province of Saxony, to the district of Gifhorn
in the (also Prussian) province of Hanover. Other counties, such as
Forsfelde and the villages transferred to Wolfsburg from the Helmstedt
district, belonged to the Duchy of Brunswick for centuries, while
Fallersleben and the villages that belonged to the Gifhorn district
until 1932 belonged to the Electorate and finally to the Kingdom.
Hanover.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Brunswick-Calvoorde
postal route passed through today's urban area.
On March 8, 1934, at the opening of the 24th International Motor Show
(IAMA) in Berlin, Adolf Hitler called for a car for the general public.
In late 1937/early 1938, the Volkswagen mbH German Car Preparation
Society (GeZuVor) chose the area near Wolfsburg Castle as the site for a
factory for the production of this car and the city needed for the labor
force - today's Wolfsburg. - whose lands and property mainly belonged to
Count Günther von der Schulenburg. To prevent a dangerous expropriation,
Count von der Schulenburg sold the Wolfsburg estate to the GeZuVor
company under a sales contract dated 12 July 1938, as well as the
Rothehof forest district and properties in Gösslingen and Sandkamp;
Wolfsburg Castle was excluded from the sale. In 1937, with the proceeds
from the sale, he purchased an estate in Goltsov (Oderbruch) (575
hectares), as well as an estate (2038 hectares) in Remplin.
Since
the loss of about 2,000 hectares of land and estate meant that the
economic basis for maintaining the castle was lost, he built a new
castle in 1938 on a forest plot he owned in what was then the
municipality of Tangeln in Altmark. , about 35 kilometers from Wolfsburg
Castle. From 1939 to 1940 he served as a reserve rotmeister in the
military intelligence department on the Western Wall as a commander. He
was then able to devote himself again to the management of his estates
and the construction of Neumühle Castle, which during his absence was
looked after by his wife in collaboration with the architect Paul
Bonatz. In mid-November 1942, Günther Graf von der Schulenburg left
Wolfsburg Castle with his family and moved to his newly built Neumühle
Castle. On March 19, 1943, he sold Wolfsburg Castle to the city of
KdF-Wagen, today's Wolfsburg, which was founded to produce Volkswagen.
On May 26, 1938, Adolf Hitler laid the foundation stone for the
Volkswagen plant on the north side of the Mittelland Canal, which was
originally to produce the KdF-Wagen (later built as the VW Beetle).
To accommodate the necessary workers, a new city had to be built in
the immediate vicinity. Therefore, from July 1, 1938, the "City of
KdF-Wagens near Fallersleben" was formed in the Gifhorn district by
decree of the Ober-President of the Lüneburg District. It included the
former communities of Rotehof-Rotenfelde and Hesslingen (including the
residential area of Wolfsburg) and separate holdings of the communities
of Mörse (the districts of Mörse, Hattorf and Barnstorf), Sandkamp,
Fallersleben and Hattorf, all belonging to the district of Gifhorn. The
center of the new city was to be built in the district of Hesslingen.
The building of churches was deliberately excluded from 1940, since
Wolfsburg was to become a city without churches. At that time, the
question of using foreign skilled workers was already being considered.
The name of the Tullio Cianetti hall, built near the station, recalls an
agreement ratified in 1937 with Mussolini's Italian government. The
station on the Berlin-Lehrter railway continued to bear the name
Rothenfelde-Wolfsburg.
During World War II, the newly built
automobile plant mainly served the military industry, where thousands of
forced laborers were also employed. Kübelwagen, spare parts for tanks,
and other armaments such as "Vengeance Weapon 1" were produced in
workshops built to produce the KdF-Wagen. Concentration camp prisoners
were forcibly interned in the Arbeitsdorf concentration camp and in the
satellite camp of Laagberg, among other places, and were used in inhuman
conditions in the manufacture of weapons, but mainly for construction
work.
At the end of 1937, the German Volkswagen Training Society (GEZUVOR)
commissioned the architect Peter Koller to plan and build a new city of
up to 90,000 inhabitants, which was tentatively named KdF City-Wagen. A
model workers' city was to be created to serve as a model for other
urban planning measures in the German Reich. In building the new city,
Koller was able to bypass traditional building code restrictions as the
1937 German Urban Reconstruction Act came into effect. Starting in the
autumn of 1937, Koller, together with the gardener and landscape
designer Wilhelm Heinz, developed the basics of urban planning based on
statistical studies of the daily needs of future citizens and on the
basis of detailed topographical surveys of the existing site.
In
1938, Koller became head of the city's building department and, in
accordance with the "Führer principle", initially reported directly to
building inspector general Albert Speer and then to Robert Ley as head
of the German Workers' Front (DAF). In 1938, Koller presented his
project ("Koller Plan") for the construction of a new city, which, after
minor changes, was approved by Adolf Hitler. The "Koller plan" planned a
"city in the countryside" that would adapt to the existing topography.
Here, the Mittelland Canal represented a dividing line between life and
work. While the VW plant was built on flat, wooded lowland north of the
canal, the south bank, with small hills and extensive woodlands, was
reserved for the city. On Cleaversburg, as the highest point, a "city
crown" was planned with representative party buildings.
The
beginning of construction of a residential complex with 6,700 planned
apartments in the first stage of construction dates back to 1938. The
village of Steimker-Berg was first built as a residential area for the
leaders of the Volkswagen plant and the city administration. Other
residential buildings were built for workers in the areas of Wellekamp
and Schillerteich. The non-profit housing and communal company Neuland
of the German workers' front in the city of KdF-Wagen was responsible
for the construction.
At the end of 1941, construction work was
halted due to war-related shortages of materials and labor. By that
time, just under 2,900 apartments had been built. Slums are inserted
into the already prepared urban silhouette in place of the missing
permanent residential buildings. Due to World War II, the original
layout of the city of Kollera was only partially realized. In addition
to apartments, one of the few completed projects is the boulevard in
Congress Park, which is now used as a car park. According to the
original plan, it was supposed to serve as a front street for NSDAP
parades below the (planned) residence of the "Führer" on Cliversberg. Of
the planned huge boulevard, only about a hundred meters were built.
Koller always stated that in general, not the slightest adaptation
to the "Hitlerian style" was and was not carried out. When, on the
occasion of the city's groundbreaking, Hitler spoke of a "training
center for urban architecture," he was shocked because he did not know
of any references, ideas, or descriptions that could serve as a guide
for Hitler in his idea of such a "training center." It was only later
that he admitted that he had "been carried away by speech and come to
very irrational statements." Koller had not yet agreed to plans for the
redevelopment of Berlin, but in his own designs for the city of
KdF-Wagen he was quite prepared to make concessions to the monumental
aesthetic of National Socialism. He adapted the plan of the main streets
and the planned layout of the party buildings to Hitler's architectural
ideas.
At the end of the war, the city was a torso with a large number of
barracks, which mainly housed forced laborers, prisoners of war and
concentration camp prisoners of the KdF plant. On April 11, 1945, the
plant became the target of Allied air raids, two-thirds of it was
destroyed by aerial bombs.
On the evening of April 12, 1945, the
advance units of American tanks reached Fallersleben. The next day they
moved towards the Elbe, passing what was then the "KdF-Wagen City". This
was done with the awareness of the disaster of such camp towns and in
order not to get bogged down in skirmishes with the Volkssturm. Only
when new American tanks arrived on 14 April 1945 was the city occupied
without resistance. A large number of forced laborers and prisoners of
war in the barracks camps were released.
On May 12, 1945, the
American city commandant, on the basis of proposals from trade union
circles, appointed 13 members of the city council. The city council met
for the first time on May 25, 1945, according to other sources on May
12, 1945, and at the insistence of the occupying authorities decided to
change the city's former name "Stadt des KdF-Wagens bei Fallersleben" to
"Wolfsburg". Thus, the city received its final name in honor of
Wolfsburg Castle, which was first mentioned in a document from 1302. The
core of the city already before its founding had the topographical name
"Wolfsburg", which was also the official name of the estate district
(see "History of the City of Wolfsburg" above) until 1928. The claim
that Adolf Hitler's nickname "Wolf" (which occurs in "Wolfsschanze") was
an inspiration when the city adopted the name "Wolfsburg" after the end
of World War II is incorrect.
The Volkswagen factory was
initially under the direction of British Major Ivan Hirst. He prevented
the dismantling of production machines by purchasing orders from the
British government for the Volkswagen plant. It was only thanks to these
orders that the VW factory was able to survive after the end of the war
and thus provoke the growth of the city of Wolfsburg.
After the
war, many displaced persons and refugees were housed in the existing
barracks. To solve the problem of housing shortages in 1946-1947, the
Volkswagen plant completed the unfinished barracks, which were used for
general purposes. The districts of the developing industrial city
emerged from the former barracks camps, the prisoners of the
concentration camps were not remembered for decades.
In 1948, the
town planner and architect Hans Bernhard Reichow presented a plan for
the further development of the city. It stood in the tradition of
landscape building and subsequently served as a guide for the
construction of new areas.
In the 1948 local elections, the
right-wing German right-wing party in Wolfsburg received over 60 percent
of the vote. Later, the elections were canceled for formal reasons. On
October 1, 1951, the city seceded from the Gifhorn district and became
an independent city. The coming decades were shaped by an economic
miracle. This was accompanied by the rapid growth of the city and the
Volkswagen plant. Wolfsburg recorded a huge increase in guest workers,
who arrived mainly from Italy. Numerous representative public buildings
and churches were built, some of which were built by famous architects.
On August 5, 1955, the millionth Volkswagen rolled off the assembly
line in Wolfsburg. This event was marked by a gold "Beetle" with
numerous chrome details, decorated with faceted glass beads. In 1958 the
town hall was opened. In 1960 Volkswagenwerk GmbH was transformed into a
joint stock company.
In the Lower Saxony municipal reform of 1972, 20 localities were
incorporated into Wolfsburg under the Wolfsburg Act (see also under
corporations). As a result, the population passed the 100,000 mark, and
Wolfsburg gained the status of a major city with almost 131,000
inhabitants; the area of the city increased from 35 to 204 square
kilometers. Eleven localities were formed for the amalgamated districts,
each with elected local councils and a local mayor. In 1973, the city
had the largest number of inhabitants, with almost 132,000 people.
From 1 February 1978, the city of Wolfsburg was separated from the
administrative district of Lüneburg and transferred to the
administrative district of Braunschweig before the administrative
districts of Lower Saxony were dissolved on 1 January 2005. In 1982 the
city received a direct autobahn connection to the A 39 as a junction
with the A 2 (Oberhausen-Hannover-Werder an der Havel) and in 1988
Wolfsburg became a university city when the Braunschweig/Wolfenbüttel
State University of Applied Sciences (today: Ostfalia - University of
Applied Sciences) opened a place here.
In 1991, three more were
added to the eleven villages since 1972 (Detmerode, Westhagen and
Nordstadt). In 2001, the cities of Stadtmitte and Mitte-West were
formed. This means that Wolfsburg is divided into 16 cities.
From
August 25 to October 10, 2003, the city of Wolfsburg used the name
Golfsburg on the Internet, on city stationery and on nameplates as a
"demonstration of sympathy" for the new VW Golf V. This action found an
all-Ukrainian response in the press, in radio news and television.
In 2004 and 2012, the cultural festival "Day of the Brunswick
Landscape" took place in Wolfsburg.
In the summer of 2009,
Wolfsburg gained national attention by winning the German Football
Championship with VfL Wolfsburg. The party, celebrated in the city
center with about 100,000 people, was unique in the history of
Wolfsburg.
In 2016, the Fellowship of Protestant Churches in
Europe awarded Wolfsburg the honorary title of "European City of the
Reformation".
In March 2019, it was announced that a
collaboration between Wolfsburg AG and Signa Holding would redesign the
northern section. The project aims to create a new city center over the
next seven years.