english basic press information tmn.pdf

7/29/2019 English Basic Press Information TMN.pdf

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Discovery Niedersachsen Active and Extreme Culinary Niedersachsen Museums in Niedersachsen Wellness oases: fuelling stations for your well-being Experience nature at the holiday destination of Niedersachsen Towns of Niedersachsen Niedersachsen in Data, Numbers and Facts Information sheet Lower-Saxony Pictures


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Active and extreme

Water sports

Athletes hearts will leap with joy in Niedersachsen, because thanks to certain steering manoeuvres,kitesurfers can be lifted up more than 10 meters into the air and cover a distance of up to 60metres. In Hooksiel near Wilhelmshaven or at the Steinhuder Meer as well, there are beach areas

marked out especially for kitesurfers. Kitesurfing is very popular amount younger people, today. Theover 25 year olds rather enjoy windsurfing. Surfing schools on the East Frisian islands and on theNorth Sea coast also offer kitesurfing courses in addition to windsurfing courses.

At the North Sea and lakes in Niedersachsen, there are at least eight waters sports facilities withwakeboarding and waterski possibilities. The boarders and skiers are pulled over the water byspecial rope systems and must then make an effort to stay on the boards.

Inline skating

There are excellent conditions for inline skaters at the holiday destination of Niedersachsen. In

Ammerland there is a route network of more than 500 kilometres which is described in the Skate-Guide Ammerland published especially. Friesland and Emsland also refer to themselves as skatersland. They provide countless asphalted and car free routes, no slopes, a lot of nature and fresh air.

Climbing

Climbing is also possible in Niedersachsen at one of the 21 high ropes courses or in the Weser-Leine-Bergland, the largest climing area of Niedersachsen. Here, the limestone of the Ith is waitingfor the lovers of holes, ledges and roofs. The western and southern Harz mountains also provideextensive climbing possibilities with fantastic granite and limestone routes. The Gttingen Forest with

its limestone mountains is one example of the many climbing treasures.

Snow sports

The Snow Dome Slden in Bispingen provides snow sports in Niedersachsen all the year round. OnEuropes most modern indoor ski slope with a length of 300 metres and a width of up to 100metres, the visitors can go skiing, snowboarding or simply tobogganing. Despite the indoor skislope of 23,000 square metres, the organisers paid much attention to the gastronomy area fortraditional aprs-ski. Of course, skiing is also possible outdoors in Niedersachsen. Hence, it onlyneeds to snow in the Harz mountains and the guests will be presented with a perfect winterlandscape for skiing, tobogganing or cross-country skiing. Braunlage and the other areas inHochharz offer almost perfect conditions.


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Mountain biking

There are two areas at the holiday destination of Niedersachsen perfect for mountain bikers. Themountain bike region of the Nature Park Solling-Vogler in Weserbergland provides 15 round tours,760 total kilometres of tour length and 17,000 metres of difference in altitude altogether. At theVolksbank Arena Harz, the cyclists are able to ride along a route of more than 1,800 km throughthe unique nature of the Harz mountains, often its appealing towns, such as Goslar or Osterode,are taken as the starting and finishing point. At the new race park, downhillers are able to exploretheir limits.

Nordic walking

Nordic walking combines normal walking with the advantages of cross-country skiing, without beingdependent on the snow. Your health and muscles are strengthened in a smooth way. With only alittle effort, nordic walking can be carried out by the young and the older - you only need a pair ofspecial walking sticks. Walking parks and offers for nordic walking can be found all around thefederal state.

ContactSara HonerkampPresse I ffentlichkeitsarbeit

0511 / 270488 [email protected]


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Culinary Niedersachsen

The culinary delights of Niedersachsen are as diverse as the regions themselves: country guesthouses and fine gourmet restaurants attract their visitors with hearty curly kale and sausage, fine fish,deliciously fresh asparagus and much more. Every area has its specialities. Of course, close to thecoast, fresh fish can be found on the plates, in the heath, meagre and sandy grounds are harvested,the river regions, on the other hand, live from fertile fields and juicy meadows. In the mountain

region of the Harz, the venison and the clear lakes and streams provide an inspiration for the localhosts sauce pans.

Specialities from the north

The people of Niedersachsen are practically longing for the first frost, because from November toMarch it is the curly kale season between Elbe and Ems. Kohl and Pinkel (curly kale and sausage)is the national dish of the north, so to say, whereas the infamous word Pinkel simply refers to asausage made of bacon, belly meat, onions and spices. The fans of this dish are not onlyfascinated by its hearty taste: the curly cale meal is practically celebrated by clubs, businesses or

friends on numerous kale trips. That is to say the meal tastes best after a long walk in the cold air.

Fish not only from the sea

Delicious fish, freshly caught and onto the plate a delicacy which is not only offered close to thecoast of Niedersachsen. While the guest enjoys plaice, flounder and co. at this location, fishspecialities can also be found in other regions all around the Elbe, Weser, Jade and Emsdebouchures. The Steinhuder Meer and the Zwischenahner Meer are part of the best known eelestuaries. Trouts feel at home in the well waters and the small rivers of the Harz mountains withplenty of oxigen. Whether blue from the brew, baked, pickled or smoked the restaurants of theregion offer sprout prepared in all kinds of ways. The Harz mountains do not only provide idealliving conditions for sprout. Venison, which is just as delicious, originates from the local woods.

And there is another speciality coming from the low mountain range region: the Harz cheese. Ascheese made of curdled milk, it is one of the oldest cheese types and has been a down-to-earth andhealthy delicacy until today. 75 percent of all curdled milk cheeses are produced in Niedersachsenand are delivered to the cheese counters in Germany from there.


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The white gold

The Asparagus Road of Niedersachsen connects the most important producing areas of the whitegold on 750 kilometres. The route begins in Burgdorf near Hannover and leads up to the southernLneburger Heide and beyond. A journey along the Asparagus Road in the merry month of May isa culinary event. There are asparagus festivities and markets in many places, asparagus princessesare elected and of course there is plenty of asparagus. It is served with sauce hollandaise or meltedbutter, with ham and the delicious heath potatoes from the sandy grounds of the Lneburger Heide.The best known markets can be found in Nienburg and in Burgdorf.

Healthy fruit

The Old Land is rightly referred to as Germanys largest fruit garden. Especially apples are grown inthe Old Land in front of the gates of Hamburg on more than 10,000 hectares. But cherries, pears,plums and berries also find their way into our fruit shops from there. In Niedersachsen, local fruit ismost of all used for preparing tasty cakes and desserts. In the countryside, the specialities preparedaccording to grandmothers recipe can be enjoyed in one of the numerous farm cafs to be foundall over Niedersachsen.

Typical drinks from Niedersachsen

Those who eat well must also drink well. Traditionally, people like to drink beer in Niedersachsen.

The most famous brewery is located in the town of Einbeck in the south of Niedersachsen: this iswhere, more than 600 years ago, bock beer was invented. Many of the breweries are happy toopen their doors for visitors. Jever, Wittinger, Gilde, Herrenhuser, Wolters and Hrke are furtherfamous beer specialities from Niedersachsen, such as the drinks high in alcohol content likeRatzeputz, Berentzen, Jgermeister and the Hardenberg-Wilthen spirits from the Keilerland. Emslandas an example is famous for its berry liquors. In Hannover, there is a special drinking custom: if onegets invited to a Lttje Lage, they will get a glass of hard liquor and a beer to be mixed in themouth. In Ostfriesland things are much more serious when dealing with the national drink of tea. It isnot only drunk, a tea cult is celebrated. Exactly measured amounts of the famous East Frisian tea areadded to a pre-heated pot and topped up with boiling water. The ritual demands the Kluntjes, the

candied sugar, not to be added to the cup after the tea. This provides the cosy sizzling sound whenthe tea is poured. The last thing is a spoon full of cream. And then: do not stir in any case. Real EastFrisian tea is then enjoyed with each sip.

ContactSara HonerkampPresse I ffentlichkeitsarbeit0511 / 270488 [email protected]


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Museums in Niedersachsen

There are several museums and culture institutions in Niedersachsen which have achieved a verygood reputation beyond the borders of the federal state. With its Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum,Braunschweig offers the biggest and most outstanding art museum of the federal state ofNiedersachsen and also one of the most important museums of the old art of the Federal Republic ofGermany. The Art Gallery Emden with the Henry Nannen collection consistently puts innovative art

projects into effect to give young people an understanding of art. The Sprengel-Museum inHannover presents art of the 20th century. It focuses on works by Max Ernst, Fernand Leger, PaulKlee, Pablo Picasso, Max Beckmann and Niki de Saint-Phalle. The Art Museum Wolfsburg hasmade its mark in the art scene due to its collections and exhibitions on modern and contemporaryart. The worlds first 24-hour Art Museum can be found in Celle. Here, among others, it is thecollection Robert Simon that attracts the visitors. The Felix-Nussbaum-Museum in Osnabrck presentsthe works of the Jewish painter. The building was designed by the architect Daniel Libeskind. TheHorst-Janssen-Museum in Oldenburg displays many unique copies by the artist.

Open-air museums

The open-air museums in Niedersachsen attract thousands of visitors every year. At theMhlenmuseum Gifhorn, real mills from the whole of the world can be explored, the MuseumVillage Cloppenburg is probably Germanys oldest museum village with many ancient half-timberedhouses and historical handicraft facilities.

The Museum Kalkriese in Bramsche will be celebrating its great anniversary in 2009: 2000 yearsago, Armenius was supposed to have defeated the Roman leader Varus with his Germanic tribes.The Museum and Park Kalkriese is an archeological museum with an adjoined open-air museum inthe part of Bramsche called Kalkriese, in the Osnabrcker Land. Here, different findings from thistime were discovered, as an example an old face mask of Roman warriors.

Not to forget the Artist Village Worpswede in which painters such as Otto Modersohn, his wifePaula Becker-Modersohn and Fritz Mackensen lived and worked. Seven museums and museumgalleries present the art history of Worpswede. Today, more than 100 artists and craftsmen are stillliving in the village.


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Even more specialities

The Herzog August Library in Wolfenbttel (Bibliotheca Augusta) is internationally renowned. Theresearch institution for the Middle Ages and Early Modern Times also houses the worlds mostexpensive book, the evangeliar of Henry the Lion which was auctioned for 32.5 million D-marks in1989. The Roman and Pelizaeus Museum Hildesheim is a museum which is popular world-widedue to its important Old Egyptian collection. It also provides Europes second largest collection ofchina. The collection of ethnology at the Institute of Ethnology of the University of Gttingen is one ofGermanys most important ethnological museums. In the year 2000, the permanent exhibition was

reopened.Of course, there are also rather bizzare exhibitions and institutions in Niedersachsen, such as theMuseum of Snoring in Alfeld, the Mussel Museum in Wremen or the Ammerlnder Museum of Hamdedicated to the preservation of the colourful Bentheim pigs. The Buddelschiff (ship in a bottle)can be found at the harbour in Neuharlingersiel, the worlds largest pocket watch is hung up in theClock Museum in Bad Iburg and the Helicopter Museum in Bckeburg presents 40 exhibitsaltogether.



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Wellness oases: fuelling stations for your well-beingAyurveda, shiatsu, lomi lomi nui as Indian, Japanese and Hawaiian massages, thalasso therapy,hamam, water treading, algae baths as well as face treatments: the range of wellness offers isgrowing more and more. It is no longer only the women who gather at the beauty farms, wellnesshotels and swimming oases. Beauty, health and well-being have also become mans business. Theclimate, air and water as well as the moor, brine and brimstone are the ingredients providingrelaxation in this region. If they are applied properly, they can even help to overcome illnesses andstrengthen the bodys defences. Garnished with a portion of the great natural landscapes of

Niedersachsen and pleasureable meals, gathering strengh for everyday life is guaranteed.

A broad offer in the whole of the region

From the North Sea coast to the Teutoburger Wald and the Weserbergland up to the ranges of theHarz mountains, Niedersachsen offers very different temperature zones. Many healing naturalresources can be found between the Ems and the Elbe. Therapeutic mineral and moor baths, seabaths, health resorts with a therapeutic climate and Kneipp spas offer an extensive provision andrehabilitation programme self-evidently under the watchful eyes of professional staff. Thosesearching for therapy and relaxation will find their individual health programme among the morethan 30 spas and health resorts of Niedersachsen. The providers of accomodation have adjusted totheir visitors needs in all spas of Niedersachsen. Whether in a small, familial guesthouse or aluxurious star hotel, the care of the guests can be individually adjusted to the therapeutic aim.Everybody will relax in a wonderful way and get fit for everyday life with the offers of the SpaAssociation Niedersachsen.

Excellent spas

During an inspection by the European Tourism Institute (ETI), Bad Pyrmont, Bad Harzburg, Langeoogand Bad Zwischenahn ranked among the first five positions in Germany. The towns ofNiedersachsen attract their visitors with partly unique offers such as Bad Mnder with seven different

spas, Gttingen with Europes only saline pan or the Badehaus Norderney as Germanys biggestthalasso centre.

ContactSara HonerkampPresse I ffentlichkeitsarbeit0511 / 270488 16

[email protected]


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Experience nature at the holiday destination of NiedersachsenBreathtaking natural landscapes, unique plants and rare animals there are many naturallandscapes to experience in Niedersachsen. In two national parks, a biosphere reserve and morethan one dozen nature parks, pure nature can be experienced during walking, cycling or watersports.

Biosphere reserve

Biosphere reserves are extensive model regions for cultivated landscapes in which anenvironmentally friendly handling of natural resources is performed. Since1997 the UNESCO hasindentified the river landscape Flusslandschaft Elbe right in the east of Niedersachsen in theElbtalaue as a biosphere reserve. The flora and fauna as well as the historical constructions are anexperience for tourists, too. The information centre for the biosphere reserve NiederschsischeElbtalaue can be found at the castle Elbschloss Bleckede.

National parks

The national parks Harz and Wattenmeer in Niedersachsen are true treasures of nature. Sealsand crabs, oystercatchers and mussles at the National Park Wattenmeer, lynx and fox, blackwoodpecker and wren, wild boar and red deer at the National Park Harz are protected as well asthe complete flora. The slogan is Let nature be nature!. Visitors and tourists are informed about theimportance of the National Park Harz at the National Park Education Centre Sankt Andreasbergand the National Park House Altenau-Torfhaus. There are two centres for the National ParkWattenmeer on Spiekeroog and in Wilhelmshaven, 12 towns on the coast as well as on the EastFrisian islands provide further information at the national park houses.

One of Niedersachsens newest World Heritage Site is the Wattenmeer. A resting place formigratory birds, it has an exceptionally large diversity of species. It is one of the worlds largest andmost important tide-dependent wetlands. For these reasons, this 10,000 square kilometre area thatsits in both Niedersachsen and the Netherlands has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since

2009.


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Nature parks

While the flora and fauna have a clear priority within the national parks, locals and visitors arefocussed on at the nature parks. Here, the encounter of people with nature and the landscapecomes first. Diversified relaxation for walkers, cyclists and lovers of nature is spelled in capital lettersin these areas. The nature parks Bourtanger Moor Bargerveen on the Dutch border, Dmmer andSteinhuder Meer present the diversity of nature at the holiday destination of Niedersachsen. Just likethe nature parks Elm-Lappwald in Braunschweiger Land, Lneburger Heide, Weserbergland, thenorthern Teutoburger Wald Wiehengebirge (TERRA.vita) and many other areas worth protecting.

Enjoy the vastnessof the Wadden SeaSince 2009 the German Wadden Sea is UNESCO World Heritage Centre. It belongs to theworldwide unique landscapes such as the Grand Canyon in the USA and Great Barrier Reef inAustralia. The large wetland area of approx. 13,000 square kilometres is one of Mid-Europes lastoriginal natural landscapes and offers an indispensable habitat for many different kinds of animalsand plants.



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Towns of NiedersachsenBraunschweig

Braunschweig is the town of the famous Welf Henry the Lion, which is why it is also known asLions town. Braunschweig is located in the southeast of Niedersachen, it is the federalstates second largest town, following the capital Hannover, and has around 245,000inhabitants. It is however also known as a research and technology location, bearing the titleof Town of Science 2007.Braunschweig is situated in the transitional area between the northern foothills of the Harz and thenorthern German lowland. The closest major cities are Wolfsburg, 35 km northeast, Hannover, 65km northwest, Hildesheim, 45 km west, Magdeburg, 90 km east, as well as the two towns ofSalzgitter (23 km) and Gttingen (110 km) in the southwest. The closeness to the Lneburger Heideand the Harz also makes it an attractive location, placing numerous destinations for excursionspractically on the doorstep. But of course Braunschweig also offers a lot worth visiting: old half-timbered houses, numerous buildings steeped in tradition, churches, museums, a castle and many

more. The river Oker surrounds the town centre of Braunschweig to the west and the. In the Year ofthe Emperor 2009 Braunschweig celebrated the anniversary of the crowning of Emperor Otto IV. son of Henry the Lion and Mathilde of England in 1209. Otto IV. was Germanys only emperorof the House of Welf. The town of Braunschweig celebrated the anniversary with numerous events.

EconomyThe economic focus of Braunschweig lies in traffic engineering, finance, biotechnology and musicalinstruments manufacture. The VW and Siemens plants are well-known, whereas the latter wasinvolved in the development of the railway engineering for the Transrapid in Shanghai. VolkswagenBank, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Intel GmbH as well as Nordzucker AG also provideimportant economic and scientific impulses in Braunschweig. The music industry is represented by

Wilhelm Schimmel Pianofortefabrik GmbH, Grotrian-Steinweg GmbH, the old violin maker familyRautmann as well as Sandberg Guitars.

Braunschweig is a town of research and development with more than 16,000 students enrolled atthe Technical University, the University of applied Sciences and the Fine Arts University. Furthermore,the town is the home of research institutions such as the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and theHelmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI).


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FamousThe prince of mathematics Carl Friedrich Gau and the journalist, diplomat and politician GnterGaus are among the towns famous sons. This is where Henry the Lion, the impostor TillEulenspiegel and the poet and author of the German national anthem, Hoffmann von Fallerslebenlived and worked.

From an athletic point of view, the 7-fold German Champion and 2-fold winner of the Eurobowl, theAmerican football club Braunschweig Lions, is currently far more successful than the football clubEintracht Braunschweig.

Culinary: Braunschweig is famous for its "Braunschweiger sausage, a soft-textured salami-style

sausage. The small owl- and ape-shaped Ulen un Apen are the pastries from the Eulenspiegelstory. Wolters and Feldschlchen are typical beers which are throughout Germany.

Celle

700 years of town history are kept alive in Celle. Today it is a modern half-timbered town fullof life, topicality and tradition. Celle is a modern shopping and congress town. The culturalheritage of the residence and half-timbered architecture, which outlasted centuries, still coinsthe face of the town. Today you can find more than 500 lovingly restored half-timberedhouses, self-evidently under monumental protection, in the old town.The district town of Celle upon the Aller is located around 40 km northeast of Hannover, 60 kmnorthwest of Braunschweig and 120 km south of Hamburg. The Lneburger Heide lies directly on itsdoorstep. The town has about 71,000 inhabitants. It is famous for its rich half-timbered old townand the Castle of Celle with the oldest well-kept and used court theatre as well as the annual CelleParade of Stallions where the most talented Hannover stallions are presented. Being a residentialtown, Celle is the home of a row of impressive constructions. The municipal church and the oldtown hall are the towns oldest buildings. The new town hall is an architectural delight, animpressive brick building from the 19 th century which is one of Germanys biggest buildings of thiskind.

EconomyThe towns industrial engineering plants, drilling and oil technology, electronics, food production(crisp bread by Barilla Wasa Deutschland GmbH) as well as metal, wood and plastics processingare of special economic importance. But a printing ink plant, musical instruments manufacture(Moeck among others), tourism, orchid cultivation, paper processing (Werner Achilles Glanzfolien-Kaschieranstalt GmbH as well as DTLS Drilling Tools Logistic & Service GmbH) can also be foundin Celle.


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FamousThe Celle Wasa Run, which takes place once a year on the second Sunday in March, is thetowns athletic highlight. It is one of Germanys biggest running events below marathon distance.Today it also includes the disciplines of hiking and walking.

The town offers specialties which are also known throughout the nation: the herb liquors with highalcohol content, Ratzeputz and Alter Provisor. Once they were produced in the old town ofCelle, now they are made in the industrial area Westercelle. From a culinary perspective, the RoheRoulade made of slices of roast beef is a must have. You can really only try it in Celle.

Emden

The economic and cultural centre of Ostfriesland shows what it is capable of: Not many othertowns received as many new and future-oriented impulses and developed such a cultural self-confidence.Emden is Niedersachsens smallest county borough, has around 52,000 inhabitants and is part ofOstfriesland, the region in Niedersachsen located in the most north-eastern part of Germany. Veryclose to Emden, the Ems flows into the North Sea, and in the south you will find the large bay of theDollart. Due to its dock and several canals, Emden is a city of water. In the past, it was animportant trading town and is still coined by its sea harbour, which is why industrial businesses such

as Nordseewerke and VW established themselves during the past century. Emden has a greateconomic impact on the region. Larger towns in close vicinity are: Oldenburg (around 70 kmsoutheast), Bremen (around 110 km southeast) and Groningen in the Netherlands (around 50 kmsouthwest) as well as Wilhelmshaven (around 60 km northeast). The Dortmund-Ems Canal providesa direct connection to the Ruhr Area and Emden is the ferry harbour for the most western of theGerman isles: Borkum. Apparently Emden is the birth place of the Ostfriesen- jokes; the townsmost famous sons are the comedians Otto Waalkes and Karl Dall.

EconomyThe VW plant, with around 8,100 employees, it the towns biggest employer. In 1965 productionstarted with the VW Beatle, today this is where the VW Passat is manufactured. Several supplier

companies have established themselves in the Frisia Industrial Park. Until the end of 2009ThyssenKrupp Nordseewerke was a big industrial employer. In January 2010 it changed ownersand now belongs to the SIAG Schaaf Industrie AG. In the course of this, a new company wasfounded: SIAG Nordseewerke GmbH. Due to the selling of the company, the number of originally1,400 employees was largely reduced.

Emden lading port the third biggest in Europe tranships great amounts of vehicles as well asforestry products, construction material and wind energy systems. The shipyards, the constructionand engineering industry, food business, fish processing, ship equipment business, shipyardsuppliers, especially in the field of navigation and communication technology, as well as tourismand other services are further important sectors. Emden supplied the final equipment for the second

of six cruise ships by Aida Cruises. The Aidabella attracted more than 25,000 people during itstwo-week lay period in the summer of 2008.


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FamousFilm director Wolfgang Petersen, comedians Otto Waalkes and Karl Dall, journalist, Sternmagazine founder and donor of the Emden Art Gallery, Henri Nannen, and boxing worldchampion Heidi Hartmann are among the towns most known sons and daughters. From a culinarypoint of view, the inhabitants of Emden prefer hearty food and fish: green cabbage with smokedpork chop, smoked sausage and bacon are just as popular as matie and prawns. Corn schnappsgoes best with the food and the green cabbage meal is often combined with the typical Frisianpast-time of bosseln (street bowling).

You shouldnt forget the following: Although both Emder and Emdener are the correct names for

the Emden inhabitants according to the dictionary, the only term that accepted is Emder.

Gifhorn

Gifhorn is known as the Town of Mills: In the last 20 years the International Open-Air MillMuseum was developed as the most remarkable site in Gifhorn. With its 16 mills from allaround the world, it is the biggest attraction at the Sdheide Gifhorn in the Lneburger Heide.Gifhorn is a district town located in the east of the federal state of Niedersachsen. It has around42,000 inhabitants and is situated 20 km north of Braunschweig and 15 km west of Wolfsburg, inthe river mouth angle of the Ise and the Aller. Apart from its Mill Museum, Gifhorn is also known for

its old town which is coined by half-timbered houses.EconomyIn Gifhorn industrialisation started with peat production, two chicory plants (chicory = coffeereplacement) and a brickyard. However, only the glassworks and a cannery were really successful.Today the towns biggest employers are IAV GmbH (engineering service provider for theautomotive industry) and a few automotive suppliers such as Continental Teves, ArvinMeritor andRcker AG. The majority of Gifhorn inhabitants works outside of town. Further companiesestablished themselves in the industrial area Unternehmenspark Gifhorn Sd which was founded in2009.

FamousGifhorn is the birth town of Anna Montanaro (musical singer). The town is also well-known for itsmarksmens festivals. The oldest list of marksmen originates from 1706. It is celebrated each year inthe week of the 18th of June in remembrance of the Battle of Waterloo; almost all Gifhorninhabitants were inducted to the army at that time.

In the past, Gifhorn was referred to as Zickenstadt (doe town). This term comes from a time whenthe goat was the poor mans cow. In Gifhorn there were a lot of these animals. Town marketingcommunicated this term in a positive way and even created a matching logo, which was howeverreplaced by the mill logo.


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Goslar

The Emperors Town of Goslar looks back on thousand years of history. The findings of thefirst silver veins probably enticed the Saxon and Salian Emperor to build his largest and safestfortress in Goslar. Throughout centuries it was the most preferential seat of government inGermanys north. At the same time the region developed itself as a centre of Christian belief.In fact, the town was referred to as the Rome of the North.The one-of-a-kind silhouette of Goslar is characterised by its 47 churches and chapels with theirnumerous towers. The sight of the towers of the five large parish churches, which can be marvelledat from the imperial palace high above, is still very impressive today. The many narrow, cobbledalleys of the old town, where every house tells its own story, are a real adventure. Quiet corners are

waiting to be discovered.Goslar is located between the northwest foothills of the Harz mountains and the town of Salzgitter.With a catchment area of around 250,000 inhabitants the town is an important centre in the Harzregion. Goslar itself has approx. 43,000 inhabitants. The closest towns are Hildesheim in thenorthwest (50 km), Salzgitter in the north (30 km), Wolfenbttel (35 km) and Braunschweig (50 km)in the northeast as well as Magdeburg (100 km) in the east and Gttingen (70 km) in thesouthwest.

The imperial palace erected on behalf of the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Henry III is stillone of the most famous sites today. From there you can also get a glimpse of the ore mineRammelsberg which was named a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site in 1992 together with the

medieval old town. As the only mine in the world, Rammelsberg was operated 1000 years; itwasnt closed down until 1988.

EconomyDue to the metal trade, Goslar had an important position within the Hanseatic League. Todaymedium-sized companies from the chemical industry as well as service providers, automobilesuppliers, crafts, tourism businesses and congress services dominate the towns economy. The well-known industrial area Bassgeige is the seat of 150 Goslar companies with more than 4,700 jobs.

FamousSigmar Gabriel (head of the SPD) and Aaron Hunt (football player at Werder Bremen) are among

the towns famous sons. In 1824 a famous poet, namely Heinrich Heine, visited Goslar and wroteabout the town in his Die Harzreise [Journey to the Harz Mountains]: Since our aunt has died,we can no longer go to the beautiful Schtzenhof in Goslar.

But Goslar is also known for its annual awarding of the Goslar Emperors Ring, an internationallyrecognised arts award granted to contemporary artists.


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Gttingen

As a university town and home of many important personalities, located between the Harzmountains and the Weser, Gttingen is the economic and cultural centre of southernNiedersachsen. The historical old town, the medieval town hall, the churches, half-timberedhouses and street cafs invite the towns guests to stroll, visit and stay. The rich cultural lifewith its theatres, orchestras, museums and festivals is well-known far beyond the town borders.Gttingen is located in the southeast of Niedersachsen and is the federal states fifth largest townwith approx. 121,000 inhabitants, following Hannover, Braunschweig, Osnabrck andOldenburg. Around 26,000 students are enrolled at Gttingen University. Major cities in the closevicinity are: Kassel (approx. 38 km southwest), Hildesheim (approx. 70 km north), Braunschweig

(approx. 92 km northeast), Erfurt (approx. 98 km southeast), Hannover (approx. 105 km north) andPaderborn (approx. 120 km northwest). Gttingen is located on the border of the Leine-Ilme hollowclose to the Gttingen Forest the rivers Leine, Weende, Lutter and Grone all flow through thetown. With its Georg-August-University, Gttingen is not only a university town with a long tradition(since 1737), but thanks to the excellence initiative, it is also the seat of an approved elitistuniversity. Gttingen has numerous renowned research institutions, a rich cultural offer and was andis the birth and working place of many important personalities, a number of Nobel Prize winnersamong them. The town is also an important economic location for the region.

EconomyGttingen is home to important research institutions such as five institutes of the Max-Planck-

Association, the German Aerospace Center, the German Primate Centre, the Laser LaboratoryGttingen, the Research Centre for Forest Ecosystems, the Academy of Sciences, the Association ofScientific Data Processing, the IWF Wissen and Medien GmbH as well as, of course, the universityclinic.

Gttingen is the seat of the regional Measurement Valley business association which includesnumerous companies and institutions that are also engaged in measuring technology. Satorius AGand the Mahr Group globally operating companies seated in Gttingen are among itsmembers. Further branches represented in the town are the optical industry (Zeiss, Linos), lasertechnology (Hindalco), logistics (Zufall), vacuum systems (Trinos) as well as press distribution(Tonollo).

FamousThe singer Herbert Grnemeyer was born in Gttingen. 44 Nobel Prize bearers researched resp.worked in Gttingen, including Gnter Grass, Robert Koch and Max Planck. From an athletic pointof view, Gttingen is currently very successful in basketball.


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Hameln

Hameln is the town of the famous Pied Piper and the centre of the Weserbergland. The PiedPiper of Hameln, who appeared in 1284, has been the towns symbol and known all overthe world for centuries. The Pied Piper Hall, the Pied Piper Open-Air Festival, the Ratsmusical and the Pied Piper Literature Award today Hameln could not be imagined without itsfamous legend.Hameln with its approx. 58,000 inhabitants is located in the southeast of Niedersachsen. Thetowns history goes back to the Stone Age. Hameln is part of the county of Hameln-Pyrmont and thecentre of the Weserbergland which stretches along the Weser from Hannoversch Mnden to theMinden area. Major cities in the close vicinity are Hannover and Hildesheim, each approx. 50 km

northeast resp. east, Bielefeld and Paderborn approx. 70 km southwest. Hameln is world-famousfor its Pied Piper saga and has been successfully including it in its town marketing for a long time.The result: 3.8 million day guests a year, who are just as fascinated about the closeness to thecountryside of the Weserbergland as they are about Hamelns legendary history with its pretty oldtown.

EconomyHameln is an economic location with a great variety of industries. There are numerous small andmedium-sized but also major companies such as BHW (part of Postbank). In the engineering sector,the plants of ABG Ingersoll-Rand Allg. Baumaschinen GmbH (part of Volvo), Reintjes GmbH andStephan-Werke are worth mentioning. Further large-scale companies are: Vorwerk Teppichwerke

GmbH & Co. KG (textile and carpet industry), Kampffmeyer-Wesermhlen Hameln, Vogeley GmbHand VITAM (food industry), E.ON Westfalen Weser AG (energy business), C. W. Niemeyer(publishing house and editor of the regional daily newspaper). In addition, there are a great numberof jobs depending on tourism.

FamousIf you think of Hameln, the first thing that comes to mind is the legend of the Pied Piper. It goes backto the excerpt Hmelschen Kinder published in the 13 th century. Today and from a historicalperspective, it is associated with the incentive of young people to settle in certain regions. In the19th century the Brothers Grimm changed the historical contents into the world-famous legend of thePied Pieper which has been translated into 30 languages. Angry about the fact that the inhabitants

of Hameln did not pay him for chasing rats, he lead the towns children away by playing his pipe,making them vanish forever. Today the figure of the Pied Piper has become an advertisingbestseller. For 700 years groups of amateur actors have been staging the legend at the open-airtheatre and fascinating tourists between the months of May and September. Among others, StefanWehmeier, International Chess Champion, is a famous personality of the town.


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Hann. Mnden

Where Werra and Fulda meet to kiss... Alexander von Humboldt referred to the town atthe meeting point of the rivers Werra, Fulda and Weser as one of the seven most beautifullylocated towns of the world. With more than 700 lovingly restored houses, the town, which iscompletely surrounded by water, is a framework town of European rank. Impressive buildingsof the Weser Renaissance, towers and ruins of the historical town wall coin the medievalimage of the town, just like the modern, interactive fountains.Niedersachsens most southern town, Mnden (postal. Hann. Mnden, former HannoverschMnden) has 25,000 inhabitants and is located in the southern part of Niedersachsen, on theborder with Hessen. Major cities in the close vicinity are Gttingen (approx. 23 kilometres) and

Kassel (approx. 17 kilometres). Due to its location on the three rivers Werra, Fulda and Weser thetown also likes to call itself Three-River-Town. Furthermore, the Framework Jewel assemblesaround 700 half-timbered buildings from six centuries in its old town. For the maintenance andprotection of this cultural possession, Hann. Mnden was appointed Europa Nostra by the EUand an association of monument conservation organisations. Hann. Mnden was also involved indeveloping the idea of the German Framework Road.

Apart from its attractive buildings, the town is very close to the countryside, namely the KaufungerWald, the Reinhardswald and the Bramwald, which makes it even more popular as a touristdestination. The Weser-Harz-Heide cycle track as well as journeys by boat guarantee diversifiedleisure time activities.

EconomyThe economic location of Hann. Mnden offers a varied landscape of industries. Companies of thepackaging sector (Haendler & Natermann and Knppel Verpackung GmbH & Co. KG) and foilmanufacturing as well as the plastic and rubber industry (Mndener Gummiwerk GmbH and EatonFluid Power GmbH), industrial metal processing (Weser-Metall-Umformtechnik GmbH & Co) andplant culture (Ernst Benary Samenzucht GmbH) are seated in the town. Craft, retail business and theservice and tourist sector are also important economic factors. In March 2008 many companiesfrom Hann. Mnden joined together as Mndener Gilde e.V., an association of the Mndeneconomy in order to strengthen the locations economic success by means of joint entrepreneurialactivities. Among others, the Mndener Gilde includes bakers, banks and roofing companies, i.e.

the most different industries.FamousJohann Andreas Eisenbart is the most famous personality who lived in the town for a certain amountof time. He was an exceptionally talented and inventive medical practitioner and travelled throughmany places to heal the sick. On 11 th November 1727 he deceased in the former guesthouseZum wilden Mann in Hann. Mnden. In the months of summer a theatre play on the life and workof Doctor Eisenbart is performed in front of the town hall of Hann. Mnden each year.


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Hannover

Hannover distinguishes itself by means of its diversity: a major city in the countryside,international trade fair town, attractive sports location, diversified town of high-class. Hereyou can have great celebrations in the royal gardens or go on a relaxed stroll through thehistorical old town.Hannover is the capital of the federal state of Niedersachsen, founded in 1946. With its around520,000 inhabitants it is northern Germanys biggest town, with the exception of Hamburg. Themetropolis of Niedersachsen is located in the intersection of important national and internationaltraffic ways, such as the crossing of the A2 and the A7. The Mittelland Canal represents the east-west-connection. It is around 90 minutes by speed train to the capital of Germany Berlin and 75

minutes to the northern towns of Hamburg and Bremen. With the car it only takes around two hoursto the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The closest towns are Hildesheim (30 km), Braunschweig (55km) and Celle (37 km).

More than eleven percent of the town area of 200 square metres is green spaces, which is whyHannover is often referred to as a large city in the countryside. Its town forest Eilenriese measures650 hectares and is therefore twice as large as Central Park in New York.

EconomyHannover is the seat of different well-known industrial businesses: Continental AG, VolkswagenNutzfahrzeuge, Wabco, Komatsu Hanomag and MTU. The food industry is represented byBahlsen, Harry-Brot, Gilde and the Herrenhuser Brewery. But the Hannover population also likes topoint out major names in other branches, e.g. there are many financial services such as AWD,Nord LB, VHV, KKH, Hannover Rck, HDI und Talanx. Furthermore, there is the tourist corporationTui with the flight company Tuifly and the New Economy is represented by the online tyre dealerDelticom AG. As the worlds largest trade fair town, Hannover is the site of the Cebit, HannoverMesse, Domotex and the IAA Nutzfahrzeuge.

Apart from Leibniz University students are offered the University of Applied Sciences Hannover(FHH), the Medical University Hannover (MHH), the Veterinarian University (TiHo), the HMT, theAcademy of Music and Hannover Theatre. Hannover has around 30,000 students altogether.

FamousThe inventor of pale ale, Bord Broyhan, Adolf Freiherr von Knigge, Kurt Schwitters, who developeda specific direction of Dadaism, and Rudolf Augstein, who founded the magazine Der Spiegel in1947 in Hannover, are among Hannovers famous sons. Illustrator Uli Stein, author Alexa Hennigvon Lange, footballer Per Mertesacker and comedian Oliver Pocher are well-known livingHannoveranians. Internationally known groups such as the Scorpions, Fury in the Slaughterhouse,Terry Hoax, Mousse T and Jane also come from Hannover.

Hannover also is a town of sports because it is the home of the Bundesliga football club Hannover96 and the ice-hockey teams Indians and Scorpions. The universal scholar Leibniz worked half hislife in Hannover. This is why, from the beginning of this century, Hannover has been referring toitself as Leibniz-Town.


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HildesheimHildesheim is a town with a diversified history, culture and an active economic life. Of thefive Roman churches of the town, the dome and St. Michaels church belong to the UNESCOWold Heritage.Hildesheim is a medium-sized town in Niedersachsen with around 130,000 inhabitants. Largercities in the close vicinity are Salzgitter (30 km) and Hannover (20 km). With the Hildesheim Forest,the surroundings offer a lot of countryside. Hildesheim is a Catholic Bishops seat (dioceseHildesheim) and a university town. The town is famous for its sacral buildings.

EconomyThe economic location of Hildesheim offers a great number of small and medium-sized companies.Globally operating companies are also represented, including Robert Bosch GmbH, AlcoaFastening Systems, Coca Cola AG, Blaupunkt GmbH as well as Arwed Lseke Papierverarbeitungund Druckerei GmbH, among others.

FamousOf all historical buildings the old marketplace with the famous Knochenhauer-Amtshaus is aspecial eye catcher. It was once even referred to as the worlds most beautiful marketplace byWilhelm von Humboldt.

From an athletic point of view, the VfV swimmers Christin Zenner and Katharina Schiller are well-known. They were very successful during the Championships 2008 and qualified for the OlympicGames. The VfV swimmer Sara Harstick won Bronze at the Olympic Games 2000 in Sydneytogether with van Almsick, Dallmann and Buschschulte. Furthermore, Hellas 1899 Hildesheimplayed in the 1st Water Polo Bundesliga between 2006 and 2008.

The SPD politician Hubertus Heil and the model and actress Diane Kruger as well as the filmproducer Erich Pommer, who held a share in films such as The Blue Angel and Metropolis, areamong the towns famous sons and daughters.

Lingen

A great number of historical buildings, an idyllic natural landscape with 220 kilometres ofsignposted cycle and hiking tracks, an international theatre atmosphere, a music scene fromclassic to rock, thats what Lingen has to offer. Furthermore, the town is situated on theOrange Route, an association of towns in the Netherlands and Germany, which areconnected with the Orange family.Lingen is a town with around 57,000 inhabitants, located in the west of Niedersachsen on theEms, close to the Dutch border. Although Lingen is the largest town of the county with the mosteconomic power, it belongs to the district of Meppen - due to its central location.


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EconomySince the Second World War, Lingen has been known as the centre of the German oil industry.Today gas and oil are still won at the location, since 2003 it is being produced by Gaz de FranceProduktion Exploration Deutschland GmbH. The oil refinery Emsland (BP Lingen) offers fuel, lightheating oil and liquid gas from German and foreign oil. Furthermore, ROSEN Technology andResearch Center GmbH is an important service provider for the pipeline industry. With the oil plantEmsland and the nuclear power plant Emsland RWE Power AG is an important employer in theregion. In 2009 a gas and steam power plant is supposed to be launched. Therefore numerouscompanies established themselves in the industrial park Lingen-Sd: the fuel assemblies plantAdvanced Nuclear Fuels of Areva NP, the electric steel plant of Benteler AG, Dralon GmbH of theFraver Corpororation with the production of acrylic fibres, a Baerlocher plantproducing additives

for the plastic industry, a plant of the industrial goods corporation Atlas Copco for the production ofroad milling machines as well as the regional offices of the discounter Aldi-North including a large-scale central warehouse.

FamousLingen is known as one of the few Catholic strongholds of Niedersachsen. While the number ofCatholics in the whole Emsland is around 80 percent, in Lingen it is slightly lower with 60 percent.The multiple Paralympics winner Errol Marklein, the athlete, Vice World Champion and EuropeanChampion Ingo Schultz and the footballer Michael Rensing (FC Bayern Mnchen) are among thetowns famous sons.

Lneburg

The salt and hanseatic town of Lneburg was mentioned for the first time in connection withthe saline (plant for salt production) in the year 956. The town is located on the edge ofLneburger Heide between Hamburg and Hannover.The hanseatic and university town of Lneburg (Low German Lmborg) with its around 72,000inhabitants is Niedersachsens third largest town. It is located around 50 kilometres south ofHamburg on the edge of the Lneburger Heide which was named after the town on the river ofIlmenau. Lneburg has the status of a large, independent town and is the district town of the districtLneburg.

Lneburg is one of the few towns of northern Germany whose historical core was not destroyed bythe Second World War. However, neglecting the building substance up to the 1960s anddamaging of the depression area above the saline resulted in gaps in the historical townscape.That led to different ideas about how to improve the living situation. One seriously discussed suggestion was to pull down the whole old town and replace it with modern buildings. Due toprotests by the population Lneburg became the crystallisation point for a new idea: monumentconservation. Since the beginning of the 1970s Lneburg was carefully and lovingly restored. Thisbrought about findings of ceiling paintings, medieval potteries and many historical soak-awayswhich were previously hidden, which created a better image of life in the Middle Ages. TodayLneburg is a tourist attraction due to these restorations and important parts of the economy are

directed to tourism. Since 5 th October 2007 Lneburg is allowed to call itself Hanseatic Town.


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EconomyApart from tourism and mechatronics, environmental technology, nutrition business, information andcommunication are further important business sectors of Lneburg. The medium-sized producingcompanies and small businesses still play a strong part in the economic activities. Changes andimpulses also come from Lneburg University which adds to the animating diversity of the region.Important companies are fashion producer Roy Robson, De-Vau-Ge Gesundkostwerk, as Germanysbiggest manufacturer of vegetarian food, and the dairy company which produces Lbebestproducts. In the industrial area the biggest companies are the vehicle interior specialist JohnsonControls, H.B. Fuller, Impreglon AG, and Sieb & Meyer AG as industry electronics provider. Theworlds oldest family-run printing company Sternsche Druckerei, which was founded in 1614, canalso be found in Lneburg.

Furthermore, since 1978 the town has been the headquarters of the Seminaris congress hotelgroup. In the field of technologies and services the innovation and founding centre e-novum, whichis intent on promoting young companies, is worth mentioning. Werum Software & Systems AG isLneburgs biggest company in the field of information and communication technology.

FamousSurely, the sociologist Niklas Luhmann, founder of system theory, is the towns most famous son. TheLneburg cult band Top for Tea dedicated a love song to the town with its Lneburg anthem Dieschnste Stadt der Welt

The Lneburg Ratssilber is the largest preserved silver treasure of a German town. All of its piecesoriginate from the time between 1443 and 1620. The originals of the Ratssilber cannot be visitedin Lneburg, however, but at the Museum of Applied Arts in Berlin.

With one pub concession per 200 inhabitants, Lneburg claims to be Germanys town with themost pubs, second in Europe following Madrid. Once there were more than 80 breweries in thetown. The biggest and best-known was the Kronen Brewery of 1485 in Heiligengeiststrae wherebeers such as the Lneburger Kronen-Pilsener and Moravia Pilsener, which are very famous innorthern Germany, were brewed. Today these beers are brewed by Holsten-Brauerei AG inHamburg and only two smaller pub-breweries are left in Lneburg.

Lneburg is also known for the following specialties: firstly, for its lamb dish Heidschnuckenbraten

and secondly for Stint, a small fish which is caught in spring. A further culinary rarity is aregionally diverging, Danish influenced version of Labskaus (Skipperlabskovs, colloquially referredto as Gammel danske kaus). Green cabbage with Bregen sausage is the traditional meal onChristmas Eve.


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Oldenburg

Oldenburg is a city of diversity: walk through the pretty pedestrian zone, cycle through thegarden variety or visit the towns many exciting museums.Oldenburg (Flat German Ollnborg, Sater Frisian Ooldenbuurich) is a county borough inNiedersachsen, 45 kilometres west of Bremen. The city is located in the lowlands, mainly on the leftbank of the Hunte, on the river mouth of the Haaren, 23.5 km from the Hunte mouth at Elsfleth, andaround 90 km from the open North Sea. Larger towns in the close vicinity are Wilhelmshaven, 50km north, Osnabrck, around 100 km south and Groningen, around 110 km west. According tothe main statutes of the town it is called Oldenburg (Oldb.). The university town and formerresidency town of the county, the dukedom, the grand duchy, the free state and country of

Oldenburg (this explains the addition of Oldb.) with its around 160,000 inhabitants, is the fourthbiggest town of Niedersachsen, following Hannover, Braunschweig and Osnabrck, as well as oneof the regional centres of the federal state.

EconomyThe university town of Oldenburg is the economic, administrative and cultural centre of the Weser-Ems-Region. Many banks and insurances have their headquarters in the service metropolisOldenburg and various administrations and jurisdictions can be found, too. Large manufacturingbusinesses have also established themselves in Oldenburg: Bsing und Fasch, chemistry business,CeWe Color AG & Co, Charisma Technologies, producers of home electronics (3D TV), BuddeleiMode, headquarters and logistics centre (with its brands Gina Laura), EWE Aktiengesellschaft with

the subsidiaries EWE TEL GmbH, BTC AG and NaturWatt GmbH, Nanu Nana, RedDot SolutionsAG.

With the Carl von Ossietzky University with 10.000 students, three universities of applied sciencesand more than 70 general, vocational and professional schools, Oldenburg is the regionseducational centre. It also is the Town of Science 2009. The Nordwest-Zeitung is the dailynewspaper for Oldenburg and the Oldenburger Land.

FamousThe literary scholar Paul Raabe was born and Dieter Bohlen was brought up in Oldenburg. Itsinhabitants often combine the meal of green cabbage, which is very popular in northern Germany,

with a so called Kohlfahrt, a cabbage tour. The participants make their way to the restaurantwhere the actual meals takes place, mostly with a pushcart full of alcoholic drinks. Often, peoplealso play bosseln, a kind of street bowling, and various drinking games. After the meal, theCabbage King and Queen are appointed. They have to organise the Kohlfahrt in the next year.Further culinary specialties are asparagus, Mock turtle soup and Labskaus.


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Osnabrck

Pax optima rerum - peace is the supreme good. This understanding was achieved at the endof the Thirty Years War in 1648 and was the main message of the Treaty of Westphaliawhich was negotiated in Mnster and Osnabrck. Surrounded by medieval alleys, thehistorical town hall with its hall of peace can be found in the old town of Osnabrck. Sincethe beginning of 2008 Osnabrck has been a member of the league of towns namedHistoric Highlights of Germany. Each of these 14 member cities has coined the history ofGermany and provided architectural and artistic references, inviting visitors to take a trip tothe past.Osnabrck is a county borough in Niedersachen with currently around 163,000 inhabitants. The

town is located between Mnster and Bremen, on the border of North-Rhine Westphalia. FollowingHannover and Braunschweig, it is Niedersachsens third biggest town and one of theregionalcentres of the federal state. The town is situated on the bank of the Hase in Osnabrcker Land,amidst the Osnabrck Hgelland, between the mountain range of the Wiehengebirge in the northand the Teutoburger Wald in the south. The name Osnabrck probably originates from theconnection of the Low German words Ossen (ox) and Brgge (bridge): it goes back to an oldlong-distance trade route which crossed the Hase at a ford. According to other explanations, thename goes back to the Germanic Osna, an old name for the river Hase.

With its byname Town of Peace the town still feels obligated to a strong culture of peace today.Various so called sites of peace are based on the commitment for tolerance, intercultural

understanding and support of peace research and human rights policies. This includes the GermanFoundation for the Environment, the German Foundation for Peace Research, the Erich-Maria-Remarque Peace Centre, the international child aid organisation terre des homes as well as theFelix-Nussbaum-House which was built according to the plans of the American star architect DanielLibeskind. Despite of the great destruction of the Second World War, during which around 95percent of the medieval old town and more than 65 percent of the residual town were destroyed byallied air raids, you can find a lot of restored buildings from classicist and rococo times as well ashalf-timbered houses. Since there are more than in any other German town, Osnabrck is alsoreferred to as the capital of stone works.

From a cultural perspective Osnabrck also has a lot to offer. The Week of Different Cultures in thesummer months with a great number of events, and the European Media Art Festival aninternational festival of media art which has been taking place once a year since 1981, are annualhighlights.

EconomyOsnabrck is the regional centre for the southwest part of Niedersachsen and parts of the adjoiningWestphalia. Many people from the surrounding communities work in the city or use it as a shoppingand event centre. With its industrial character Osnabrck is an important location for the metal andlogistics sector. The biggest companies are KM Europa Metal and Hellmann Worldwide Logisticsas well as the globally operating forwarding companies Meyer & Meyer, Sostmeier and KochInternational.


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Further important businesses with headquarters in Osnabrck are: the confectionary Coppenrath &Wiese, the drug store company Ihr Platz, the automotive supplier Wilhelm Karmann, the constructioncompany Kster, NordWestBahn, Pipenbrock who are working in the field of buildingmanagement, the shoe trade company Reno Group as well as Wessels + Mller, a company forvehicle parts. Around 18,000 students are enrolled at the University of Osnabrck and theUniversity of Applied Sciences.

FamousSurely, the author Erich Maria Remarque, whose book All quiet on the Western Front made itsway around the world in 1929 and was later also made into a film, is the towns most famous son.

In 1991 his home town established the Erich-Maria-Remarque Peace Prize. Every two years thetown honours belletrist, journalistic and scientific works understandable to the general public, whichdeal with the topics of internal and external peace.

The inhabitants of Osnabrck are known as measured (typical of northern Germans) and inventive atthe same time. Apart from green cabbage and the black bread Pumpernickel, which are popularin northern Germany, the Ramanken Soup is known as a speciality. The traditional autumn mealconsists of turnips which are referred to as Ramanken in northern Germany. Further ingredients arepotatoes, beans, peas, carrots, leach and seller and sweet, cooked pears for the special taste. Aroll speciality, which is only known in the Osnabrck area, is the Springbrtchen which owes itsname to the chapped surface of the rolls. Especially at carnival time, Hedeweggen, a kind ofpastry similar to a bun, is served with tea and coffee.

Papenburg

Papenburg is Germanys oldest and longest bog settlement and was founded according to theDutch model by Dietrich von Velen. Papenburg is the most northern town of the Emsland,directly on the border to Ostfriesland.Papenburg is located on the Ems in the west of Niedersachsen, north of the county of Emsland, andis known throughout the nation due to the Meyer Werft which specialises in the construction ofcruise ships. Papenburg has around 35,000 inhabitants.

On 4th April 1630 Bishop Ferdinand of Mnster enfeoffed his assistant Dietrich von Velen and hisdescendants with the castle and the estate of Papenburg. That year is generally referred to as thefounding year of the town which was later known as Papenburg. On 1 st August 1860 the RoyalHannover Interior Ministry allowed the acceptance of the city order of 1885. This is howPapenburg became a city.

The city image of Papenburg is coined by canals. For a long time they were the main axes ofdevelopment. Originally, canals were created to transport peat. In this process, the cargo bargeswere towed across the canals by horses or people. The network of canals stretches from the harbourin the northwest to the coast canal in the southeast, around 14 kilometres away. Some canals bearreconstructions of traditional cargo boats. At the Open-Air Ship Museum visitors will find old

Papenburg ships, reconstructed according to original plans, which anchored for eternity.


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The Von-Velen Estate is named after the founder of the town. This is where Papenburg shows itsoriginal self. The Papenbrger Hus is the showpiece of the small open-air museum. It was builtaround 1820.

The Documentation and Information Centre Emslandlager (DIZ) was established in 1985 by aprivate association with the help of former prisoners. It deals with the history of the Emslandlagerprison operated by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945. Furthermore, the PapenburgerZeitspeicher, a one-of-a-kind interactive visitor information centre, was created in 2004.

EconomyThe economy of Papenburg is mainly coined by industry. The most important economic sectors are

ship construction, the automotive supply business and tourism. The textile industry, horticulture andvehicle inspection are further branches. Once or twice a year the Ems is dammed by the barrage inGandersum to enable the Meyer Werft to transport its ships to the North Sea. Papenburg has adock harbour where coastal motor boats and inland navigation vessels tranship bulk commodities,for example peat. Important companies are: Meyer Werft, Kolbenschmidt-Gleitlager, ADOGardinenwerke, Men2000 Catering GmbH & Co KG, Prokon Nord (biomass heating plant),EMS Precab GmbH & Co. KG, Schulte & Bruns Hafenumschlag, Johann Bunte GmbH&Co, ATPAutomotive Testing Papenburg, Salamander Industrie-Produkte GmbH Papenburg, Emsland Paneele,Gartenbauzentrale Papenburg and other small, medium-sized and larger industrial and commercialbusinesses.

Stade

The hanseatic town of Stade (Low German: Stood) is the district town of the county of Stadein Niedersachsen, located between Cuxhaven and Hamburg. The town has approx. 46,000inhabitants and was granted the byname of hanseatic town as a former member of theHanseatic League.Stade is situated on the river Schwinge between Altes Land and Kehdingen, close to the LowerElbe. The surrounding countryside is mainly flat marshland (Elbmarschen). The town is located on asandy plateau spur of the Stader Geest protruding into the countryside, which towers up to 14

metres above the marsh. Stade is possibly the oldest town of northern Germany. The first settlersalready arrived in the area around 1000 B.C. In the time of 800 A.D. a settlement with a boatstation, meaning a simple inland port, was created. In 994 the settlement was looted by the Vikingsand Stade was referred to as Stethu for the first time. At around 1000 the old harbour wascreated and replaced the natural port.


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The points of interest in Stade include the whole old town with its picturesque half-timbered housesof which a few originate from the time before the great fire of 1659. Shortly after the end of theThirty Year War the fire destroyed two thirds of all buildings.As a co-founder of the HanseaticLeague, Stade continuously saw itself as a hanseatic town and used this term unofficially. In 2005several efforts and applications were made for the granting of the title. In December 2008 Stadethen became an official hanseatic town once more and is now the second town of Niedersachsen,following Lneburg, to bear this title.

EconomyStade has more than 3,700 companies with more than 23,000 employees. In the industrial area of

Stade-Btzfleth on the Elbe there are e.g. Dow Deutschland, Aluminium Oxid Stade GmbH and thenuclear power plant Stade, which is currently being deconstructed. Further companies are: AirbusDeutschland GmbH, Eon, Air Liquide industrielle Gase GmbH & Co. KG or Air Products &Chemicals, to name a few.

In mid-2010 Stade established a new research centre, the CFK Nord, which deals with theapplication of carbon fibre materials in the aerospace and automotive industry. Furthermore, the EUand the federal state of Niedersachsen are promoting the industrial location with the stade-project2021, the chemical park ChemCoast Park Stade, which will be developed on the coast aroundDow, being its central element.

FamousStade is famous for its flowering trees: in spring time the Elbe area between Stade and Hamburgturns into a sea of apple, cherry and plum blossoms. The regions alcoholic specialties are theAltlnder Apfelbrand and the Stadter Eierbier. This is a boiled mixture of eggs, sugar, cinnamonand beer. The old town offers many restaurants in historical buildings worth taking a break withcoffee and self-baked fruit cake. The Altlnder Hochzeitssuppe (wedding soup) is also highlyrecommended.

Verden

Verden has a worldwide reputation as riders town and is visited by many people fromGermany and abroad. With more than 90,000 overnight stays and a great number of dayguests, the towns tourism is highly potential. The best way to approach the 1000-year-oldtown is from the water side either by boat or by bike on the Weser and Aller cycle track.Verden is located on the Aller, right before it flows into the Weser, around 35 km south of Bremenand 90 km northwest of Hannover. Especially the Gothic dome and the old town situated on theAller with the Roman St. Andrews church, where the memorial slab of Bishop Yso is kept, St. Johnschurch, probably the oldest brick church in northern Germany, and the old town hall, are especiallyworth a visit. The old town of Verden has the only John Lennon monument in Germany. It waserected in memory of the shooting of the film How I won the war which John Lennon acted in. Thisshooting partly took place in the old town of Verden. The city also hosts Germanys only Horse

Museum.


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EconomyIts central location in northern Germany and the good traffic connection favoured the townsdevelopment into a busy commercial centre in one of the most powerful economic counties ofnorthern Germany. The economy focuses on export oriented companies of pet food production,special machine engineering and electronic industry. The riders town of Verden has also developedinto a centre for animal breeding. The local associations and businesses of horse and cattlebreeding, training and marketing rendered the town a sales and marketing centre known all overthe world.

FamousHannover horses, one of the worlds most important breeds of horses, come from Verden. In cattle

breeding, the Holstein breed is known, in particular.

Wilhelmshaven

Wilhelmshaven, the Maritime Mile Wilhelmshaven is Germanys only deep water port, thelargest naval base and the biggest port of oil transhipment. The core of the tourism sector,which was developed throughout the last years, is the Wilhelmshaven South Beach, sunnyside and popular attraction for Wilhelmshaven inhabitants and guests alike.Wilhelmshaven is a county borough in the northwest of Germany. It is strongly characterised by thesurrounding marshland. Wilhelmshaven is located on the north-western coast of the Jadebusen, an

expansive North Sea bay. With around 81,000 inhabitants it is one of Niedersachsens largesttowns. The closest larger town is Oldenburg (around 40 kilometres south).

Ever since the initiation of the first German war port on the Jade on 17 th June 1869, the townshistory has been closely connected to the foundation and development of the German navy. Today,the town still is Germanys largest naval basis. Due to its close connection with the navy the townhad to experience a change from economic high-times (before the two World Wars) to decline anddestruction twice, in 1918 and 1945. During the Second World War the structure of the town wasstrongly destructed by more than 100 air raids. The heaviest attack from above on 15th October1944 destroyed the old Wilhelmshaven. By the end of the war 60 percent of living space was inruins. The comparatively low number of air raid victims (435) was owed to the towns many air raid

shelters.EconomyAfter the Second World War the town succeeded in building up a wide economic structure. It isrepresented by the oil harbour and the major plants of the petrochemical industry in the north of thetown. Altogether 80 percent of oil transhipment at all German seaports and almost 28 percent ofthe German crude oil import is operated via Wilhelmshaven. There are oil pipelines to refineries inthe Rhein-Ruhr area and to Hamburg. The deep navigable water of the Jade coins the economy andis the basis for major companies of the petrochemical, chemical and power generating industry aswell as further maritime sectors (repair shipyards, naval equipment) settling. The biggest metalemployer in Wilhelmshaven is Manitowoc Crane Group Germany GmbH, a worldwide leading

manufacturer of hydraulic mobile cranes.


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Apart from the private economy, the German army is an important economic factor as an employer

and customer in Wilhelmshaven. Statistically it employs every tenth inhabitant. The town on theNorth Sea also hosts numerous scientific research institutions: the Senckenberg-Institute for MaritimeGeology and Biology, the Ornithological Institute, the German Wind Energy Institute, the researchinstitute Terramare and the University of Applied Sciences Oldenburg/Ostfriesland/Wilhelmshavenare located in Wilhelmshaven.

Due to its location Wilhelmshaven also profits from tourism on the North Sea coast. With itsshopping possibilities, its tourist institutions and the transport to the open sea island Helgoland, thetown mainly attracts holiday makers from the surrounding seaside resorts. With the Expo am Meer(Expo at the sea), the most extensive decentral project of the World Exhibition in Hannover in2000, the town took advantage of the opportunity to increase its popularity on a national and

international level. The German deep sea port, the JadeWeserPort, is a future-oriented plan for thewhole region. This is where the worlds biggest container ships will unload their cargo from 2012on.

FamousAthletes from Wilhelmshaven are successful in different disciplines and all age groups withchampionship titles on a national and international level. Whether it is chess, swimming, track andrun or disabled sports the winnings underline that Wilhelmshaven also is an athletic town.Wilhelmshaven is also often referred to as Schlicktau or Schlicktown by locals and others. Thename Schlicktau goes back to the Royal Navy and combines an allusion to the mud of theWilhelmshaven tidal flats as well as the end of the word for the capital of the former colony

Kiautschou in China, Tsingtau.

Wolfenbttel

Former Welf Residence and lively half-timbered town between the Harz mountains and theheath for more than three centuries Wolfenbttel was the home of the Dukes ofBraunschweig and Lneburg, a centre of intellectual life and fine arts. Today, the famousHerzog August Library and the Lessinghaus are evidence of the past. In WolfenbttelMichael Praetorius composed his music, Leibniz worked and Lessing wrote Nathan theWise.The district town of Wolfenbttel, which is located on the Oker, has around 54,000 inhabitants.The town is situated 12 km south of Braunschweig, around 60 km southeast of the capital of thefederal state, Hannover, and very close to Salzgitter in the northeast. Further towns are BadHarzburg, Goslar, Hildesheim, Peine and Wolfsburg. Altogether 600 restored half-timbered housesgive the old town of Wolfenbttel its very own charm. Between 1432 and 1754 the Dukes ofBraunschweig-Lneburg resided at Wolfenbttel Castle. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing worked as alibrarian at the famous Herzog August Library and also wrote his famous drama Nathan the Wisein Wolfenbttel. Very unique in Germany, the old residency town of Wolfenbttel is coined by thespecial interplay of history, the present and the future.


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The towns name Wolfenbttel is made up of the basic word Bttel and the defining wordWolfen. The defining word does not originate from the word wolf, it is the old version of thename of a settler called Wulferi who settled at the ford on the Oker and is supposed to be thefounder of the settlement Wulferis Buttle.

EconomyWolfenbttel is the seat of a few known companies, led by the Mast-Jgermeister AG that producesits worldwide successful herb liquor Jgermeister according to a secret recipe of 56 different herbs,flowers and roots in Wolfenbttel. The MKN Maschinenfabrik Kurt Neubauer GmbH & Co., whichis also located in Wolfenbttel, produces commercial kitchen appliances for top hotels and

restaurants, for canteens as well as for Michelin star or system gastronomy all around the world. Asone of Europes leading logistics service providers in the core branches of chemistry and steel,Lehnkering is also located in Wolfenbttel, and so is Welger Maschinenfabrik GmbH a leadingmanufacturer of compaction technology for harvested agricultural goods as well as industrialmaterial.

FamousThe Castle of Wolfenbttel is home to the countrys only high baroque state apartment. At the timeof Duke August the once biggest collection of books in Europe was referred to as the 8 th wonder ofthe world. Today it is the home of a modern research library of international renown with aninventory of approx. 1,000,000 books, whereas around 350,000 books originate from the 15 th to

the 18th century. One of the librarys treasures is Henry the Lions gospel, auctioned in 1983 inLondon for a round 16 million Euros one of the greatest and art-historically valuable scripts of theMiddle Ages, which has found its final residence in Wolfenbttel. In 1770 Gotthold EphraimLessing lived and worked at the Herzog August Library as a librarian. This is where he wrote hisworks Nathan the Wise and Emilia Galotti, among others. Before that, Gottfried WilhelmLeibniz was the librarian of the Herzog August Library in 1691. Furthermore, it is also proven thatGiacomo Casanova visited Wolfenbttel in the mid-18th century.

Wolfsburg

The towns motto Joy of Discovering accurately describes the change in Wolfsburg.Wolfsburg is one of the few Germany towns founded in the 20 th century. From its foundationon 1st July 1938 until 25th May 1945 it had the name of Stadt des KdF-Wagens beiFallersleben and was supposed to become the place of residence for employees of theVolkswagen plant which produced the KdF vehicle (VW Beetle) at that time. The countyborough received the name of Wolfsburg on 25th May 1945. Today around 120,000people live in the shade of the Castle Wolfsburg.After Hannover, Braunschweig, Osnabrck, Oldenburg and Gttingen, Wolfsburg isNiedersachsens sixth largest town. The closest towns are Braunschweig, around 26 kilometressouthwest, Magdeburg, around 64 kilometres southeast and Hannover, around 74 kilometres west.In 1972 Wolfsburgs number of inhabitants exceeded the limit of 100,000, granting it the name ofmajor city.


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On 26th May 1938 the foundation stone for the Volkswagen plant was laid on the northern side ofthe Mittelland Canal. In order to host the required workers, the new Stadt des KdF-Wagens wasfounded in the close vicinity. The area was located on the developing Mittelland Canal, with traintracks and a large road crossing, and the motorway being only 17 km away. During the SecondWorld War the newly constructed vehicle plant mainly served the armaments industry. On 25 th May1945 it was renamed to Wolfsburg on demand of the British occupying power. It therebyreceived its final name after the castle Wolfsburg resp. its location on the Aller. In 1955 themillionth beetle was manufactured in Wolfsburg. In 1960 the Volkswagenwerk GmbH wasconverted into a stock company. As a profession of sympathy for the new VW Golf V, in 2003 thetown welcomed its guests with the name Golfsburg on the internet, the town stationary and the

place-name signs.EconomyThe Volkswagen AG is the biggest employer in Wolfsburg by far. The worlds largest cohesiveautomotive plant has a production capacity of more than 30,000 vehicles per day. At the location,the Golf, Golf Plus as well as the Touran and Tiguan are produced. Apart from vehicle production,component manufacturing is a sector of the plants in Wolfsburg. The components produced here,such as transmission joint shafts or moulded parts, are either used for own production or delivered toother locations of the group. In 2007 around 655,000 vehicles, including the Touran and theTiguan, were produced. Almost 50,000 people work at the Volkswagen plant.

FamousAugust Heinrich Hoffmann, known as Hoffmann von Fallersleben, German scholar, linguist,librarian, (song) poet (The Song of the Germans) was born in Fallersleben (today it is a part ofWolfsburg) on 2nd April 1798. The rock band Oomph! refers to Wolfsburg as its birth place.Designed by the architect Zaha Hadid, the Phaeno was opened up in Wolfsburg on24.11.2005. This walk-in sculpture is the home of the unique experimenting landscape with 300interactive phenomena to admire and try out. The Phaeno makes basic topics from natural sciencesand technology understandable for anybody. The Autostadt invites its visitors to a journey throughthe world of mobility. Landscape architecture, design and nature in a 40 hectare lagoon create theframework for diversified attractions.

1974 was not only a historical year for the VW plant and Wolfsburg: it was the first time a VWcurry sausage landed on a plate. Ever since, it started its triumphal march through Germany as aninsiders tip. Around two million sausages are produced by the companys own butchers shop a

year. Just like the famous VW ketchup, it is also known outside the VW plant today.

ContactSara HonerkampPresse I ffentlichkeitsarbeit

0511 / 270488 [email protected]


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