Cows, cars and more
November 18, 2009
Lower Saxony is the second-largest German state in terms of area, after Bavaria. It runs all the way from the North Sea to the Harz mountain range.
The state is rich in horses, and even has a vaulting steed on its coat of arms. It has a bigger agriculture industry than most other German states. But thanks to the automobile industry, Lower Saxony has weathered some deep structural changes.
Home to VW, CeBIT
Carmaker Volkswagen is headquartered in the city of Wolfsburg. There is a saying that goes, "when Wolfsburg coughs, Lower Saxony catches the flu." More than 50 million VWs have already come off the assembly line there. A quarter of industrial jobs are tied to the automobile industry and its subcontractors.
Lower Saxony is also a top-rung agricultural state. It is the leading producer of potatoes, chickens and turkeys. Meanwhile, the state capital, Hanover, is known for hosting trade fairs. Probably the best known is CeBIT, the world’s largest technology fair.
Known for its natural beauty
University towns like Braunschweig and Goettingen are centers of research. Hildesheim has churches that are listed as UN World Heritage sites. And culturally, Lower Saxony has quite a lot to offer.
But it is probably the natural beauty of Lower Saxony that attracts the most tourists. The North Sea coast, with the East Frisian islands of Borkum, Juist, Norderney, Baltrum, Langeoog, Spiekeroog and Wangerooge are important to the region’s tourism. Together with the heaths in Lueneburg, the Harz Mountains and the Weser mountain range - not to mention the riveres Elbe and Ems - make for a varied landscape.
The people from Lower Saxony are known for being direct and a bit stubborn. Another well-known attribute - their sense of humor - isn't visible at first glance, but its clear once you get to know them. Just think of the "lying" Baron von Munchhausen, the adventurer and practical joker Till Eulenspiegel, the author Wilhelm Busch, who helped create the Max and Moritz comic-book characters, comedian Otto Waalkes, and caricaturist Uli Stein.