Welcome to Brunswick
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Brunswick, the city of Henry the
Lion, is the second largest city in
Lower Saxony with a population
of about 240,000. Its charm and
uniqueness stem from the contrast between history and present,
tradition and future Sights Worth
Seeing
Brunswick, with a population in
excess of 240,000, is the second
largest city in Lower Saxony and
a cultural and economic centre in
the region. The city, with its extensive pedestrian areas, has a lively, interesting and varied
centre which invites visitors to explore.
Geographical location:
52° 16’ 09” northern
latitude
10° 31’ 16” eastern
longitude
Population:
238 939 (status
on December,
31st. 2003)
Area of the city:
192 km²
Dimensions
north-south: 19.1
km
east-west: 15.7
km
Highest Point:
Geitelder Mountain, 111 m
above sea level
Five "Islands of Tradition" and Other Sights Worth Seeing
serve as a charming and picturesque backdrop connected by
streets, lanes and arcades with numerous specialty stores,
boutiques and department stores.
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Island of Tradition: Cathedral (Dom) - Castle Square (Burgplatz) - Canon´s Houses (Stiftsherrenhäuser)
The Cannon's Houses (Kleine
Burg 2-4) were built around
1500 by the religious foundation of St. Blasius and served as
housing for canons of the
church. They were primarily the
duke's chaplains and also trusted to perform important tasks for the court. The Canon's
Houses are now used as the Customer Service Centre for
Brunswick's Department of Works.
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Castle Square (Burgplatz)
Castle Square is comprised of a group of buildings of great
historical and cultural importance at the centre of Brunswick. The seat of the dukedom of Brunswick has been located here since the 9th century. Duke Henry the Lion developed the Castle Square
area into a centre of power
during the 12th century.
Castle Square, which includes the castle, the cathedral, the Classicistic
Vieweg House and other
beautiful half-timbered
structures still shows evidence of its medieval ground plan.
Cathedral (Dom)
The collegiate Church of St.
Blasius, which is presently a
Protestant Lutheran cathedral,
was erected by Henry the Lion
during the years 1173-1195 after
his return from the Holy Land.
The vaulted basilica with three
naves was constructed on the site of an older church. The
cathedral was the first fully vaulted structure in Lower Saxony. Henry the Lion chose the church as his place of burial.
He was buried there in 1195 next to his wife Mathilde. The
tomb of the Duke and his English consort Mathilde in the
nave of the cathedral originates from around 1250 and is
made of muschelkalk.
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The City Hall of the City of Brunswick is located near Castle Square
(Burgplatz). The City Hall is a visible
sign of municipal self-administration.
The same was documented before 1253
for the Old City. The structure was
built between 1893 and 1900 in the
Neo-Gothic style.. The 61m tower at
the southwest corner is especially striking. The entrance area, which was crowned by gables until
the war, is decorated with rich tracery windows. The four
figures which frame the windows represent the areas of science, art, craftsmanship and trade.
Dankwarderode Castle (Burg Dankwarderode)
The castle presently houses the Medieval Department of the Herzog Anton
Ulrich Museum.
Lion of the Castle (Burglöwe)
This statue, which was once goldplated, was cast in bronze in 1166. It
was erected by Henry the Lion as a
symbol of his power and jurisdiction.
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It is a major example of a Romanesque sculpture and was
most likely cast in Brunswick. The statue was the first freestanding monument of the Middle Ages.
History
Brunswick probably developed from a
supply and resting place (Wik), which
was set up by traveling merchants over
1000 years ago. This place was located
at the intersection of important trade
routes. From this point onward, the
Oker was navigable by way of the Aller
and the Weser to Bremen and then to
the sea. The favorable location of the market settlement
caused Henry the Lion to choose Brunswick as his place of
residence during the middle of the 12th century. This initiated Brunswick's development into a large medieval city. The
cathedral (Dom), castle (Burg) and the statue of the lion landmarks of the city - provide modern proof of the economic and cultural importance of the Duke's place of residence.
Brunswick - The High Tech City at the Heart of
Europe
Brunswick unites tradition and high technology,
outstanding infrastructure and an excellent location at the heart of northern Europe. The second
largest city in Lower Saxony is home to 14 research establishments of international renown
and according to a recent study by the European
Union (EU), it is the center of the most intensive research region in the whole of the EU.
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The spectrum ranges from aerospace focusing on AVIONIK / Air Traffic Management at Europe´s only research airport
(a Helmholtz Center, the German Center
for Aeronautical and Space Research
"DLR", and the Federal
Civil Airworthiness Authority "LBA",
among other things) via biotechnology
(Federal Biological Institute for Agricultural and Forestry Sciences "BBA", Federal
Agricultural Research Institute "FAL", a
Hermann von Helmholz research center, the
German Research Center for Biotechnology
"GBF") to basic research into physical engineering at the German Bureau of Standards "PTB".
At the heart of this extraordinary research landscape is the oldest technical university in Germany, the Technical University CaroloWilhelmina, established in 1745. This impressive educational facility is
supplemented by the University of Applied Sciences based in Bruns-
wick and the neighboring town of Wolfenbuettel and Lower Saxony´s
only school of design, the College of Fine Arts and Design "HBK" as
well as a multitude of acclaimed colleges in the fields of information
technology, the sciences, physics, medicine, chemistry and pharmacy.Culture.
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