Shelling prawns on the North Sea, hiking through Lüneburg Heath, cycling alongside the River Weser: holidays in Lower Saxony are full of variety. They offer an ocean climate and sandy beaches on the East Frisian Islands, fresh mountain air, gentle hills and broad valleys in the Harz Mountains, beach volleyball in Cuxhaven and refined wellness hotels in Bad Pyrmont. Water is usually involved in one way or another: Lower Saxony’s “water realm” boasts seven islands and 310 kilometres of coastline on the North Sea, a network of rivers 30,000 kilometres long and huge lakes like the Steinhuder Meer. Tourists who are interested in history explore the palaces of the Weser Renaissance or search out the haunts of the Brothers Grimm along the romantic Fairy Tale Route. Museums in Hanover, Emden, Wolfsburg and Osnabrück offer the best in modern art.
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About 700,000 visitors come to Hanover every year for the CeBIT computer fair and the Hannover Messe industrial trade fair. If you have enough time, explore Hanover by following the “Red Thread”, a four-kilometre red line painted on the pavement that leads you past 36 places of interest – including Niki de Saint Phalle’s famous “Nana” sculptures – in the surprisingly green city on the River Leine. And an excursion will take you to the Herrenhäuser Gardens, an elaborate horticultural paradise covering 135 hectares laid out at the command of the Hanoverian Electors and Kings.
The university town. The 130,000 inhabitants of this “little metropolis” include over 2,500 scientists, 9,000 university staff and over 23,000 students. Göttingen, situated between the Harz Mountains and the Weser, has been a centre of research and academic study for almost 270 years. The George August University enjoys an excellent international reputation. The historical old section of town with its half-timbered buildings and many street cafés is the perfect place to relax after the rigours of academic work. Goslar, with its medieval imperial palace, is easy to reach from here; it is one of the most beautiful cities in the Harz Mountains.
The cyclists’ town. In former times it was the horses that made Oldenburg famous; today it’s the bikes that are the town’s major feature. The focal point is the Renaissance castle. Oldenburg is a popular place for shopping and has been home to the Horst Janssen Museum since 2000.
The arts and the coast are the main influences in East Frisia’s business and cultural centre. Emden’s Kunsthalle (arts centre) has a permanent exhibition of expressionists, and the museum ships in the harbour exude a feeling of seafaring romanticism, bearing witness to Emden’s great maritime past.
The science city. Braunschweig (or Brunswick) is home to 14 internationally renowned research establishments and, according to a recent EU study, stands at the centre of the most “research-intensive region in the entire European Union”. The spectrum extends from aerospace to biotechnology to pure physics research. The heart of the research landscape is the oldest technical university in Germany: the Carolo Wilhelmina, which was founded in 1745. History is also at home in Lower Saxony’s second-largest city. The Burgplatz with its cathedral and lion monument takes you right back to the Middle Ages. Guelph Duke Henry the Lion turned Braunschweig into a commercial metropolis in 12th century. Many buildings still remind us of the city’s early heyday.
It was “white gold”, salt, that brought great wealth to Lüneburg in the days of the Hansa. Right up to today the mighty gables of the merchants’ houses still bear witness to this wealth. Salt is no long the main focus, but trade and commerce is: these days the citizens of Lüneburg make their money in the service sector. One must for tourists is a trip into the Lüneburg Heath – preferably in August and September when the heather is in bloom.
The island chain. Borkum, Juist, Norderney, Baltrum, Langeoog, Spiekeroog, Wangerooge – seven East Frisian Islands line up off the North Sea coast. Breathe the salty air, stretch out on the sandy beaches, listen to the sea, walk the mud flats, watch the seals: Lower Saxony’s Wadden Sea (mud flats) National Park offers an infinite variety of ways to experience nature.
