Short portrait
Welcome to Wolfsburg: A city to feel good in
Did you know that Wolfsburg is one of the greenest and healthiest cities in Germany and that its leisure facilities are outstanding?
Our city will surprise you: as a dynamic business location, as a leisure and adventure city, as a green recreation area and as a sports city. Around eight million visitors come to Wolfsburg every year.
The fifth largest city in Lower Saxony is considered one of the most important city foundations of the 20th century and celebrated its 84th birthday in 2022. It owes its foundation to the emergence of the Volkswagen factory. On July 1, 1938, the "city of the KdF car" was newly formed by a formal decree of the chief president in Hanover. At that time, just 900 people lived there in three small communities. Since 1945, the town has borne the name "Wolfsburg". Embedded in two large landscapes, the Harz Mountains in the south and the Lüneburg Heath in the northwest, a modern and cosmopolitan city was created in only two generations, in which more than 125,000 inhabitants live today.
The most important statistical data
- Territorial area (01/2022)*: 20,453 hectares
- Population (03/2022)*: 125,416 inhabitants
- Employees subject to social insurance contributions (06/2021)**: 118,949
- Commuters (06/2021)***: 76,839
- Unemployment rate (12/2018)***: 5.0%.
*Source: Analysis of ALKIS data from the State Office for Geoinformation and Land Surveying of Lower Saxony.
**Source: State Office for Statistics Lower Saxony
***Source: Statistics of the Federal Employment Agency (employees subject to social insurance at place of work; unemployment rate based on all civilian labor force).
With the headquarters of Volkswagen AG, which employs around 60,000 people, and as the home of numerous automotive suppliers, dealers, service companies and craft businesses, Wolfsburg is one of the most dynamic business locations in Germany. There are around 120,000 employees subject to social insurance contributions - almost as many as there are residents. The number of unemployed is very low.
With its connection to the ICE long-distance rail network, the A39 and A2 highways, federal highways, the Braunschweig-Wolfsburg Airport and the Mitteland Canal, Wolfsburg has very good transportation links.
Thanks to numerous research facilities of the Volkswagen plant, the supplier industry, the Science Center, the InnovationsCampus technology and start-up center, the Auto University and the up-and-coming "Ostfalia - University of Applied Sciences" with more than 3,000 students in the fields of automotive, production and process engineering as well as health care and economics, Wolfsburg has long been a location for science and education. This reputation will be reinforced with the "Open Hybrid LabFactory," a research center for lightweight vehicle construction in cooperation with the Technical University of Braunschweig.
Wolfsburg has excellent prospects for its future. More attractive jobs will be created and more and more people are coming to the city. So that they do not have to commute but become new citizens who keep Wolfsburg young and innovative, the city is pushing ahead intensively with residential development. The "Housing & Construction Master Plan" aims to create at least 10,000 residential units by 2025.
Wolfsburg offers a high quality of life: numerous attractions, very good educational and childcare facilities, lots of green space, modern but also traditional architecture, urban life and rural structures. The city of Wolfsburg has received several awards for its family and child friendliness. Most recently, in November 2014, it was awarded the "Child-Friendly Municipality" seal by the German Children's Fund and the children's aid organization UNICEF. The success is also reflected in rising birth rates.
In the heart of the city, Autostadt invites visitors on an exciting journey of discovery into the world of mobility. The automotive theme and adventure park is a popular destination. Embedded in a large park and lagoon landscape, the Autostadt offers exciting adventure attractions.
In the immediate vicinity, separated only by the Mittelland Canal, is the phaeno experimental landscape, unique in Germany. Here, incredible phenomena await you to marvel at, touch and try out. At over 350 interactive experiment stations, you can experience the exciting world of science and technology up close.
Those looking for sporting challenges or even relaxation will find what they are looking for in the 130-hectare Allerpark. With the SoccaFive Arena, the "monkeyman" high ropes course, the EisArena, the "STRIKE Event and Bowling Center," the "Wakepark" water ski facility and northern Germany's largest leisure and adventure pool "BadeLand," there is plenty to experience around Allersee - including sunbathing on the 850-meter-long sandy beach.
Wolfsburg's cultural landscape is first-class and internationally renowned. In an imposing building in the center of the city, the Wolfsburg Art Museum presents changing exhibits and exhibitions and delights visitors with top-class modern and contemporary art.
Events such as the international dance festival "Movimentos," the summer water show, and the winter show with figure skating and a winter market attract thousands to the Autostadt every year.
The history of the young city comes alive within the historic walls of its namesake, Wolfsburg Castle, as well as in Neuhaus Castle. The castle also offers space for contemporary art and creation in the form of the municipal gallery.
The Hoffmann von Fallersleben Museum traces the history of the German song in a cozy old town setting.
The AutoMuseum makes the heart of many a classic car fan beat faster with its exhibits ranging from the classic T1 bus to the TV star "Herby" to artistic special car bodies.
The city also surprises with exciting sports highlights, such as games of the VfL men and women in the first national soccer league and the UEFA Champions League, as well as ice hockey in the German Ice Hockey League.
The professional men's team from VfL Wolfsburg won the German championship in 2008/2009 and the DFB Cup in the 2014/2015 season.
In the 2012/2013 season, the women's team from VfL Wolfsburg even won the German championship, the Champions League and the DFB Cup, making it a triple. In 2013/2014, they were once again German champions and winners of the Champions League. The following year, the team led by coach Ralf Kellermann was delighted to win the DFB Cup.
The increasing importance of women's soccer in Wolfsburg is also reflected in the new station built in 2015. The AOK Stadium has been the team's venue ever since.
Under the motto "20elf at its best," Wolfsburg was one of nine venues for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.
First-class ice hockey games can also be marveled at in Wolfsburg. In the DEL, the Grizzlies won the cup in 2009. In the current 2015/2016 season, the team won the vice championship.
Over 3,000 running enthusiasts are expected to take part in the Wolfsburg Marathon each year. Those interested can choose between three routes with five different lengths. The longest distance is 42 kilometers. Children can also run on separate routes.
In summer, sports and fun enthusiasts paddle for the Ritz-Carlton Cup in the dragon boat race on the Mittelland Canal, accompanied by a colorful supporting program for the whole family.
Even beyond the big events, numerous clubs offer a wide range of sports activities for everyone in well-equipped sports facilities throughout the year.
Wolfsburg also has a varied offer for shopping enthusiasts. In the shopping mile in the city center, the City-Galerie and numerous smaller stores, department stores and boutiques invite you to store and linger.
A visit to the designer outlets Wolfsburg is also worthwhile: The only designer outlet center in Germany located directly in the city center offers international top fashion at attractive prices with over 90 brand stores.
Every year in May, the Allerpark provides the backdrop for the largest shooting and folk festival between the Harz Mountains and the Heath.
The "Rock im Allerpark" festival is also extremely popular. In addition, the traditional Old Town Festival in Fallersleben and the equally popular Eberfest in Vorsfelde are event highlights of the year.
Whether futuristic architecture, architectural masterpieces, picturesque half-timbered houses or historic buildings - you will encounter all of these in Wolfsburg. The trend-setting buildings of renowned architects such as Alvar Aalto's Kulturhaus, Hans Scharoun's theater, Gunter Henn's Autostadt and Zaha Hadid's phaeno characterize the cityscape just as much as the 700-year-old Wolfsburg Castle, an architectural monument of the North German Renaissance, or the historic old towns of Vorsfelde and Fallersleben.
Experience Wolfsburg and be surprised by the diversity of our city!