Honestly, who wouldn't like to travel through time like Marty McFly from "Back to the Future"? In the Braunschweig region, you don't even need a flux compensator to race into the future or back to prehistoric times. You can travel back in time at 100 time LOCATIONS - and we'll introduce you to some of them.
Table of contents
1. Off to prehistoric times: UNESCO Geopark Harz . Brunswick County . Eastphalia
2. Paleolithic hunting art: Schöningen Research Museum
3. On the trail of the Middle Ages in Braunschweig
4. The Spirit of the Baroque and the Enlightenment in Wolfenbüttel
5. Mill Museum Gifhorn and the beginning of industrialization
6. Ilseder Hütte and the cradle of industrialization
7. Helmstedt and the history of the German division
8. Present and future-oriented: Hüttenwerk Salzgitter AG
9. Off to the future: Science Center phaeno Wolfsburg
What time are you traveling to here?
Into the prehistoric times, it goes about 1 billion years in the direction of the past.
What is there to discover in the Geopark?
In the exhibition area of the Geopark, relics of ages long past are displayed on four floors. Discover how the history of nature, landscape and the earth in the Braunschweig region developed with the help of rocks and fossils. The highlight of the information center is the rare skeleton of a Eurhinosaurus (fish dinosaur).
In the premises you can try yourselves. For registered groups, the Geopark offers the opportunity to answer geological questions and to get hands-on. Especially exciting for young researchers.
While you're here, ...
... pay a visit to the information area. Here you can get ideas for excursions, because various georoutes run through the Geopark with stations where you can learn more about the history of the earth. Exciting!
This is how you get to the Geopark exhibition in the Braunschweig Natural History Museum by train: Plan arrival.
What time are you traveling to here?
Off to the Stone Age, the time travel speedometer is set to minus 300,000 years.
What is there to discover in the research museum?
Just surrounded by contemporaries, you will meet the first inhabitants of Lower Saxony. Admittedly, not in person, but evidence of their existence. A highlight of the research museum are the Schöningen spears exhibited here, the oldest hunting weapons of mankind. In 1994 they were excavated by archaeologists in Schöningen. A sensation, never before such old and completely preserved hunting weapons made of wood were discovered.
The entire permanent exhibition is a highlight. Here, the history of the Braunschweig region can be experienced, and several interactive elements invite visitors to explore. The entire exhibition was designed by experts and artistically staged.
While you're here, ...
... also take the time to have a closer look at the museum from the outside. The architecture is remarkable, it looks like an oversized mirror. The reflection of the landscape makes the museum fit perfectly into its surroundings, despite its size.
The park around the museum allows visitors to walk through nature as it might have looked at the time of the Stone Age. For the little ones there is an adventure trail and playground. And wild horses grazing in the vicinity - idyllic!
This is how you get to the Schöningen Research Museum by train and bus: Plan arrival.
What time are you traveling to here?
To the Middle Ages, to the period between the 6th and 15th centuries.
What's there to explore in Braunschweig?
Many things, but for medieval enthusiasts especially Dankwarderode Castle. It is a reconstruction of Henry the Lion's castle. The Guelph king had it built in the 12th century. After it burned down in 1873, it was rebuilt according to the medieval model. Today it is the landmark of Braunschweig and part of the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, on the first floor of which is the medieval section.
In the middle of Braunschweig, near the castle, a fountain commemorates a rogue whose existence could never be clearly proven - but who nevertheless left his mark: Till Eulenspiegel. The Eulenspiegel Fountain is a tribute to the prankster, who is said to have been born near Braunschweig around 1300 and, according to the folk book, baked owls and guenons in a bakery not far from the sight. Whether he really wreaked havoc in the streets of Brunswick remains unclear - but it is certain that his stories have made him one of the most famous legendary figures in the world.
While you're here, ...
... take a look at the Brunswick Cathedral, also built by order of Henry the Lion. Since the death of his wife, the king's daughter Mathilde, the cathedral has served as the burial place of the Guelph dynasty. Astonishingly, Brunswick Cathedral has remained fundamentally intact over all these years - its current appearance dates back to the Middle Ages. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the original three-nave pillared basilica was extended by three Gothic side aisles.
How to get to Braunschweig by train: Plan arrival.
What time are you traveling to?
To the time of the Baroque and the Enlightenment around 1770.
What's there to explore in Wolfenbüttel?
"Have courage to use your own mind" - the famous quote by Immanuel Kant shaped the era of the Enlightenment. In Wolfenbüttel there are many testimonies to the newly won maturity of the citizens. Starting with Wolfenbüttel Castle, the second largest castle in all of Lower Saxony. For more than 320 years, the dukes from the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg lived here under the best conditions. Both the facade and the halls are magnificently designed and still bear witness to the splendor of the Baroque period. In the castle's museum you can marvel at the richly decorated castle and gain great insights into cultural history.
Let's continue at the Lessing House. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing is one of the most important poets and writers of the German Enlightenment. The Lessing House is dedicated to his work and life, where he lived from 1777 until his death in 1781. Here he worked on his important drama "Nathan the Wise".
While you're here, ...
... right next door is the Herzog August Library, where Lessing and the influential philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz worked. The library, which is over 400 years old, was celebrated as the eighth wonder of the world some 300 years ago. In the 17th century, it was one of the most famous princely book collections and still inspires today with its large old holdings.
This is how you get to Wolfenbüttel by train: Plan arrival.
What time are you traveling to?
About the year 1840, the time when industrialization was taking hold worldwide.
What is there to discover in the Gifhorn Mill Museum?
In the course of industrialization, technology has developed worldwide. Many mills were built, which were often replaced by steam engines later on. But that's not what this is about: The Mill Museum houses 14 original mills from all over the world on an area of around 100,000 square meters, embedded in a landscape that reflects their origins. Among other things, the original building of the historic gallery Dutch mill from Sanssouci and a Korean water mill are on display here. Small but nice are the 45 water and wind mill models that are set up in the exhibition hall. Many well-known mills have been recreated for this purpose.
While you're here, ...
... take a look at the remarkable wooden structure on the edge of the mill park, perched on a hill. An extremely worth seeing Russian Orthodox wooden church, where masses are held regularly.
You can find more information about Gifhorn here: Gifhorn: Mills like in a fairy tale
This is how you get to the Mühlenmuseum Gifhorn by train and bus: Plan arrival.
What time are you traveling to?
To the year 1858, the time when industrialization was flourishing in Germany.
What is there to explore in the Ilseder Hütte Industrial Park?
Anyone interested in industrial culture is in the right place here. The Ilseder Hütte with blast hall existed throughout the entire period of industrialization, up to 1,800 people were employed here in the production of pig iron. In 1995, the last areas to be shut down were the coking plant and the power plant.
After extensive redevelopment, the site has become an industrial park, but important relics of industrial culture have been preserved, such as the blower hall, the spherical water tower, the wooden cooling tower and the forming station.
While you're here, ...
... be sure to walk the industrial trail, which was laid out by the Förderverein Haus der Geschichte - Ilseder Hütte e.V.. Buildings, operating sites and exhibits are explained at a total of 20 stations. The former forming station has been transformed into an industrial exhibition that retraces the history of the Ilseder Hütte.
This is how you get to the Ilseder Hütte by train and bus: Plan arrival.
What time are you traveling to?
To the year 1989, to a time when the Wall fell and the country was on its way to German unity.
What's to explore in Helmstedt?
In Helmstedt, an important part of German history can be experienced: the German division. The past can be felt at several stations in and around Helmstedt. For example, in the Zonal Border Museum. Here, the history of the inner-German border is presented in five sections, using the district as an example. Several original objects, photos and picture boards as well as film material illustrate the past.
While you're here, ...
... makes use of the diverse offers of the Grenzenlos association. The project of the same name has made it its task to comprehensively reappraise the past in order to create perspectives for the future. Starting at the Zonengrenz-Museum, a three-and-a-half-hour round trip is offered, in which the diverse remains in the Helmstedt region are approached. Stops after the Zonengrenz-Museum include the Hötensleben border installation and the former Helmstedt/Marienborn border crossing point. An exciting tour, on which many perspectives are taken and the coming together of people who lived for decades in different systems can be experienced.
This is how you get to Helmstedt by train: Plan arrival.
What time are you traveling to?
After all the time travel, a little break awaits you: You remain in the here and now - and may still dare to look into the future.
What's there to explore at the smelter?
At the Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH steelworks, you can actively observe the process of steel production - from ore to steel. And what's more, the steel is recycled here. An outstanding property of the material, steel does not lose its high-quality properties after recycling. This makes it a highly sustainable raw material that will be indispensable in the future. In the steel mill, visitors can look over the workers' shoulders as the steel is boiled or rolled.
While you're here, ...
... and still want to take a journey into the past, visit the ZeitOrt Memorial and Documentation Site Concentration Camp Drütte, which is located on the factory grounds. On every second Saturday of the month, it is open between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. without pre-registration; on all other days, registration is required.
This is how you get to the Salzgitter iron and steel works by train: Plan arrival.
What time are you traveling to?
Hard to say, into a mix of present and future - but what year you are there in, time will tell.
What's there to explore at phaeno?
Even from the outside, the phaeno looks futuristic: The spectacular science center was designed by award-winning architect Zaha Hadid. And the inside continues to be spectacular. More than 350 phenomena inspire young and old for science and technology. The most exciting thing: You are part of the action, you help determine and shape it. For example, take a close-up look at a six-meter-high fire tornado, chat with the philosophizing robot Robo or freeze your shadows. And these are just three of the many exciting stations to explore and discover at the phaeno.
While you're here, ...
... learn everything about cars and mobility. With the Autostadt there's in Wolfsburg everything that makes the hearts of automobile fans beat faster. See exciting exhibitions, learn all about the different brands and try out the latest models on the course.
This is how you get to the phaeno by train: Plan arrival.
Cover photo: In medieval Braunschweig, it's wonderful to travel back in time - piggyback, but also on your own two feet © Christian Bierwagen
