Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is located in northwest Germany state that represents after Bavaria even the second largest in the country. The capital of Lower Saxony is Hanover. Lower Saxony is naturally bounded in the north
by the North Sea. The lower reaches of the Lower Elbe is also a natural border.
Landscapes of Lower Saxony
The largest part of Lower Saxony consists of the North German Plain. The southern part, on the other hand, is characterized by the Lower Saxon mountainous region. The northeast is one of the most famous spots in the state of Lower Saxony, because this is where the Lüneburg Heath is located. This is very popular with travelers and holidaymakers. In this region, the heather thrives particularly well, because the sandy soil is dominant here. Here you can only use a small area for agriculture, because the sandy soil is quite barren and sterile. The more suitable soils can be found in the areas of the Middle East and in the south-east of Lower Saxony.
Also Ostfriesland is not only since Otto on everyone’s lips. The East Frisian coast extends into Lower Saxony and is also a well-visited travel destination.
You won’t find any real mountains in Lower Saxony. There are a number of larger elevations and hills, most of which can be found in the southeast.
The Autostadt Wolfsburg is also part of the state and, together with the cities of Hanover, Celle, Braunschweig, Hildesheim and Salzgitter, forms the center for population, economy and infrastructure.
The history of Lower Saxony
The original name Lower Saxony comes from a Germanic tribe, the Saxons. Even the creation of the coat of arms goes hand in hand with this ancient history. The Saxons came to what is now Lower Saxony during the migration phase in the 3rd century. While the first Saxons only crossed the area, the Saxons settled here and in the areas of today’s Westphalia in the 7th century.
It is interesting that the Frisians never belonged to the settlement area of the Saxons. These remained independent for centuries.
In the course of history, a very large part of Lower Saxony also belonged to the Holy Roman Empire. This was called the Lower Rhine-Westphalian Reichskreis. Here with Hanover, a real one noble family from Lower Saxony resided, this rule also shaped the entire region. There is a close connection between the personal union of the 18th century, which maintained the ties to the noble house of Hanover, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The British were also the ones in the Second World War, much of the established state of Lower Saxony occupied and under their control. The state of Hanover was founded, with the then Prime Minister Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf trying to form a state of Lower Saxony. On November 8, 1946, the time had come and the state of Lower Saxony with its capital Hanover was brought into being.
The wave of refugees hit the state of Lower Saxony particularly hard in the post-war years. In 1950 there were still 730,000 homes missing for people fleeing East Prussia. After the separation of the two German parts, Helmstedt was one of the most important crossings to the GDR and was expanded to become a checkpoint. Until its dissolution in 1990, this developed into the most important border crossing between the Federal Republic and the German Democratic Republic. Most of the transit traffic to West Berlin was also handled here.
North Rhine-Westphalia
This is where the carnival is at home and every year cheerful people from all over the world come together here to spend the funky days together celebrate . Sure, it’s North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany.
Geography of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia borders on Lower Saxony, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, also to the states of Belgium and the Netherlands. Around 18 million people live in North Rhine-Westphalia, making it the most populous federal state in Germany. An economically active life takes place here. The entire region of North Rhine-Westphalia is considered a metropolitan area. North Rhine-Westphalia is also one of the 30 largest metropolitan regions on a global scale.
Since the Rhine is the dominant river here, the area is also known as the Rhine metropolis or Rhine area.
Formation of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia
After the Second World War, North Rhine-Westphalia came under the rule of the British Occupation force. In 1946 it was decided to create the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from the former Prussian province of Westphalia and the northern part of the Prussian Rhine province. A year later, the existing area was expanded to include Lippe. In 1949 North Rhine-Westphalia became part of the Federal Republic of Germany and is now one of the most important cultural and economic areas in the country. Mining in the coal regions in particular dominated people’s lives in the region for years. This coal and steel industry
was a main source of income in North Rhine-Westphalia. For a short time, the black gold helped the region to a rapid upswing, which it used from 1960 for a structural change. This is how North Rhine-Westphalia managed to become an important location for industry.
The state is also a pioneer in the education sector. Numerous internationally recognized universities and colleges were established here. Many students from home and abroad work here for a degree.
North Rhine-Westphalia is also a federal state that has many important trade fair locations. Important congress centers are located here, for example in Cologne and Düsseldorf.
In addition, one of the most important media landscapes in Germany can be found in the region around Cologne. There, national and international programs are produced, news is recorded and people are entertained every day for a wide variety of broadcasters.
Culture plays a major role in North Rhine-Westphalia and so you can find numerous good theaters, musicals and many drama schools here. In addition to the TV and radio stations from all over the world, a whole range of soap operas and feature films for the German and foreign markets are produced here in the film studios.
The fashion industry is also at home in major cities such as Cologne and Düsseldorf. Many of the internationally important fashion shows and fashion weeks take place here.
North Rhine-Westphalia has become an international federal state, not least because of the large number of immigrants from the most varied of cultures who have shaped and enriched the coexistence in the individual cities and regions in various ways.