After the end of the war, the Allies had the "City of the KdF-Wagen" renamed Wolfsburg in 1945. The Volkswagen production facility quickly became the VW city par excellence. 50 years ago it achieved the status of a major city.
When you hear Wolfsburg, you think of Volkswagen:There is hardly any other city in Germany whose existence is so closely linked to an industrial group. In fact, the origins of Wolfsburg go back to the car manufacturer. When the VW factory was founded in 1938, there was little more than a few villages in the agricultural area in eastern Lower Saxony. A new city with 100,000 inhabitants is to grow for the production of the VW Beetle - the "city of the KdF car near Fallersleben". After the end of the war, the Allies pushed for a move away from the Nazi-tinged name. On May 25, 1945, the city was renamed Wolfsburg.
Volkswagenwerk produces armaments during the world war
On May 26, 1938, the Nazis laid the foundation stone for the Volkswagen factory near the town of Fallersleben. But first the factory produces armaments.Construction of housing for the workers at the Volkswagen factory begins in 1938, but the dream of a modern Autostadt initially comes to nothing. During the Second World War, the Volkswagen factory produces armaments using forced labourers, prisoners of war and inmates of concentration camps. At the end of the war in 1945, about two thirds of the facilities had been destroyed, but hardly any of the residential areas. However, there are only around 2,200 apartments in stone houses and numerous barracks. On May 25, 1945, under pressure from the Allies, the city council decided on the new name of Wolfsburg. It goes back to a castle on the Aller, which was first mentioned in 1302 as "Wolfsburg".
The Allies give the green light
According to a company historian at Volkswagen, it was the British military government's decision to start Beetle production in December 1945 that gave the city and the company new perspectives. New plans for a city with 35,000 inhabitants emerge.
Refugees from the east ensure that Wolfsburg grows rapidly and in 1952 already has more than 30,000 residents. New districts, schools, a hospital and the town hall are being built. The Volkswagen factory, which successfully produces cars, remains the lifeline of Wolfsburg:On August 5, 1955, the millionth VW Beetle rolls off the assembly line. And the VW Bulli, which has been in series production since 1950, also becomes a bestseller. But the city with around 55,000 inhabitants has neither a town hall nor a train station. They followed in 1957 and 1958.
Germans and Italians find work in Wolfsburg
VW's personnel requirements continue to rise. Jobs and good wages attract people from all over Germany to the border with the GDR. Since the early 1960s, many "guest workers" have also immigrated from Italy. Wolfsburg is still the largest Italian city north of the Alps. But not all people who are on the payroll at VW live in the city. Thousands of them commute to work from the surrounding area, some even from Braunschweig and Hanover.
History shapes the structure and cityscape
Since the municipal reform of 1972, 20 other communities and towns in the region have belonged to Wolfsburg, which has now reached 131,000 inhabitants and has risen to the rank of a major city. The number is now around 124,000. On the whole, however, the VW city is not considered an attractive place to live. It lacks a charming old town as well as the flair of university towns such as Göttingen.
Wolfsburg is named after this castle after the war in 1945.History has shaped the structure and cityscape:apart from the castle, there are hardly any historical buildings in the city centre. Houses from the 1950s and 60s characterize the picture. Even the church, which is a centuries-old building in other cities, dates back to 1951, like the Catholic parish church of St. Christophorus. The many incorporated districts present themselves quite differently:their core mostly consists of historic half-timbered houses, around which single-family houses of all post-war years have been built. With 204 square kilometers, the area of the sprawling city is just as large as that of Hanover - with only a quarter of the population.
VW remains dominant in Wolfsburg
In Woilfsburg's Autostadt, buying a car is set to become a happening.As little as today's Wolfsburg would exist without Volkswagen, the car manufacturer continues to have an impact on the community. On the one hand, the tax millions benefit the community, on the other hand, direct donations from the group flow regularly for the construction of facilities such as swimming pools, theaters or town halls. Even the Bundesliga soccer team at VfL Wolfsburg would hardly be able to play in the top league without VW.
The city authorities have been trying for years to reduce this dependency and to establish Wolfsburg as a tourist destination. This resulted in ambitious projects such as the Phaeno science show, an art museum and the water park. The State Garden Show in 2004 attracted tens of thousands of visitors to the city. The heart and center of the city is still the VW factory. It dominates the center between the pedestrian zone and the castle. From the busy Berlin bridge over the Mittelland Canal and the railway line, there is a view of the Autostadt of the Volkswagen Group with the two striking glass towers in which new cars are waiting to be delivered. Alternating exhibitions on technical topics take place there under the care of Volkswagen, as do cultural offerings, such as the "Movimentos" festival weeks in early summer with contemporary dance, concerts, readings and matinees.