Town chronicle
The history of the city
2019
April 25-28
The Drömling Fair in Vorsfelde celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.
May 01
The VfL Wolfsburg women's soccer team won the DFB Cup for the fifth time in a row.
April 02
A study by the Berlin Institute for Population and Development shows that Wolfsburg achieved first place in Lower Saxony in the overall assessment and is ranked 30th in Germany.
March 23
The art museum celebrates its 25th birthday.
March 20
For the second time since 2003, an international match of the German national soccer team took place in the Volkswagen Arena.
March 15
Stadtwerke celebrated its 80th anniversary.
March 10
The cities of Jendouba/Tunisia and Wolfsburg signed an official partnership agreement to intensify their cooperation at all levels.
Rolf Wolters was made a new honorary citizen and entered in the city's Golden Book.
February 22
The city of Wolfsburg honored the "Champions of Sport" and awarded "Athlete of the Year 2018" to judoka Giovanna Scoccimarro, track and field athlete Valentin Harwardt and the Bundesliga footballers of VfL Wolfsburg, among others.
February 12
The Nordkopf Tower was named Building of the Year and is an important building block in the urban development of Porschestrasse.
January 08
The Autostadt production "Dreamlike Winter World" with 455,000 visitors ended successfully.
December 10
Wolfsburg ranks sixth among the 100 most populous cities in a study by the Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft (INSM) and Wirtschaftswoche. According to the study, Wolfsburg is one of the "rising stars of the year".
December 1
Nationwide public authority telephone number also switched on in Wolfsburg: The service center can be reached via the central extension 115.
November 20
Five years of phaeno - the experimental landscape.
November 15.
"Future Atlas 2010" published by the Prognos Institute: According to the study, Wolfsburg is the most future-oriented city in northern Germany and ranks among the top 412 municipalities nationwide.
November 2010
Award of the Museum Quality Seal 2010 of the German Museum Association ICOM to the Municipal Gallery, the Hoffmann von Fallersleben Museum and the Wolfsburg City Museum.
October 29
Wolfsburg receives climate protection award: City and Neuland score points with "Energy efficiency and monument protection". The project is part of the CO2 reduction concept.
September 30
Town twinning with Jendouba (Tunisia): Written sealing by signing a friendship treaty with the city of Jenbouba. Successful integration: Celebration of 40 years of Tunisians in Wolfsburg.
July 13
City friendship with Dalian (China): Signing of a friendship treaty in Dalian during the trip to China of an official delegation of the city of Wolfsburg. The first guest visit of a delegation from Dalian to Wolfsburg took place in May 2004.
June 25
Family anniversary celebration within the framework of the International Summer Stage: 10 years of the City Museum of the City of Wolfsburg, 10 years of the Friends of the Summer Stage and 10 years of the Castle Remisen
June 18
Inauguration of forced laborer memorial and renaming of Sarah-Frenkel-Platz
June 5
The "International Summer Stage" at Wolfsburg Castle celebrates its 20th anniversary with a colorful program and highlights of the past years.
April 29
Ten years of Autostadt - Movimentos Festival Weeks
April 6
Twinning with Puebla (Mexico): Signing of a friendship agreement between Wolfsburg and Puebla during the visit of Mayor Blanca Alcalá Ruiz. A partnership with Puebla has existed since 2006.
March 13
Reconstruction of the Wolfsburg Planetarium at a cost of 1.8 million euros: general renovation of the interior and construction of a new dome as well as installation of new projection technology.
February 27
Wolfsburg's cabaret stage, the Galerie-Theater in Alt-Heßlingen, looks back on 20 years of existence.
February 25
The Autostadt in Wolfsburg welcomes its 20 millionth guest since opening.
January 26
Ceremonial awarding of the 2009 Museum Prize of the Lower Saxony Savings Bank Foundation to the Städtische Galerie.
December 3
The chronicle "Hoffmannstadt Fallersleben" is published.
October 27
Wolfsburg receives the award of the Lower Saxony climate protection competition "Klima kommunal 2010" for the project of Neuland Wohnungsgesellschaft "Energy efficiency and monument protection".
October 1
60th anniversary of the independent city of Wolfsburg.
September 26.
Signing of the friendship treaty between the city of Wolfsburg and the US-American city of Chattanooga (Tennessee).
July 1.
The city of Wolfsburg receives a new city logo, the wolf.
June 26 to July 17
THE major sporting event of the year: Wolfsburg hosts the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 in Germany. During the World Cup, around 100,000 visitors watched the four matches in the Arena im Allerpark. Around 60,000 guests from Germany and abroad made a pilgrimage through the fan mile in Wolfsburg's city center.
May 31
The Lower Saxony Ministry for Social Affairs, Women, Family, Health and Integration approves the Land Use Plan 2020plus.
April 20.
The city of Wolfsburg hosts EHC Wolfsburg on the occasion of its runner-up championship in the Bürgerhalle.
December 6
The City of Wolfsburg awards the Integration Prize for the first time in recognition of intercultural commitment in the city.
November 29
Wolfsburg is one of the top regions for families according to the PROGNOS Family Atlas 2012.
September 25
Official commissioning of the new joint fire control center for the city of Wolfsburg and the district of Helmstedt.
September 25
Rocco Artale becomes an honorary citizen of the city of Wolfsburg.
August 24
The WasserPark Hehlingen is opened on the site of the former open-air swimming pool.
June 23/24
40,000 guests experience the "Braunschweig Landscape Day".
June 23
The Agricultural Department / City Museum in the Alt Wolfsburg brewery barn is reopened.
The city of Wolfsburg looks back on 40 years of territorial reform with the special exhibition "Stadt-Land-WOB" in Wolfsburg Castle.
May 2
The city of Wolfsburg needs new, attractive housing. The council and administration initiate a comprehensive housing offensive.
April 12.
The Viehtrift bridge in Fallersleben is renovated at a cost of 3.2 million euros.
March to September
The Alvar Aalto House of Culture celebrates its 50th anniversary with the "Aalto Festivaali," a colorful mix of a total of 26 Alvar Aalto-related events.
February 28
The Traffic Task Force, consisting of representatives of the City of Wolfsburg, Volkswagen AG, Autostadt and Wolfsburg AG, is founded. Its task is to develop solutions for improving urban traffic flow.
January 6
Klaus Mohrs is inaugurated as Lord Mayor of the City of Wolfsburg in the Bürgerhalle. As a visible sign, he receives the chain of office from his predecessor, Professor Rolf Schnellecke.
November 25
The city of Wolfsburg receives the 2013 Politikaward in the category "Campaigns by Public Institutions" with its campaign "Wolfsburg Becomes the Children's City".
September 1
Wolfsburg gives itself an unforgettable present for the city's 75th birthday. The band Wingenfelder and 2,000 Wolfsburgers show the vibrancy of Wolfsburg in a LipDub video.
July 2
The working group for the development of the "Concept of Citizen Participation Wolfsburg" starts its work.
July 1
The city of Wolfsburg looks back on its founding 75 years ago.
June 28-30
200,000 people celebrate the city's 75th anniversary on a large festival mile in the city center.
June 28
Official ceremony to mark the city's 75th anniversary at the Wolfsburg Theater.
June 14-16
The JazzCastle celebrates its premiere at Wolfsburg Castle.
May 25.
The players of VfL Wolfsburg win against Olympique Lyon and thus the triple (German champions, European Cup winners and Champions League title winners).
April 27
The Fallersleben outdoor pool celebrates its 80th anniversary.
November 25
Wolfsburg is the first major city in Germany to be awarded the ''Child-Friendly Municipality'' seal.
May 30
Wolfsburg is the first German city to be home to two DFB Cup winners. In addition to the VfL women's team, the men's division also scored a historic victory against Borussia Dortmund at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on May 30, 2015.
September 11
The local elections in Wolfsburg resulted in nine parties being represented on the city council in future. The SPD remains the strongest party. Voter turnout rose to 52.3 percent.
July 30
770 athletes took part in this year's Volkstriathlon on the Allersee.
June 23
The city of Wolfsburg was awarded the European Diploma of the Council of Europe.
June 11-12
The district of Westhagen celebrated its 50th anniversary with a two-day civic festival.
May 21
After 2013 and 2015, VfL Wolfsburg's female footballers won the DFB Cup for the third time.
March 24
The municipal hospital celebrates its 75th anniversary.
March 12
The Stadtjugendring celebrated its 70th anniversary.
December 20
The city council unanimously elects Monika Müller and Dennis Weilmann as new department heads in the city administration.
September 01-03
The city celebrates the 35th Lower Saxony Day with around 325,000 visitors. Wolfsburg focuses on the topics of digitalization and mobility in the city in addition to the proven focus on volunteering.
May 27
The Vfl Wolfsburg women's soccer team wins the DFB Cup for the third time in a row.
March 26
The municipal music school celebrates its 50th anniversary.
February 12
The Badeland in Allerpark celebrated its 15th anniversary with more than 2,800 visitors.
January 26
The city of Wolfsburg was awarded the "Child-friendly municipality" seal for four years, emphasizing its interest in involving children and young people in the city's future development.
June 29 - July 01
Wolfsburg celebrated its 80th birthday for three days with festivities, concerts and attractions.
May 19
The women's DFB Cup final between Vfl Wolfsburg and FC Bayern Munich was decided in a penalty shoot-out, which Wolfsburg won 3:2. It was a thrilling match that went into extra time for the first time.
May 13
The Vfl Wolfsburg women's soccer team secured its fourth German championship ahead of schedule.
April 19
An international match of the German national ice hockey team took place for the first time in the Eis-Arena with around 4,400 spectators. The German national ice hockey team won the World Cup test match against France.
January 08
Dennis Weilmann was inaugurated as City Councillor and Head of Digital Affairs. Weilmann had been head of the Communications Department in the city administration for ten years.
June 1
Re-opening of the City Museum in the Schlossremisen and opening of the Autostadt.
September 6
Opening of the City-Galerie, the ECE shopping center in the middle of Porschestrasse.
December 13
Opening of the Volkswagen Arena
October 23
Wolfsburg, economically the second strongest city in Lower Saxony, becomes a regional center in association with Braunschweig and Salzgitter.
June 16
Wolfsburg Castle, the city's namesake, celebrates the 700th anniversary of its first documentary mention. Knights' games, Schloss im Glanz, the first garden festival in the castle park and many other attractions accompany the anniversary year. The newly designed vaulted cellar and the west wing restored according to historical models with new rooms for the Municipal Gallery make the castle even more attractive.
May 2
The new City Hall D, recognizable by the distinctive blue tile look at the entrance, is inaugurated. Barrier-free domicile of the Youth Division.
March 23
Laying of the foundation stone for "phaeno - the experimental landscape".
February 2.
Opening of the newly built BadeLand. Lots of fun, fitness and wellness on 3,000 m² of water in a Mediterranean ambience, attracting 500,000 visitors by November.
November 19
Groundbreaking ceremony for the MobilLifeCampus, the first of five construction phases that will also be home to the AutoUni in the future. Volkswagen and the city create a new knowledge and innovation hub for the fields of mobility, leisure and information technology. Partners from science and industry cooperate.
November 8
Inauguration of the Piazza Italia. Enjoyment and shopping with Italian flair in the middle of Wolfsburg, also the new home of the Italian Cultural Institute.
August 25 to October 10
Wolfsburg becomes Golfsburg and achieves nationwide and international media coverage with this unprecedented PR campaign to mark the market launch of the new Golf A 5.
August
For the first time in the 2003/2004 season, the Bundesliga women's soccer team from Wolfsburg plays under the VfL umbrella.
June 30
On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the "Auto Vision" project, the target of "halving unemployment" in Wolfsburg is achieved.
June 1
Premiere in the Volkswagen Arena: international soccer match between Canada and Germany
January 23
A new-generation ICE-3 is christened "Wolfsburg" and travels as an ambassador for our city on several routes through German regions and abroad.
December 17
Release of the 4.2 kilometer long first section of the Fallersleben / Sülfeld northern bypass. Cost: around 14.5 million euros, of which 2.4 million for 3 bridge structures
October 11
Groundbreaking ceremony for the conversion of the train station into an attractive calling card with mobility center and tourism center.
September 28
Groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Islamic Mosque on Siemensstrasse.
September 1.
The new central emergency room at Wolfsburg Hospital goes into operation.
July 14
The new Bähnle, a gift from Volkswagen AG on the occasion of the State Garden Show, starts its maiden voyage for sightseeing tours through the city.
May 14
Topping-out ceremony at the phaeno construction site with over 2,500 guests. The striking building already dominates the northern entrance area to the city opposite the Autostadt.
April 23
Opening of the State Horticultural Show after only 1 1/2 years of planning and construction in the presence of the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony.
April 16
EHC Wolfsburg is promoted to the German Ice Hockey League DEL for the first time.
March 24
Topping-out ceremony for the new House G at Wolfsburg Hospital after only six months of construction.
March 16
For the first time, a Wolfsburg rock band receives a gold record. "Oomph!" is honored by the mayor for the award.
December 1
The 25th anniversary of the Planetarium is celebrated with a ceremony.
November 22
The new south chamber of the Sülfeld lock is opened and meets the requirements of large goods shipping on the Mittelland Canal.
October 29-31
The 5th International Suppliers Fair (IZB) in Allerpark is once again a showcase for the global automotive supply industry.
October 5.
The 35th anniversary of the Wolfsburg Theater is celebrated.
September 27
Ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the Wolfsburg University of Applied Sciences.
September 11
The 10th anniversary of the town twinning between Wolfsburg and the Polish town of Bielsko-Biala is celebrated with a ceremony in the Garden Hall of Wolfsburg Castle.
August 27
The Jobcenter on the former Hertie site on Porschestrasse is officially opened with a ceremony.
August 22
In the presence of Federal Minister for Family Affairs Ursula von der Leyen, the multi-generation house is opened in the former Freizeitheim Nord.
June 27-29
A three-day festival weekend is the highlight of the celebrations for the city's 70th anniversary. The head of the VW Group presents the gift certificate for a new international school in Wolfsburg. The centerpiece of the citizens' festival is a citizens' breakfast with 3,000 participants on Hollerplatz and Rathausplatz, the proceeds of which go to the citizens' foundation.
June 22
The writer Günter de Bruyn is presented with the Hoffmann von Fallersleben Prize for literature critical of the times in the Michaelis Church in Fallersleben.
June 12
The completion of the first construction phase is celebrated as a milestone in the implementation of the master plan for the redesign of the Porschestraße-Mitte pedestrian zone.
May 25
The Movimentos Festival Weeks end with a record number of visitors. 15,000 of the 43,500 visitors had already taken part in the opening festival with the Spanish street theater group "Xarxa".
May 7
The 50th anniversary of the Stadthalle, now CongressPark, is documented with the opened exhibition "Around the Stadthalle".
May 5
The 60th anniversary of the Eichendorff School is celebrated with a festive service in St. Christophorus and a reception in the Föhrenkrug.
April 25
A vernissage opens the exhibition "Heidersberger-Rückkehr zum Aufbruch. Photographs 1949-1973" honoring the work of Wolfsburg's honorary citizen.
March 6
The 50th anniversary of the town hall is celebrated. A wall relief depicting Hoffmann von Fallersleben by the artist Siegfried Neuenhausen is unveiled in the Bürgerhalle.
February 14
The new St. Marien senior citizens' center in the northern part of the city is inaugurated with a festive service.
February 11
The energy supply company LSW presents the winning designs of the architectural competition for a new administration building on Heßlinger Straße.
December 16
The Fallersleben/Sülfeld northern bypass is opened to traffic.
November 21
After two and a half years of construction, the pedestrian zone Porschestraße-Mitte is reopened. The Chinese granite used as the city parquet in the shopping and strolling mile is also to be laid in the Kaufhofpassage in the future.
November 10
Wolfsburg is the most family-friendly city in Lower Saxony and is awarded the Family Prize by the Lower Saxony Ministry for Social Affairs, Women, Family and Health in Hanover.
November 8
Wolfsburg and Halberstadt celebrate the 20th anniversary of their town twinning with a ceremony.
October 31
The opening of the new market hall at Porschestraßen-Nordkopf is a big success.
October 29
The city of Wolfsburg celebrates anniversaries in the promotion of foreigner integration with a ceremony in the town hall's civic hall under the motto "35 years of the Foreigners' Committee - 30 years of coordinated homework help."
September 26
The "Neue Schule Wolfsburg" is officially opened with a ceremony. Classes start with two first and four fifth grades.
September 5 and 6
The Wolfsburg district of Barnstorf celebrates the 700th anniversary of its first documentary mention.
September 1
The University of Applied Sciences Braunschweig/Wolfenbüttel with its Wolfsburg location is given the name "Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences".
August 27
The Wolfsburg School Modernization Company (WSM), a subsidiary of the municipal utility company, hands over the refurbished and expanded premises of the Theodor Heuss High School to the city after a construction period of just over a year.
August 6
In the presence of Lower Saxony's Minister of Health Mechthild Ross-Luttmann, the new internal intensive care unit of the municipal hospital is opened together with outpatient operating rooms.
July 2
The AWO Braunschweig district association opens a new residential and nursing home for senior citizens in the converted building of the former VW company health insurance fund in Goethestraße.
June 5
Opening of the new auditorium center on the central campus of the University of Applied Sciences.
May 23
The Bundesliga team of VfL Wolfsburg achieves its undisputed greatest success by winning the German soccer championship. The season finale is celebrated by 100,000 soccer fans from all over the region in the city center. Players, VfL officials and the VW Group leadership around CEO Prof. Martin Winterkorn and Supervisory Board Chairman Prof. Ferdinand Piëch drive through the city in a motorcade to the reception at City Hall after the last game against Werder Bremen.
May 19
Stadtwerke AG celebrates its 70th anniversary with a ceremony in the Garden Hall of Wolfsburg Castle.
May 17
Embedded in the International Museum Day, the Kunstmuseum celebrates the 15th anniversary of the Wolfsburg House of Contemporary Art.
April 16
Kick-off event for the "Green City" campaign as part of the Green Year of Building Culture. From April 24 to October 29, 83 events are held to bring green issues to the public's attention.
February 25
By resolution of the city council, the location of the "Neue Schule Wolfsburg" is determined on the campus of the Wolfsburg Education Center.
February 24
The EHC "Grizzly Adams" Wolfsburg wins the final of the German Ice Hockey Cup against the Hannover Scorpions.
February 13
The first section of the Lower Saxony Vehicle Technology Research Center is opened at the Mobile Life Campus. Three of ten institutes are located at the Mobile Life Campus.
January 30
With the closure of the gap between Cremlingen and the Wolfsburg-Königslutter interchange, the A 39 becomes passable between the south of Braunschweig and Wolfsburg.
In 1996, a friendship agreement was already concluded between Bielsko-Biala and Wolfsburg. Since 1998 there has been a twinning between the two cities.
June 11
The absolute highlight for Wolfsburg's sports fans: VfL Wolfsburg is promoted to the first Bundesliga.
The Wolfsburg Planetarium receives a new star projector, the "Spacemaster" from Zeiss. Wolfsburg is thus the first city in the world to install this model. With its fiber optics, the new device is significantly more powerful and shows an even more brilliant starry sky with over 9000 stars.
Together with the completion of the Art Museum and the House of the City Administration (City Hall B), the southern end of Porschestrasse took on its present form.
The city of Wolfsburg enters into a partnership with Togliatti.
Start of planning for Porschestrasse-Nord (pedestrian zone) and completion of Porschestrasse-Südkopfcenter in the fall.
The partnership between Halberstadt and Wolfsburg was sealed by the council of the city of Wolfsburg on 21.09.1989 and by the city council of Halberstadt on 24.10.1989 before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
On May 28, the city council decides to renovate the south wing of Wolfsburg Castle. This measure is not only intended to take a significant step toward preserving the cultural-historical building, but is also associated with a more extensive use of the building. Following its structural remodeling, the Stadthalle will be reopened with a festive performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony on May 30.
At the Stahlberg site between Kreuzheide and Brackstedt, the foundation stone for the Wolfsburg wastewater treatment plant, the central project for wastewater disposal, is laid on September 25. The large-scale project is designed to remove pollutants from the industrial city's wastewater and feed it to the forward-looking rainwater treatment system on agricultural fields. The foundation stone for the new district court is laid on historic settlement land in Heßlingen on November 7. With the realization of the building, previously spatially separated functional areas of jurisdiction in Wolfsburg are combined.
Wolfsburg and Sarajevo have had a friendly relationship since 1985.
The house where Hoffmann von Fallersleben was born will be reopened to the public on May 19 after extensive reconstruction and restoration work. The building can look back on a long history. Important dates are: 1603 First documented mention, 1798 Birth of August Heinrich Hoffmann, 1934 Purchase of the house by the city of Fallersleben. On July 18, the council approves the expansion plans for the southern section of Porschestraße. With the inauguration of the functional wing of the city hospital on November 30, an important expansion phase of the hospital complex comes to an end. Two thirds of the 80 million DM costs were covered by the municipal budget.
Work begins on the extension to the vocational schools II on Dieselstrasse. With the opening of the ice palace on November 11, the Allerpark is supplemented by existing leisure and sports facilities. The planetarium is opened on December 1. It stands as a symbol of the cooperation and joint effort of the city, Volkswagenwerk and the "Jenoptik" company from the GDR.
The city will receive a direct freeway connection (A 39) initially as a link to the A2 freeway. Further plans aim at a continuous continuation to the north-south highway A7. After reconstruction, the Fallersleben sulfur baths are opened on April 2. It takes over the tasks of preventive health care and post-patient treatment.
On April 1, the city of Wolfsburg acquires Neuhaus Castle from the district of Helmstedt. On September 2, the council decides to draw up a landscape plan. The aim is to ensure that future urban development takes due account of nature and the landscape as the basis of life.
The development and foundation work in the III Quartier Westhagen will start in spring. The northern part of the Westhagen development area, comprising the III and IV Quartier, is to have stepped storey buildings and, above all, 400 owner-occupied apartments. The pedestrian zone "Porschestraße-Mitte" will be opened on June 7 after three years of construction. This created a central area for shopping and communication in the city center. The laying of the foundation stone for the new functional wing of the city hospital on June 18 marks the start of Wolfsburg's largest municipal construction project in the coming years. The building will house central facilities for the medical sector, patient care and the technical center and will address the hospital's space shortage.
The city of Wolfsburg is assigned to the Braunschweig administrative district effective February 1. The city celebrates its 40th anniversary with a large program of festivities. The highlights of the anniversary celebrations are a festive event in the theater and a large parade with 5,500 active participants and 160 floats in the city center. In front of numerous VIPs from business and politics, citizens of the Volkswagen city and guests from abroad in the theater, VW Chairman of the Board Toni Schmücker presents the model of a planetarium as a development of the "Jenoptik" plant from the GDR. The planetarium is to find its place in front of the town hall as a joint project of the town and the Volkswagen plant.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the transformation of Porschestraße-Mitte into a pedestrian zone on March 1 initiates the actual restructuring of the city center into an attractive and functional city center. Wolfsburg gains a year-round leisure attraction with the opening of the "Badeland" in Allerpark on April 15.
The state planning framework program sets a target population of 135,000 for the city of Wolfsburg for 1985/90. The population on December 31, 1976 is 129,104. On September 15, the council adopts the development plan for the central area of Porschestrasse as a statute. This met the legal planning requirements for the transformation into a pedestrian zone.
The city of Wolfsburg enters into a partnership with the province of Pesaro-Urbino in Italy.
On October 20, after lengthy preparatory work, the Municipal Gallery opens to the public, primarily works from the post-war period of the German-speaking world.
Wolfsburg's new theater, built according to the plans of Prof. Hans Scharoun, is festively opened on October 5. The architecturally excellently designed building offers itself not only as a performance venue for the various theater subjects but also as a meeting place and communication center.
On July 1, the Lower Saxony territorial reform led to the incorporation of 20 municipalities into the city of Wolfsburg, including the towns of Fallersleben and Vorsfelde. The young city now had an area of 203 square kilometers and its population had increased to 130,979.
The construction of the new traffic junction at St. Anne's Church is started, which will enable traffic routing in two levels.
Construction work for the "Allerpark" sports and recreation center will begin in April. After relocation of the course of the Aller, dredging for the Allersee will follow.
The development plans for Westhagen, Detmerode and Klieversberg-Eichelkamp are extended.
After the necessary renovation and extension of the east wing of the palace, the Garden Hall, the former court arbor and the Fireside Room can be handed over to their new purpose as representative rooms in June. To alleviate the acute housing shortage, the Westhagen district is tackled as a major project.
An expert jury for the competition for the municipal theater selects the design by Professor Hans Scharoun from Berlin. The population at the end of the year is 84,099, including 6,708 foreigners.
In May, the new children's clinic of the city hospital is put into operation. The previous children's clinic is converted into a new department for ear, nose and throat patients. The shell of the large extension building is completed.
The large-scale expansion of the city hospital begins. It is to increase the occupancy possibilities by about 200 beds. The pediatric clinic, the gynecological clinic and the X-ray and radiation departments are to receive special new buildings. The celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the founding of the city culminate in a festive council meeting in the large hall of the Stadthalle. The town hall receives an extension for representative events in the form of the "Hall of Mirrors", as well as a large sports hall and an exhibition room. On the occasion of the Founder's Day celebrations, Wolfsburg's youth gather at the VFL stadium for a large event, preceded by a grand parade of Wolfsburg's entire school youth through the city to the stadium. In June, Wolfsburg concludes another twinning agreement with Marignane in southern France.
Construction begins in the Detmerode district. Around 4,000 apartments are to be built here. On August 30, the "Cultural Center" (today: Alvar Aalto House of Culture), begun in 1958 and designed by Prof. Alvar Aalto, is inaugurated.
The city of Wolfsburg buys back Wolfsburg Castle from the state of Lower Saxony on March 28.
The barracks in the Laagberg-Nord area are cleared; it is developed as a construction area for a new urban district.
The town hall on Porschestraße, built according to the plans of Wolfsburg architect Dr.-Ing. Titus Taeschner, is inaugurated on March 22. Construction begins in the Laagberg-Süd, Hellwinkel and Rabenberg districts, as well as on the other side of the Mittelland Canal in the Tiergartenbreite district. In May, the Stadthalle Wolfsburg opens its doors. The first major event to take place in it is the Volkswagenwerk art exhibition, which shows the entire oeuvre of Lovis Corinth.
On March 30, the Berlin Bridge over the Mittelland Canal is inaugurated.
Construction begins in the Eichelkamp district.
A decisive date in the city's history is marked by the contract on initial municipal equipment between the city and the Federal Republic of Germany, the state of Lower Saxony and the Volkswagen factory. This contract, dated February 21, gives the city ownership rights over a large part of the land located within the city limits. The millionth Volkswagen is completed. The city grants honorary citizenship to General Director Dr.-Ing. e.h. Nordhoff. The first city planner of the Volkswagen city, Peter Koller, is appointed to head Wolfsburg's building administration and urban planning. He bases his planning on a city size of around 100,000 inhabitants. On October 11, Vorsfelde is granted the city rights to which the community had already been entitled earlier - into the 17th century.
On April 11, the foundation stone for the city hospital on Klieversberg was laid and the Dephin Palace was inaugurated. Inauguration of the Chief City Manager Dr. Wolfgang Hesse.
At the end of the year, the population is 30,139. VW-Wohnungsbau GmbH, as the second non-profit housing company, starts its activities.
On May 1, classes begin in Wolfsburg's first new school building, the Goethe School. In the same year, the Lutheran Christuskirche and the Catholic Christophoruskirche, both located in the city center, are completed. The Volkswagenwerk donates the first open-air swimming pool to the city, which is named "VW-Bad". On October 1, Wolfsburg is separated from the district of Gifhorn and declared an independent city.
Urban development continues vigorously. Housing developments are built on Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse. The eastern housing estate on Reislinger Strasse is begun and Porschestrasse is laid out. Wolfsburg enters into its first town twinning with Luton in Great Britain.
Since the British occupation forces had confiscated almost all the land in the city area as former Nazi assets after the end of the war, housing construction and the expansion of the infrastructure as well as commercial settlements were slow to begin. 227 new housing units were built. Due to the influx of refugees, the population skyrockets to 24,900 by the end of the year.
On August 11, the city sells Wolfsburg Castle to the state of Lower Saxony.
On January 1, Dipl.-Ing. Heinrich Nordhoff took over as General Manager of the Volkswagen plant. Urban planner Dr.-Ing. Reichow, Hamburg, draws up a new general development plan for Wolfsburg. The plan for Wolfsburg was based on a town with a population of around 35,000.
At the end of the Second World War, about two-thirds of the Volkswagen plant is destroyed. The residential districts remain almost completely untouched by air raids. By resolution of the city council on May 25, the city receives its final name "Wolfsburg" after the castle of the same name on the Aller River.
Shortages of building materials and labor lead to the gradual cessation of housing construction. By this time, "Neuland" had built just under 3,000 apartments. Since the beginning of the war, extensive barracks camps for forced laborers and prisoners of war have been built along the Mittelland Canal.
Housing construction begins. The first completed district is the Steimker Berg area. The city center between Schillerstraße, Heinrich-Heine-Straße, Lessingstraße and Kleiststraße as well as construction projects on Friedrich-Ebert-Straße, Suhlgarten, Teichgarten and Rothenfelder Straße are started. The Volkswagen factory is incorporated into the war economy and produces various armaments, such as the Kübelwagen (the military version of the Volkswagen) and the V1 flying bomb, using mainly foreign forced laborers, prisoners of war and concentration camp inmates.
On May 26, the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone of the Volkswagen plant takes place. Effective July 1, the "City of the KdF Car near Fallersleben" is founded by decree of the Chief President of the Province of Hanover. It is founded on the land of the old village of Heßlingen and the originally independent Wolfsburg estate, which has belonged to it since 1928, as well as the village of Rothehof/Rothenfelde with parts of the municipalities of Mörse, Sandkamp, Fallersleben and Hattorf. The plan envisaged a final stage of 90,000 to 100,000 inhabitants for the city. In the fall of this year, the newly founded non-profit housing company "Neuland GmbH," also financed with DAF funds, will begin operations.
The then leader of the German Labor Front (DAF), Dr. Robert Ley, receives an order from Hitler to initiate the construction of a plant for the production of the Volkswagen designed by Professor Ferdinand Porsche. To this end, the DAF founds the "Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des deutschen Volkswagens GmbH" - "Gezuvor" - in May, which, among other things, prepares the choice of location for the plant and the city. In October 1938, the company is renamed Volkswagenwerk GmbH.
In the course of a general administrative reform, Heßlingen and Wolfsburg are ceded to the district of Gifhorn in the province of Hanover.
By decree of October 25, the Prussian Ministry of State grants the town charter to the municipality of Fallersleben.
A mining contract is concluded between Wintershall AG and the owner of the manor, Count Werner von der Schulenburg-Wolfsburg, under which the potash drilling company "Werk Rothenfelde" was entitled to extract potash salt. Construction of the shaft begins in November.
On February 9, the municipality of Ehmen (today a district of the city of Wolfsburg) concludes a potash salt contract with Mr. Herz and the mining company Tölle in Braunschweig, which regulates the exploitation of the salt deposits and the participation in the municipality's tasks.
On June 29, Heinrich Büssing was born in what is now the district of Nordsteimke. In 1903, he founded a company in Braunschweig for the manufacture and sale of medium and heavy trucks, motorized buses and power units. The name Büssing is still a trademark for commercial vehicles worldwide.
Shortly after the end of the wars of liberation, the former Magdeburg exclaves of Heßlingen and Hehlingen are annexed to the then created Gardelegen district within the newly formed province of Saxony of the Kingdom of Prussia.
On April 2, August Heinrich Hoffmann, who later called himself Hoffmann von Fallersleben, is born in what is now the town of Fallersleben. The linguist, scholar and poet is best known as the author of numerous children's songs and as the poet of the Deutschlandlied.
After the death of the last male Bartensleben, the dominion of Wolfsburg passes to the family of the Counts of Schulenburg by inheritance.
After the end of the 30 Years' War, the Magdeburg exclaves known as the "Wolfsburger Ländchen" fall to the great Elector Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg, as he had acquired the claim to the secularized archdiocese of Magdeburg.
Hans, "the rich", von Bartensleben has Wolfsburg Castle rebuilt into the castle in its present form.
Fallersleben Castle is built.
Neuhaus Castle in the district of the same name in the city of Wolfsburg is documented. It was built during the Lüneburg War of Succession as the "New House of Vorsfelde" by Duke Magnus II and the city of Braunschweig as a defensive fortress against Vorsfelde Castle, which was destroyed in the 15th century. Later, the castle served as the Princely Brunswick-Lüneburg official residence. In connection with the Lüneburg War of Succession, there is the first report of a feudal bond between Werner von Bartensleben and his cousin Busso and the Archbishop of Magdeburg. Heßlingen with Wolfsburg Castle and Hehlingen emerge as Magdeburg exclaves within Guelph territories.
The "Wolfsburg" is mentioned in documents as the seat of the noble family of the von Bartensleben.
Vorsfelde is first mentioned in a document.
First mention of Fallersleben and Ehmen in a document of Emperor Otto I.