Goslar
Template:Infobox Town DE Goslar is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz hills. Population: 45,700 (1999).
Geography
Goslar is a historic town in southern Lower Saxony. It is situated at the northwestern foot of the Lower-Saxon highlands: the Harz hills. The Kahlerberg/Schalke is with 2,382 feet the highest elevation within the municipal boundaries. The lowest point with 574 feet is near Oker. Geographically Goslar forms the boundary between the Hildesheim Downs which are part of the Northern German Plain, and the Harz Range which is the highest northern-most extension of the Middle German Mountain Range. The Hildesheim Downs are characterised by plains with rich clay soils--used agriculturally for sugar beet farming. These plains are interlaced with several hill ranges commonly known as the Hildesheim Forest and Salzgitter Hills. Immediately to the South the Harz Montains rise above the historic borough at a height of 2,083 feet (Rammelsberg). Here forestry dominates the landscape.
Climate
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average daily maximum temperature (°C) | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 13.75 | |
| Average daily minimum temperature (°C) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 4.8 | |
| Mean total rainfall (mm) | 110 | 80 | 90 | 60 | 60 | 70 | 70 | 90 | 100 | 120 | 120 | 100 | 1070 | |
| Source: Wetterstation Rammelsberg | ||||||||||||||
Government and Politics
Supranational/National
Goslar is a town in the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union. It is subject to European and German jurisdiction.
Land
At the devolved regional level, Goslar town council is a part of the Land Lower-Saxony.
District
Goslar is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar.
Municipality
Boroughs
Goslar consists of two boroughs: The historic town centre and the quarters adjacent to it, and Oker, which has been merged into Goslar with the administrative boundary reform of 1972.
- Goslar
- Oker
Villages & Hamlets
Several neighbouring villages and hamlets have been merged into Goslar with the administrative boundary reform in 1972.
- Hahndorf
- Hahnenklee-Bockswiese
- Jerstedt
Town Council
Goslar's current mayor is Otmar Hesse (Social Democrats). The Town Council has 40 members. For the legislature from November 1st, 2001 until October 31st, 2006, the seats were allocated as follows:
| Year | CDU | SPD | FDP | Free Citizens' List | Independents | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 14 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 40 Seats |
(Result: Lower-Saxon Communal Elections of September 9th, 2001)
Economy
Trade & Commerce
The town centre of Goslar serves as a regional shopping centre to the Northern Harz region. Here department stores, several supermarkets, eloquent boutiques and restaurants can be found. Once weekly, there is also a market, where farmers sell their local produce. There are also several car dealerships in the borough, some of whom specialise in either discount/reimport or custom car sales.
Service
The tourism sector is a booming sector in Goslar. Several hotels and bed and breakfasts are located in or near the town's centre. In addition, the town has become a popular resort for the elderly and there are many care homes in the town.
Goslar has become a popular conference venue (see Tourism).
There are several night-clubs in the town, where local youth, and students from the nearby Clausthal School of Engineering and Mining meet.
Manufacturing & Logistics
H.C. Starck - producer of electrolytes, special and rare metals and ceramics - a Bayer Company
Odermark Men's Fashion - Textile Works - a FW Brinkmann company
Harzer Grauhof Mineral Waters (founded in 1875 by Saxer & Völker) - a Nestle company
Beverages Trinks - Logistics
Employment
Largest employers in Goslar are H.C. Starck, the tourism sector, and the civil service. Many residents of Goslar commute to Salzgitter, where car production, steel works and white collar jobs are based.
Culture
Theater
The Odeon Theatre is the town's major theatre venue. It has been recently refurbished. It is host to several productions of visiting theatre companies and music groups.
The alternative theatre Culture Power Station Harz or Kulturkraftwerk Harz is housed in a disused powerstation. Being run by volunteers, it produces contempory theatre, comedy and hosts mostly alternative cultural events. Here the annual Goslar Fringe Culture Days are held from the start to mid June.
Celebrations & Events
In the year 2006 Goslar hosts the Salier Year to celebrate the foundation of this ancient German Imperial dynasty a Millennium ago.
Tourism
World Heritage
Goslar and the mines are UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Museums
- Museum and visitor's mine Rammelsberg
- Museum in the Mediaeval Imperial Palace (Kaiserpfalz)
- Monks' House - Mönchehaus Museum for Contempory and Modern Arts
- Goslar Museum
- Museum in the Gothic Town Hall
- Zwinger Tower and Dungeon - Museum for Late Mediaeval History
Congresses and Conferences
The Achtermann venue is a popular conference centre, host to the annual German Road & Transport Safety Days: the "Deutscher Verkehrstag"
Viewpoints
Media
The regional newspaper is the Goslar Chronicle Goslarsche Zeitung which has an estimated daily readership of 90,000.
Transportation
Goslar has both excellent road and rail links connecting it to the major European population centres. Goslar also serves as a major transport hub for the Upper Harz mountains (highest peak at 3,747 ft altitude).
Roads
With the A7 and the A395 there are two main Autobahns/Highways within 20 minutes reach of Goslar. The A7 connects Hamburg/Hanover in the North to Frankfurt/Munich in the South. The A395 branches off the main east-west Autobahn A2 at Brunswick and ends at Harzburg-Spa, some 7.5 miles east of Goslar. The A2 connects Berlin--to the East--to the Ruhr Area and the Netherlands in the West. The Federal highways B6 and B82 converge at Goslar and are routed via the four-lane city by-pass past the city centre. The B6 is mostly four-laned and approaches Goslar via the scenic Hildesheim - Salzgitter route.
Rail
Goslar lies at the railway lines Hanover - Goslar - Halle (Saxony-Anhalt) as well as Brunswick - Goslar - Kreiensen. The central railway station is located in the vicinity of the town centre. There is a park-and-ride system for cummuters to Brunswick and Hanover.
Regional Transport
At the railway station there is a central bus station with busses travelling routinely to various destinations in the Upper Harz mountains.
Airports
The closest International airport is Hanover-Langenhagen, about 1 hour and 20 minutes car travel from Goslar. There exists also a railway link. The Hanover International Airport connects to the most important regional centres in Europe and serves as well for charter flights to popular tourist resorts in Europe and beyond. Some 3-4 hours car/train ride away is Frankfurt airport, one of Europe's largest airtransportation hubs, from where destinations anywhere in the world can be reached. In addition there are two regional airports at Brunswick and Hildesheim, as well as two club airfields at Harzburg-Spa and Salzgitter-Lebenstedt. Goslar has also a disused military airfield.
Education
Schools
The three tier education system in Goslar district falls under Lower-Saxon legislation. The language of tuition at all schools is the German language. The nine primary schools are distributed across the entire municipality and the associated hamlets. There are two advanced vocational schools (5-12/13), the Christian-von-Dohm-Gymnasium, and the more traditional Ratsgymnasium, both of which prepare their students for an academic career. Three intermediate level schools(5-10), the Andre-Mouton Realschule, the Realschule Hohe Weg, and the Realschule Goldene Aue prepare their pupils for a professional career. Furthermore, two vocational schools (5-9/10)exist: the Hauptschule Oker, and the Hauptschule Kaiserpfalz. The Sonderschule caters to children with learning difficulties and special needs.
Colleges
At the 10-12 level there are four job training colleges located at Goslar in crafts, economics, and care for the elderly for students from Goslar district and beyond.
Higher Education
The nearest University from Goslar is the old venerable Engineering and Mining School at Clausthal situated in the Upper Harz mountains some 11 miles South of Goslar within Goslar district. Some 31 miles North of Goslar there is the prominent Brunswick Institute of Technology, and some 51 miles to the South the highly acclaimed University of Göttingen (founded by King George II of Great Britain) is based. The respected University of Hildesheim is situated some 34 miles to the northwest. Furthermore there are 3 polytechniques/universities of applied sciences within the perimeter of 30 miles of Goslar.
Life Long Learning
The Community College/Volkshochschule of the district Goslar is dedicated to life-long learning.
History
Goslar has a rich history stretching from the neolitic via the ancient Saxon times, the Holy Roman German empire, Reformation, Enlightenment, German Nationalism, Emancipation, Militarism, Democratisation, the National Socialist Dictatorship including Rassism & Genocide, the Iron Curtain, up to German reunification. In addition Goslar can field an exiting industrial history.
The town was founded in the 10th century by the Salian Emporer Henry I. after the discovery of silver deposits in the nearby Rammelsberg. The wealth derived from silver mining brought Goslar the status of an Imperial City, which attracted the interest of the Holy Roman Emperor.
The Mediaeval Imperial Palace of Goslar (Kaiserpfalz) was built in the 11th century and became a summer residence for the emperors, especially Henry III of Germany who visited his favourite palace about twenty times. Henry is buried in Goslar.
Goslar's Mediaeval cathedral was build at the same time as the Mediaeval Imperial Palace, but only the porch survived; the dome itself was torn down in 1820. Other sights are the town hall (16th century) and the ancient mines of the Rammelsberg, which houses now a mining museum. .
During the Second World war the Nazis established several forced labor and P.O.W. camps in and near Goslar. Many of these mostly eastern European forced laborers worked under degrading conditions in the mining and zinc/lead/copper works in nearby Oker. Largest "employers" in Goslar were the silver mine Rammelsberg (ca. 350 forced labourers) and the Chemical works Borchers (ca. 550 forced labourers). Many forced labourers died during their work or because of malnutrition. Aside from the forced labour camps there existed an outpost of the Concentration Camp Neuengamme.
Demography
Places of Worship
Health
Sports
Situated at the foot of the Harz hills, Goslar offers a great deal of outdoor pursuit, from swmming to rock climbing; from motor sports and aviation to sailing and cross-country biking.
The oldest and most traditional sports club is the MTV Goslar. It was founded in 1849. Its main facilites, a football pitch and gymnasium are located at the Golden Meadow (Goldene Aue) site.
Buildings & Architecture
Geology
Ecology (Fauna & Flora)
Famous Residents
Twinned Towns & Cities
- Arcachon - France - http://www.arcachon.com
- Beroun - Czech Republic - http://beroun.turistik.cz
- Brzeg - Poland - http://www.brzeg.pl
- Windsor and Maidenhead - England, United Kingdom - http://www.rbwm.gov.uk
Miscellaneous
Future Prospects
Being a mediaeval town, which essence has not changed since its foundations, Goslar has it's charms. Although the region has a high unemployment rate, local bonding and local strength, such as high-tech engineering, high-precision manufacturing, and logistics might benefit the town. Also the town needs to be reinvigorated like in the 1970's when innovative architects and designers fostered the town's economy. As the mining and metal works have ceased to exist, new environmentally centered industries might take their place. As Germany and also Lower-Saxony shows substantial regional differences, which cannot be tackled by central government, there needs to be some devolution of powers such as opening hours for shops and car dealers, local taxes, and labour laws to be taylored to the specificities of the Harz region. It addition, its schools should be granted more freedom, for instance, when it comes to the introduction of new languages like Chinese or Turkish to the curriculum.
In the cold war, Goslar has been a major garrison town for the German army and the Border police. After the fall of the Berlin wall, the barracks have been vacated and a major ecomonic factor has gone lost. However, the town's citizens should not decry this, but actively build a caring microsocial cohesion within a globalised world.
