Brunswick Land

Brunswick Land (German: Braunschweiger Land) is a region in the southeast of the German state of Lower Saxony

Geography

The area stretches from the Harz mountain range in the south along the Oker river down to the Burgdorf-Peine Geest in the North German Plain. The natural landscape includes the Elm, Asse and Salzgitter Hills, the Hainberg and Vorholz ranges in the west, as well as the Harly Forest. The core territory comprises the historic Duchy of Brunswick and its successor, the Free State of Brunswick (except for the district of Holzminden in South Lower Saxony, as well as Calvörde and Blankenburg, which today are part of Saxony-Anhalt).

Today Brunswick Land roughly corresponds to the central parts of the former Lower Saxon Regierungsbezirk Brunswick, including:

the cities of Braunschweig, Salzgitter, and Wolfsburg
the districts of Goslar, Helmstedt, Peine, and Wolfenbüttel.

On that basis and excluding the uninhabited territories in the Harz mountains, the region has an area of 4,716.43 square kilometres (1,821.02 sq mi) and a population of 1,115,876. The population density, at 237 people/km², is higher than the Lower Saxon and the German average.

Regional association

The Brunswick Landscape Association (Verein Braunschweigische Landschaft) located in Braunschweig was established in 1990. It has set itself the aim of promoting the identity of Brunswick Land and ties between the populations and their history after the foundation of the state of Lower Saxony. The association uses a silhouette of the Saxon Steed as its emblem.

Legends and traditions

The legends about the medieval trickster Till Eulenspiegel from Kneitlingen, like the tales that refer to the Saxon duke Henry the Lion (as rendered by Agostino Steffani's opera Henrico Leone), Brunswick Mum beer or the alleged foundation of Braunschweig and Dankwarderode Castle by the Brunonid brothers Brun and Dankward, are rich in tradition. The densely forested mountains of the Harz and Elm ranges are the setting of numerous myths and fables.

Cities and towns in Brunswick Land

External links