The City of Garbsen ECONOMIC PROGRESS Centre for Production Technology Garbsen is an innovative city, ideal for all kinds of businesses. You will find companies specialising in mechanical engineering, ICT, energy supply, the media and high tech research here. A valuable asset is Garbsen’s excellent traffic links with the A 2 motorway linking Berlin and the Ruhr region and providing access to the A 7, the major North – South link, the B 6 national highway to Bremen and above all the airport at Hanover- Langenhagen. The city is an attractive location for business and also a residential area with a diversity of prime quality housing. Steady growth is the characteristic feature of Garbsen’s economic and high tech development. In the last two decades employment figures have doubled here. There is a continuous increase in cutting edge commerce and industry sectors which have opted for Garbsen as their companies’ location. At the same time research and scientific development have gained importance in recent years. A unique project was started in July 2004 with the opening of the Centre for Production Technology. Six institutes of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Hanover University have been brought together on one site in Garbsen, enabling worldwide leading companies and research centres to start on new ways of a partnership for information-communication and knowledge and technology transfer. In this centre of innovation with research and business under one roof, a staff of 650 people will work on state of the art developments for the car industry, aviation and space technology. Steps for expanding the research facilities have been laid down up to 2009. This is a major increase in Garbsen’s importance as a location for business. The city’s economic structure is characterised by a diversity of sectors of small and medium- sized businesses with a focus on commerce and service industries. Right next to Garbsen there is a major car manufacturer and there are numerous automotive component suppliers. Trade and industry in the Hanover region have profited from German unification in 1989. Today the region is situated in the very centre of Germany. It is a major traffic junction of increasing economic importance. This development has also increased the demand for industrial and commercial sites in Garbsen. Far-sighted councillors and administrators have worked out policies for new development opportunities for industrial and commercial sites. Garbsen makes every effort to facilitate the movement of job-creating industries into the town. LIVING IN GARBSEN With over 63,000 inhabitants the city is the second largest in the Hanover Region, covering an area of 79.3 km2. It was founded in 1974 when formerly independent communities amalgamated into the city of Garbsen now consisting of 13 villages and urban areas. 45,000 people live in Alt-Garbsen, Berenbostel, Havelse and Auf der Horst. The villages have kept their rural charm with Heitlingen being the smallest with 630 inhabitants. Residential areas in the city are as diverse as are the needs and ideas of its citizens. In the urban parts of Garbsen and Berenbostel there are council estates, but the number of detached, semi-detached and terraced houses has also increased steadily in those parts of town. Thanks to its diverse landscape and infrastructure, Garbsen is a popular place to live. The city council has policies which allow young families especially to buy property at very reasonable prices. In the early 1980s the new area in the centre of Garbsen was developed starting with Europe’s largest exhibition of model houses. This housing area has been expanded in recent years and now has a superb private and public infrastructure. It is a prime residential area due to its direct access to Garbsen’s green belt with its two lakes, its leisure activities and kindergartens, schools and shops within easy reach. The city of Garbsen provides an excellent educational infrastructure with all types of schools, the Centre for Vocational Learning of the Hanover Board of Trade and Industry and the institutes of Hanover University. THE NEW CITY CENTRE City hall in the new centre The biggest challenge facing Garbsen is the on-going creation of the new city centre. Various ideas were discussed in a town planning competition to which the citizens also contributed their ideas for the future. The city centre has now become a lively meeting place with retail businesses, private and public services and leisure opportunities. The ten-screen, 2,300- seat-cinema with its bars, bistros and restaurants is the main attraction. More shopping and entertainment facilities will be added to make it even more of a meeting place for everybody. CITY HALL GARBSEN Citizens’ office The city administration is based in a purpose-built, modern city hall, a centre for dialogue with and service for the general public. It is an excellent example of cutting edge architecture, demonstrating how public buildings can be open-spaced and of individual style. From a glass-roofed hallway there is access to all civic departments. The city hall was constructed according to low-energy standards. To reduce costs the city administration has initiated works to improve the insulation of public buildings. The city hall has its own block-unit heating power plant. Solar panels on its roof generate additional electricity. All these energy- related technical installations have reduced energy costs by 40%. The citizens’ open space office with its information counter is the central point of welcome for all customers. Here most matters can be dealt with directly, so that no other office needs to be contacted – we spell service with a capital S. The grand hallway is a venue for frequent exhibitions. Attractive cultural events encourage citizens to visit their city hall. Amateur artists can use exhibition space in other parts of the city hall. LEISURE AND ENTERTAINMENT The summer festival, various markets, concerts and other cultural activities have made the market square next to the city hall a lively place. The spring festival in the village of Stelingen, the autumn festival in the village of Heitlingen and our regular cultural festival weeks of concerts, drama and the arts in alternate years in summer have led to a thriving cultural scene. Garbsen’s clubs, associations and societies pride themselves on a membership of 15,000. 5,400 young people have joined one of the sport clubs. Our clubs try to get people of all ages involved in sports. Garbsen’s sportswomen and sportsmen excel in regional and national competitions in sports like judo, swimming, archery and track and field. Every year the best of them are given recognition in a ceremony organised by the city administration. For more than 30 years Garbsen has had international contacts. The city is twinned with Hérouville St Clair in Normandy (France), Bassetlaw District in Nottinghamshire (England), Rödding in Denmark, Wrzesnia in Poland, Farmers Branch in Texas (USA) and the German town of Schönebeck south of Magdeburg on the river Elbe. RECREATION The Blue Lake With attractive countryside right on its doorstep Garbsen is a green city. The meadows along the river Leine, the fir trees on the sand dunes, the fields with their hedges and the forests invite you to stroll, to go on nature walks or to cycle along the country paths and green lanes. The Blue Lake, especially popular with swimmers on a hot summer’s day, and the surrounding heath are well-established places for recreation, as are the woodlands to the north of Garbsen. Lake Berenbostel, the Black Lake with its nature trail and the sandy area around Berenbostel and Stelingen invite you to engage in rural pursuits and pastimes. About 42% of the city area is designated as conservation areas, habitats for a variety of animals and plants and a recreation area for our citizens. The protection of our environment is a major concern. Garbsen joined the European Climate Association and runs various ecological projects for climate protection and for an environmentally friendly standard of housing and living. Please contact us at: Stadt Garbsen Büro des Bürgermeisters Medien- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, Internet Rathausplatz 1 D 30823 Garbsen Tel.: 0049 (0) 51 31 7 07 -3 06/ -3 25 E-Mail:[email protected] For further information visit our website: www.garbsen.de.