Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony, Land (state) of Germany. The country’s second largest state in size, Lower Saxony occupies an important band of territory across the northwestern part of the country. It is bordered by the North Sea and the German states of Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg to the north and by the states of Mecklenburg–West Pomerania to the northeast, Saxony-Anhalt to the east, Thuringia and Hessen to the south, and North Rhine–Westphalia to the southwest. The Netherlands borders Lower Saxony to the west. The state of Bremen, formed by the cities of Bremerhaven (at the mouth of the Weser) and Bremen (40 miles [64 km] up the river), is an enclave within Lower Saxony. Lower Saxony was established on November 1, 1946, by the British military government, which merged the former Prussian province of Hanover with the states of Braunschweig, Oldenburg, and Schaumburg-Lippe. Its capital is Hannover.

Physical features

With the exception of a small highland area to the south, the landscape of the state is dominated by the great North German Plain. Much of the state’s northern half consists of sandy lowlands of heath, bog, and polder, interspersed with scattered forests. In the northwest the East Frisian Islands—12 islands in the North Sea—and about 325 square miles (840 square km) of coastal land are actually below sea level and are protected from inundation by dikes similar to those nearby in the Netherlands. More than half of Lower Saxony is drained by the Weser River and its tributaries, the Fulda and the Werra. At the mouths of the Weser and other rivers flowing into the North Sea, fertile marshes are found, mostly supporting a pasture economy. In the state’s northeastern region, there is a less-fertile area of land partly covered with forests. This contains the Lüneburg Heath (Lüneburger Heide), which is noted for its old-fashioned red farmhouses and the ancient megalithic structures known as “graves of giants.” In the south-central part of the state are two sizable lakes: Steinhuder Lake (about 12 square miles [30 square km]) and Dümmer Lake (about 6 square miles [15 square km]). The highland area occupies the southern portions of the state and contains the Weser, Deister, and Harz mountains. The important Mittelland Canal runs east-west across the south-central part of Lower Saxony.

The sandy lowlands of the north are sparsely populated in comparison with the south-central belt. The troughlike valleys of the forested southern uplands provide good-quality agricultural land, as do the foothills farther north. The latter form part of a treeless belt of rich loess soils known as the Börde, which runs in a narrow east-west zone across the state. Lower Saxony’s climate offers mild winters, moderately warm summers, and a steady year-round rainfall ranging from 24 to 35 inches (600 to 900 mm).

People

The population of Lower Saxony regards itself as Low German, linked by a common ancient Saxon origin and the use of the Low German dialect known as Plattdeutsch. The latter, a dialect closely related to Dutch, Frisian, and English, is quite distinct from the official High German (see also German language). Some regional literature is still written in this dialect, and it remains the language of the home in much of the state. About four-fifths of the population is Protestant, with a Roman Catholic minority in the state’s western part.

In 1939 the population of Lower Saxony as presently defined stood at about 4.5 million. By 1946 the influx of refugees from other areas of war-torn Europe had caused an increase to about 6.2 million, despite wartime losses. By 1950 the population had reached 6.7 million. During the 1950s more than 340,000 refugees were transferred to states of the Federal Republic of Germany that were able to offer better living conditions. Nevertheless, by the late 1990s the population was close to eight million. Recent growth is largely attributable to immigration. The major cities of Lower Saxony are Hannover, Braunschweig, Osnabrück, Oldenburg, Salzgitter, Göttingen, and Wilhelmshaven.

Economy, transportation, and government

Agriculture, the traditional mainstay of the local economy, remains more important in Lower Saxony than in most other German states, with farms producing wheat, rye, oats, potatoes, sugar beets, and dairy and beef cattle. The Emsland region has endured a long struggle to drain its peat bogs. Farmers there and farther west have created new farmland by mixing the peat with underlying sand, artificial fertilizers, and manure from livestock raised on technologically advanced, capital-intensive farms. These practices, however, have come under scrutiny because of the conditions under which the animals are raised and the impact on groundwater.

Manufacturing and services now form the base of the economy, however, and Hannover and Braunschweig are major centres of diversified industries. The state’s chief manufactures include trucks and other motor vehicles, heavy machinery, rubber goods, chemicals, radio and other electronics equipment, and dyes and inks. Lower Saxony also produces small amounts of coal and oil.

Lower Saxony has excellent transport facilities, and Hannover is the most important road and rail junction in northwestern Germany. The state’s importance in the regional economy of Germany was enhanced by the building of such inland waterways as the Mittelland Canal, the Dortmund-Ems Canal, and a host of others. In addition, the major rivers, notably the Weser and the Elbe, are navigable for considerable distances. Many tens of millions of tons of goods pass through the ports of Wilhelmshaven, Emden, Nordenham, and Brake each year, an indication of Lower Saxony’s importance in regional and world trade. The state’s main airport is Hannover-Langenhagen.

The governmental structure of Lower Saxony includes a prime minister, the Landtag (state parliament), a state chancellory, and several ministries. Justice is administered by means of a constitutional court, courts of appeal, regional courts, and local courts.