Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [565]
Long after VW withdrew its bucket-of-bolts old Beetle (essentially the same beast despite improvements) from Western markets, the car remained a best seller in the developing world. Only on 31 July 2003 did the last one roll off the assembly line in Mexico, the 21,529,464th of its breed.
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CITY CENTRE
As you walk south down Porschestrasse, you’ll come to another great building, the Kunstmuseum (Art Museum; 266 90; www.kunstmuseum-wolfsburg.de; Porschestrasse 53; adult/concession €8/4; 11am-8pm Tue, to 6pm Wed-Sun), which is home to temporary exhibitions of modern art. On the hill just southwest of the southern end of Porschestrasse is Planetarium Wolfsburg ( 219 39; www.planetarium-wolfsburg.de; Uhlandweg 2; adult/concession/family €5/3/10; show times 3pm Wed, 4.30pm Sat & 3.30pm Sun), built in 1982 after VW bartered Golfs for Zeiss projectors with the GDR. It’s got laser and rock shows, star shows and spoken-word performances set to the stars.
Next to it is the city’s historic landmark, the Esso Station, built in 1951 and now restored to its original splendour.
SCHLOSS WOLFSBURG
In historic contrast to Autostadt’s space-age sheen, Wolfsburg’s castle dates from 1600 and today houses the Stadtmuseum ( 828 540; Schlossstrasse 8; admission free; 10am-5pm Tue-Fri, 1-6pm Sat, 11am-6pm Sun). It has a rundown of the city’s history from 1938, when the VW plant was founded, to the present day. There’s also a small regional history museum and two art galleries that host rotating exhibitions. The Schloss is five minutes northeast of Autostadt. Several buses, including 160, 201, 202, 208, 211 and 380, will get you here.
FALLERSLEBEN
Keen history students who speak German might want to visit this historic part of town to see Fallersleben Schloss and its Hoffmann Museum ( 05362-526 23; admission free; 10am-5pm Tue-Fri, 1-5pm Sat, 11am-5pm Sun). In 1841, Fallersleben native August Heinrich Hoffman (1798–1874) wrote the lyrics to what would become the German national anthem (music courtesy of Joseph Hayden). Here you’ll find discussion of how his words ‘über alles’ (‘above everything’) were simply a call for an end to petty inter-German fiefdoms, and how they were expunged after the Third Reich’s nationalistic excesses. Take bus 206 or 214 to Fallersleben.
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Sleeping
Most tourists to Wolfsburg are day trippers, and the city’s accommodation is geared towards business travellers.
DJH hostel ( 133 37; www.djh-niedersachsen.de/jh/wolfsburg; Lessingstrasse 60; dm under/over 27yr €22.20/24.20; ) At its current location, this hostel has two- to four-bed dorms, but it expects to move into its new, refurbished premises around the corner at Kleiststrasse 18-20, some time after 2011, when you should find spanking new, upgraded facilities.
Global Inn ( 2700; www.globalinn.de; Kleiststrasse 46; s €62-67, d €93-114; ) While very much aimed at the corporate customer, the comfortable furnishings and facilities of this hotel, including a very decent Italian restaurant, Per Voi, make it suitable for leisure travellers, too. Book ahead.
Penthouse Hotel ( 2710; www.penthouse-hotel.de; Schachtweg 22; s €68, d €80-100, tr €120; ) With basic kitchens, these central but quite plain-Jane apartments are popular among families or longer-stay international travellers in town on VW business. Discounts are given for extended stays.
Hotel Goya ( 266 00; www.goya-hotel.de; Poststrasse 34; s €77-91, d €94-106; ) Rooms in this very central and comfortable hotel are nicely furbished in subdued colours, using mirrors cleverly. Each room has a writing surface and if that’s not sufficient, business