View source for Lower Saxony

{{short description|State in Germany}}
{{for|other places with a similar name|Saxony (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| official_name      = Lower Saxony
| native_name        = <small>{{native name|de|Niedersachsen}}<br />{{native name|nds|Neddersassen}}<br />{{native name|stq|Läichsaksen}}</small>
| native_name_lang   = 
| settlement_type    = [[States of Germany|State]]
| image_skyline      = 
| imagesize          = 270px
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = Flag of Lower Saxony.svg
| flag_size          = 120px
| image_shield       = Wappen von Niedersachsen.svg
| shield_size        = 75px
| anthem             = 
| image_map          = Locator map Lower-Saxony in Germany.svg
| mapsize            = 155px
| map_caption        = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|52|45|22|N|9|23|35|E|display=inline}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = [[Germany]]
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 
| seat_type          = Capital
| seat               = [[Hanover]]
| governing_body     = [[Landtag of Lower Saxony]]
| leader_party       = SPD
| leader_title       = [[Minister-President of Lower Saxony|Minister-President]]
| leader_name        = [[Olaf Lies]]
| leader_title1      = Governing parties
| leader_name1       = {{Polparty|Germany|SPD}} / {{Polparty|Germany|Greens}}
| leader_title2      = [[Bundesrat of Germany|Bundesrat votes]]
| leader_name2       = 6 (of 69)
| leader_title3      = [[Bundestag|Bundestag seats]]
| leader_name3       = [[Results of the 2025 German federal election#Lower Saxony|65 (of 630)]] <small>(as of 2025)</small>
| total_type         = Total
| area_footnotes     = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Fläche und Bevölkerung |url=https://www.statistikportal.de/de/bevoelkerung/flaeche-und-bevoelkerung |access-date=2025-06-18|website=Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder |language=de}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 47709.90
| elevation_m        = 
| population_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Bevölkerung am 31.12.2023 nach Nationalität und Bundesländern |url=https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Bevoelkerungsstand/Tabellen/bevoelkerung-nichtdeutsch-laender.html |access-date=2025-06-18|website=Statistisches Bundesamt |language=de}}</ref>
| population_total   = 8,161,981
| population_as_of   = 31 December 2023
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_urban   = 
| population_metro   = 
| population_demonym = 
| demographics_type1 = GDP
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Bruttoinlandsprodukt, Bruttowertschöpfung {{!}} Statistikportal.de |url=http://www.statistikportal.de/de/vgrdl/ergebnisse-laenderebene/bruttoinlandsprodukt-bruttowertschoepfung |access-date=31 July 2023 |website=Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder {{!}} Gemeinsames Statistikportal |language=de |archive-date=25 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925065816/https://www.statistikportal.de/de/vgrdl/ergebnisse-laenderebene/bruttoinlandsprodukt-bruttowertschoepfung |url-status=live }}</ref>
| demographics1_title1 = Total
| demographics1_info1 = €381.267 billion (2024)
| demographics1_title2 = Per capita
| demographics1_info2 = €46,706 (2024)
| timezone1          = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1        = +1
| timezone1_DST      = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = +2
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 
| area_code_type     = 
| area_code          = 
| registration_plate = 
| iso_code           = DE-NI
| blank_name_sec2    = [[First level NUTS of the European Union#Germany|NUTS Region]]
| blank_info_sec2    = DE9
| blank2_name_sec2   = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2022)
| blank2_info_sec2   = 0.936<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/table/shdi/DEU/ |title=Subnational HDI |website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=17 June 2025}}</ref><br />{{color|green|very high}} · [[List of German states by Human Development Index|10th of 16]]
| website            = {{URL|https://www.niedersachsen.de/}}
| footnotes          = 
| image_blank_emblem = Niedersachsen.svg
| blank_emblem_type  = [[Brandmark]]
| blank_emblem_size  = 120px
}}
[[File:Lower-Saxony-map.png|thumb|Map of Lower Saxony]]
'''Lower Saxony'''{{efn|{{langx|de|Niedersachsen}} {{IPA|de|ˈniːdɐzaksn̩<!--not a typo: ''ch'' is pronounced [k] before an ''s''-->||De-Niedersachsen2.ogg}}; {{langx|nds|Neddersassen}}; {{langx|stq|Läichsaksen}}}} is a [[States of Germany|German state]] (''{{Lang|de|Land}}'') in [[Northern Germany|northwestern Germany]]. It is the second-largest state by land area, with {{convert|47614|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ''{{Lang|de|Länder}}'' of the [[Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]]. In rural areas, [[Northern Low Saxon]] and [[Saterland Frisian language|Saterland Frisian]] are still spoken, though by declining numbers of people.

Lower Saxony borders on (from north and clockwise) the [[North Sea]], the states of [[Schleswig-Holstein]], [[Hamburg]], {{Lang|de|[[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]]|italic=no}}, [[Brandenburg]], [[Saxony-Anhalt]], [[Thuringia]], [[Hesse]] and [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], and the [[Netherlands]]. Furthermore, the [[Bremen (state)|state of Bremen]] forms two [[enclave]]s within Lower Saxony, one being the city of [[Bremen]], the other its [[seaport]], [[Bremerhaven]] (which is a [[semi-exclave]], as it has a coastline). Lower Saxony thus borders more neighbours than any other single ''{{Lang|de|Bundesland}}''. The state's largest cities are the state capital [[Hanover]], [[Braunschweig]] (Brunswick), [[Oldenburg (city)|Oldenburg]], [[Osnabrück]], [[Wolfsburg]], [[Göttingen]], [[Salzgitter]], [[Hildesheim]], mainly situated in its central and southern parts, except Oldenburg.

Lower Saxony is the only ''{{Lang|de|Bundesland}}'' that encompasses both maritime and mountainous areas. The northwestern area of the state, on the coast of the North Sea, is called [[East Frisia]] and the seven [[East Frisian Islands]] offshore are popular with tourists. In the extreme west of Lower Saxony is the [[Emsland (region)|Emsland]], an economically emerging but rather sparsely populated area, once dominated by inaccessible swamps. The northern half of Lower Saxony, also known as the [[North German Plain]], is almost invariably flat except for the gentle hills around the Bremen [[geest]]land. Towards the south and southwest lie the northern parts of the [[German Central Uplands|Central Uplands]]: the [[Weser Uplands]] and the [[Harz]] Mountains. Between these two lie the [[Lower Saxon Hills]], a range of low ridges.

The region in the northeast, the [[Lüneburg Heath]] (''{{Lang|de|Lüneburger Heide}}''), is the largest heathland area of Germany. In the Middle Ages, the town of Lüneburg was wealthy due to salt-mining and the salt trade. To the north the [[Elbe]] valley separates Lower Saxony from Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, {{Lang|de|Mecklenburg-Vorpommern|italic=no}}, and Brandenburg. The left banks of the Elbe downstream Hamburg are known as the ''{{Lang|de|[[Altes Land]]|italic=no}}'' (Old Country). Due to its gentle local climate and fertile soil, it is the state's largest area of fruit farming, its chief produce being [[apple]]s.

Most of the state's territory was part of the historic [[Kingdom of Hanover]], and the state of Lower Saxony has adopted the coat of arms and other symbols of the former kingdom. It was created by the merger of the [[State of Hanover]] with three smaller states on 1 November 1946.

== Geography ==
{{See also|List of cities in Lower Saxony by population}}
{{further interlanguage link|List of cities and municipalities in Lower Saxony|de|Liste der Städte und Gemeinden in Niedersachsen}}
{{further interlanguage link|List of regions and regional associations in Lower Saxony|de|Landschaften und Landschaftsverbände in Niedersachsen}}

=== Location ===
Lower Saxony has a natural boundary in the north in the North Sea and the [[Unterelbe|lower]] and middle reaches of the [[River Elbe]], although parts of the city of Hamburg lie south of the Elbe. The state and city of Bremen is an [[enclave]] entirely surrounded by Lower Saxony. The [[Bremen/Oldenburg Metropolitan Region]] is a cooperative body for the enclave area. To the southeast, the state border runs through the Harz, low mountains that are part of the German [[Central Uplands]]. The northeast and west of the state, which form roughly three-quarters of its land area, belong to the North German Plain, while the south is in the [[Lower Saxon Hills]], including the [[Weser Uplands]], [[Leine Uplands]], [[Schaumburg Land]], [[Brunswick Land]], [[Untereichsfeld]], [[Elm (ridge)|Elm]], and [[Lappwald]]. In the northeast of Lower Saxony is the Lüneburg Heath. The heath is dominated by the poor, sandy soils of the [[geest (topography)|geest]], while in the central-east and southeast in the [[Hildesheimer Börde|loess ''börde'' zone]], productive soils with high natural fertility occur. Under these conditions—with [[loam]] and [[sand]]-containing soils—the land is well-developed [[agricultural]]ly. In the west lie the [[Landkreis Grafschaft Bentheim|County of Bentheim]], [[Osnabrück Land]], [[Emsland]], [[Oldenburg Land]], [[Landkreis Ammerland|Ammerland]], [[Oldenburg Münsterland]], and on the coast [[East Frisia]].

[[File:Luftaufnahmen Nordseekueste 2012-05-by-RaBoe-D50 105.jpg|thumb|[[Wangerooge]]]]
The state is dominated by several large northwards-flowing rivers, including the [[Ems (river)|Ems]], [[Weser]], [[Aller (Germany)|Aller]], and the Elbe.

The highest point in Lower Saxony is the [[Wurmberg (Harz)|Wurmberg]] ({{convert|971|m|disp=or}}) in the Harz. Most of the [[List of mountains and hills in Lower Saxony|significant hills and mountains]] are found in the southeastern part of the state. The lowest point in the state, at about {{convert|2.5|m|disp=or}} below sea level, is a depression near [[Freepsum]] in East Frisia.

The state's economy, population, and infrastructure are centred on the cities and towns of Hanover, Stadthagen, Celle, Braunschweig, {{Lang|de|Wolfsburg|italic=no}}, Hildesheim, and Salzgitter. Together with Göttingen in southern Lower Saxony, they form the core of the [[Hannover–Braunschweig–Göttingen–Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region]].

=== Regions ===

==== General ====
Lower Saxony has clear regional divisions that manifest themselves geographically, as well as historically and culturally. In the regions that used to be independent, especially the heartlands of the former states of [[Free State of Brunswick|Brunswick]], [[Land Hannover|Hanover]], [[Oldenburg (state)|Oldenburg]] and [[Schaumburg-Lippe]], a marked local regional awareness exists. By contrast, the areas surrounding the Hanseatic cities of Bremen and Hamburg are much more oriented towards those centres.

==== List of regions ====

Sometimes, overlaps and transition areas happen between the various regions of Lower Saxony. Several of the regions listed here are part of other, larger regions, that are also included in the list.

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
* [[Altes Land]]
* [[Landkreis Ammerland|Ammerland]]
* [[Artland (landscape)|Artland]]
* [[Landkreis Grafschaft Bentheim|County of Bentheim]]
* [[Bramgau]]
* [[Brunswick Land]]
* [[Calenberg Land]]
* [[Eastphalia]]
* [[East Frisia]]
* [[Eichsfeld]]
* [[Elbe-Weser Triangle]]
* [[Emsland]]
* [[Grönegau]]
* [[Land Hadeln]]
* [[Land Wursten]]
* [[Hannover]]
* [[Harz Mountains]]
* [[Hildesheim Börde]]
* [[Hümmling]]
* [[Innerste Uplands]]
* [[Kehdingen]]
* [[Leine Uplands]]
* [[Lüneburg Heath]]
* [[Middle Weser Region]]
* [[Oldenburg Land]]
* [[Oldenburg Münsterland]]
* [[Osnabrück Land]]
* [[Schaumburg Land]]
* [[Solling]]
* [[South Lower Saxony]]
* [[Stade Geest]]
* [[Hanoverian Wendland|Wendland]]
* [[Weser Uplands]]
* [[Wesermarsch]]
* [[Wümme Depression]]
{{div col end}}

Just under 20% of the land area of Lower Saxony is designated as nature parks, i.e.: [[Dümmer Nature Park|Dümmer]], [[Elbhöhen-Wendland Nature Park|Elbhöhen-Wendland]], [[Elm-Lappwald Nature Park|Elm-Lappwald]], [[Harz]], [[Lüneburg Heath Nature Park|Lüneburger Heide]], [[Münden Nature Park|Münden]], [[TERRA.vita Nature Park|Terra.vita]], [[Solling-Vogler Nature Park|Solling-Vogler]], [[Steinhuder Meer Nature Park|Lake Steinhude]], [[Südheide Nature Park|Südheide]], [[Weser Uplands Schaumburg-Hamelin Nature Park|Weser Uplands]], [[Wildeshausen Geest]], [[Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen International Nature Park|Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen]].<ref>[http://www.nlwkn.niedersachsen.de/live/live.php?navigation_id=8360&article_id=46163&_psmand=26 Naturparks in Niedersachsen, as at 31 December 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719065917/http://www.nlwkn.niedersachsen.de/live/live.php?navigation_id=8360&article_id=46163&_psmand=26 |date=19 July 2011 }}. Retrieved 26 August 2010.</ref>

=== Climate ===

Lower Saxony falls climatically into the [[Temperateness|north temperate zone]] of central Europe that is affected by prevailing [[Westerlies]] and is located in a transition zone between the [[maritime climate]] of [[Western Europe]] and the [[continental climate]] of [[Eastern Europe]]. This transition is clearly noticeable within the state: while the northwest experiences an Atlantic (North Sea coastal) to Sub-Atlantic climate, with comparatively low variations in temperature during the course of the year and a surplus water budget, the climate towards the southeast is increasingly affected by the Continent. This is clearly shown by greater temperature variations between the summer and winter halves of the year and in lower and more variable amounts of precipitation across the year. This sub-continental effect is most sharply seen in the Wendland, in the Weser Uplands (Hamelin to Göttingen) and in the area of Helmstedt. The highest levels of precipitation are experienced in the Harz because the Lower Saxon part forms the [[Windward and leeward|windward side]] of this mountain range against which [[orographic rain]] falls. The average annual temperature is {{convert|8|°C}}; {{convert|7.5|°C}} in the {{Lang|de|[[Altes Land]]|italic=no}} and {{convert|8.5|°C}} in the [[Kreis Cloppenburg#Climate|district of Cloppenburg]].

==Administration==
Lower Saxony is divided into 37 districts (''Landkreise'' or simply ''Kreise''):

[[File:Lower Saxony, administrative divisions - de - colored.svg|center|frameless|upright=2.05|Map of Lower Saxony with the district boundaries]]
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em
|# [[Ammerland]]
# [[Aurich (district)|Aurich]] <small>(includes [[Juist]], [[Norderney]] and [[Baltrum]])</small>
# [[Grafschaft Bentheim|County of Bentheim]] (''Grafschaft Bentheim'')
# [[Celle (district)|Celle]]
# [[Cloppenburg (district)|Cloppenburg]]
# [[Cuxhaven (district)|Cuxhaven]]
# [[Diepholz (district)|Diepholz]]
# [[Emsland]]
# [[Friesland (district)|Friesland]] <small>(includes [[Wangerooge]])</small>
# [[Gifhorn (district)|Gifhorn]]
# [[Goslar (district)|Goslar]]
# [[Göttingen (district)|Göttingen]]{{refn|group=nb|name=GL|Under the "Göttingen Law" of 1 January 1964, the town of Göttingen was incorporated into the rural district (''Landkreis'') of Göttingen, but is treated as an urban district unless other rules apply. On 1 November 2016 the districts of Osterode and Göttingen were merged under the name Göttingen, not influencing the city's special status.}}
# [[Hamelin-Pyrmont]] (''Hameln-Pyrmont'')
# [[Hanover Region]] (''Hannover''){{refn|group=nb|name=LRH|Under the "Law on the region of Hanover", Hanover merged with the district of Hanover to form the Hanover Region, which has been treated mostly as a rural district, but Hanover is treated as an urban district since 1 November 2001 unless other rules apply.}}
# [[Harburg (district)|Harburg]]
# [[Heidekreis]]
# [[Helmstedt (district)|Helmstedt]]
# [[Hildesheim (district)|Hildesheim]]
# [[Holzminden (district)|Holzminden]]
# [[Leer (district)|Leer]] <small>(includes [[Borkum]])</small>
# [[Lüchow-Dannenberg]]
# [[Lüneburg (district)|Lüneburg]]
# [[Nienburg (district)|Nienburg]]
# [[Northeim (district)|Northeim]]
# [[Oldenburg (district)|Oldenburg]]
# [[Osnabrück (district)|Osnabrück]]
# [[Osterholz]]
# [[Peine (district)|Peine]]
# [[Rotenburg (district)|Rotenburg (Wümme)]]
# [[Schaumburg]]
# [[Stade (district)|Stade]]
# [[Uelzen (district)|Uelzen]]
# [[Vechta (district)|Vechta]]
# [[Verden (district)|Verden]]
# [[Wesermarsch]]
# [[Wittmund (district)|Wittmund]] <small>(includes [[Langeoog]] and [[Spiekeroog]])</small>
# [[Wolfenbüttel (district)|Wolfenbüttel]]
}}

Furthermore, there are eight urban districts and two cities with special status:
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em
|# [[Braunschweig]]
# [[Delmenhorst]]
# [[Emden]]
# ''[[Göttingen]]''{{refn|group=nb|name=GL}}
# ''[[Hanover Region|Hanover]]''{{refn|group=nb|name=LRH}}
# [[Oldenburg (city)|Oldenburg]]
# [[Osnabrück]]
# [[Salzgitter]]
# [[Wilhelmshaven]]
# [[Wolfsburg]]
}}
;Notes
{{reflist|group=nb}}

=== Historical subdivisions ===
Between 1946 and 2004, the state's districts and independent towns were grouped into eight regions, with a different status for two regions (''Verwaltungsbezirke''), comprising the formerly free states of Brunswick and Oldenburg. In 1978 these regions were merged into four governorates (''[[Regierungsbezirk]]e''). In 2005 the [[Regierungsbezirk|Bezirksregierungen]] (regional governments) were again split into separate bodies.

1946–1978:
* [[Aurich (region)|Governorate of Aurich]]
* [[Brunswick (administrative region)|Administrative Region of Brunswick]] (''Braunschweig'')
* [[Hanover (region)|Governorate of Hanover]] (''Hannover'')
* [[Hildesheim (region)|Governorate of Hildesheim]]
* [[Lüneburg (region)|Governorate of Lunenburg]] (''Lüneburg'')
* [[Oldenburg (administrative region)|Administrative Region of Oldenburg]]
* [[Osnabrück (administrative region)|Administrative Region of Osnabrück]]
* [[Stade (region)|Governorate of Stade]]
1978–2004:
* [[Braunschweig (region)|Governorate of Brunswick]] (''Braunschweig'')
* [[Hanover (region)|Governorate of Hanover]] (''Hannover'')
* [[Lüneburg (region)|Governorate of Lunenburg]] (''Lüneburg'')
* [[Weser-Ems|Governorate of Weser-Ems]]

On 1 January 2005 the four administrative regions or governorates (''[[Regierungsbezirk]]e''), into which Lower Saxony had been hitherto divided, were dissolved.<ref name="GModVerw">siehe Text [https://web.archive.org/web/20050522124640/http://cdl.niedersachsen.de/blob/images/C5932147_L20.pdf Gesetz zur Modernisierung der Verwaltung in Niedersachsen] vom 5.&nbsp;November 2004 (Nds. GVBl. S.&nbsp;394–401), siehe dort Artikel&nbsp;1 Gesetz zur Auflösung der Bezirksregierungen</ref> These were the governorates of Braunschweig, Hanover, Lüneburg and Weser-Ems.

===Largest towns===
{{See also|List of cities in Lower Saxony by population}}
The largest towns in Lower Saxony as of 31 December 2017:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.destatis.de/EN/Homepage.html|title=Homepage – Federal Statistical Office (Destatis)|website=www.destatis.de|access-date=6 July 2023|archive-date=17 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160717075757/https://www.destatis.de/EN/Homepage.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{clear|left}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right; margin-right:60px "
|-
!Rank
!City
!Population
|-
|align=left|1
|align=left|[[Hanover]]
|535,061
|-
|align=left|2
|align=left|[[Braunschweig]]
|248,023
|-
|align=left|3
|align=left|[[Oldenburg (city)|Oldenburg]]
|167,081
|-
|align=left|4
|align=left|[[Osnabrück]]
|164,374
|-
| align="left" |5
| align="left" |[[Wolfsburg]]
|123,914
|-
|align=left|6
|align=left|[[Göttingen]]
|119,529
|-
|align=left|7
|align=left|[[Salzgitter]]
|104,548
|-
| align="left" |8
| align="left" |[[Hildesheim]]
|101,744
|-
| align="left" |9
| align="left" |[[Delmenhorst]]
|77,521
|-
| align="left" |10
| align="left" |[[Wilhelmshaven]]
|76,316
|-
|align=left|11
|align=left|[[Lüneburg]]
|75,192
|-
|align=left|12
|align=left|[[Celle]]
|69,706
|-
| align="left" |13
| align="left" |[[Garbsen]]
|60,875
|-
| align="left" |14
| align="left" |[[Hamelin]]
|57,228
|-
| align="left" |15
| align="left" |[[Lingen (Ems)]]
|54,117
|-
|align=left|16
|align=left|[[Langenhagen]]
|53,790
|-
|align=left|17
|align=left|[[Nordhorn]]
|53,278
|-
| align="left" |18
| align="left" |[[Wolfenbüttel]]
|52,357
|-
| align="left" |19
| align="left" |[[Goslar]]
|51,128
|-
| align="left" |20
| align="left" |[[Emden]]
|50,607
|}

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Hannover City.jpg|[[Hanover]] - [[Capital city|capital]] and largest city of Lower Saxony
File:Braunschweig Luftaufnahme Innenstadt (2011).JPG|City center of [[Braunschweig]]
File:Hildesheim - Blick vom Berghözchen.jpg|City center of [[Hildesheim]] with [[St. Andreas, Hildesheim|St. Andrew's]], the tallest church in Lower Saxony, and [[Hildesheim Cathedral]], a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]
File:Lüneburg Innenstadt Luftaufnahme 02.jpg|Old town of the Hanseatic City of [[Lüneburg]]
File:Cuxhaven_07-2016_photo19_port_area.jpg|[[Cuxhaven]] port
File:Goettingen Marktplatz Oct06 Antilived.jpg|[[Göttingen]] market square and the old town hall
File:Luftaufnahmen Nordseekueste 2013 05 by-RaBoe tele 46.jpg|City center of [[Oldenburg (city)|Oldenburg]]
File:Celle4.jpg|Old town of [[Celle]]
File:Volkswagenwerk WOB von Osten.jpg|[[Wolfsburg Volkswagen Plant|Volkswagen headquarters and factory]] in [[Wolfsburg]]
File:Luftaufnahmen Nordseekueste 2012 05 D50 by-RaBoe 054.jpg|[[Wilhelmshaven]] with the [[North Sea]]
File:Am Marktplatz Osnabrück.jpg|Old town of [[Osnabrück]]
File:Lichtenberg Salzgitter sicht aus Burgturm - panoramio.jpg|[[Salzgitter]] with the [[Salzgitter AG]] steel plant
File:Marktkirche Goslar.jpg|View of the old town of [[Goslar]] and the [[Imperial Palace of Goslar|Imperial Palace]], both UNESCO World Heritage Sites
File:Emden Rathaus 001.jpg|Town hall of [[Emden]]
File:Am Markt, 3, Peine, Landkreis Peine.jpg|Market square of [[Peine]]
</gallery>

==History==

=== Regional history prior to foundation of Lower Saxony ===
The name of [[Old Saxony|Saxony]] derives from that of the [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] confederation of tribes called the [[Saxons]]. Before the late medieval period, there was a single [[Duchy of Saxony]]. The term "Lower Saxony" was used after the dissolution of the stem duchy in the late 13th century to distinguish the parts of the former duchy ruled by the [[House of Welf]] from the [[Electorate of Saxony]] on one hand, and from the [[Duchy of Westphalia]] on the other.

==== Medieval and early modern period ====
[[File:Duchy of Saxony (134037775).jpg|thumb|The [[Duchy of Saxony]] around 1000]]

The name and coat of arms of the present state go back to the [[Saxons|Germanic tribe of Saxons]]. During the [[Migration Period]] some of the Saxon peoples left their homeland in [[Holstein]] about the 3rd century and pushed southwards over the [[Elbe]], where they expanded into the sparsely populated regions in the rest of the lowlands, in present-day Northwest Germany and the northeastern part of what is now the [[Netherlands]]. From about the 7th century the Saxons had occupied a settlement area that roughly corresponds to the present state of Lower Saxony, of [[Westphalia]] and a number of areas to the east, for example, in what is now west and north Saxony-Anhalt. The land of the Saxons was divided into about 60&nbsp;''[[Gau (country subdivision)|Gaue]]''. The [[Frisians]] had not moved into this region; for centuries they preserved their independence in the most northwesterly region of the present-day Lower Saxon territory. The original language of the folk in the area of Old Saxony was [[West Low German]], one of the varieties of language in the Low German dialect group.

[[File:Map of the Imperial Circles (1512)-en.png|thumb|[[Imperial circle]]s at the start of the 16th century. Red: the Lower Saxon Circle, light brown: the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle]]

The establishment of permanent boundaries between what later became Lower Saxony and Westphalia began in the 12th century. In 1260, in a treaty between the [[Electorate of Cologne|Archbishopric of Cologne]] and the [[Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] the lands claimed by the two territories were separated from each other.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lwl.org/westfaelische-geschichte/portal/Internet/input_felder/anzeigen.php?verzeichnis=kar&dateiname=kar38.jpg&bild_id=38 |title=Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe |department=Die Interessengebiete Kölns und Braunschweigs nach dem Vertrag von 1260 (map) |language=de |website=Lwl.org |access-date=29 October 2012 |archive-date=28 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028052329/https://www.lwl.org/westfaelische-geschichte/portal/Internet/input_felder/anzeigen.php?verzeichnis=kar&dateiname=kar38.jpg&bild_id=38 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The border ran along the Weser to a point north of Nienburg. The northern part of the Weser-Ems region was placed under the rule of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

The word ''Niedersachsen'' was first used before 1300 in a Dutch rhyming chronicle (''Reimchronik''). From the 14th century it referred to the [[Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg]] (as opposed to [[Saxe-Wittenberg]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.niedersachsen.de/live/live.php?navigation_id=6870&article_id=19881&_psmand=1000 |title=Land Niedersachsen: ''Der Weg zum Land Niedersachsen'' |publisher=Niedersachsen.de |access-date=29 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807114315/http://www.niedersachsen.de/live/live.php?navigation_id=6870&article_id=19881&_psmand=1000 |archive-date=7 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On the creation of the [[imperial circle]]s in 1500, a [[Lower Saxon Circle]] was distinguished from a [[Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle]]. The latter included the following territories that, in whole or in part, belong today to the state of Lower Saxony: the [[Bishopric of Osnabrück]], the [[Bishopric of Münster]], the [[County of Bentheim]], the [[County of Hoya]], the Principality of [[East Frisia]], the [[Prince-Bishopric of Verden|Principality of Verden]], the [[County of Diepholz]], the [[Duchy of Oldenburg|County of Oldenburg]], the [[County of Schaumburg]] and the [[Counts of Spiegelberg|County of Spiegelberg]]. At the same time a distinction was made with the eastern part of the old Saxon lands from the [[central German]] principalities later called [[Upper Saxony]] for dynastic reasons.<ref>See also: [[Electorate of Saxony]] and [[History of Saxony]]</ref>

The close historical links between the domains of the Lower Saxon Circle now in modern Lower Saxony survived for centuries especially from a dynastic point of view. The majority of historic territories whose land now lies within Lower Saxony were sub-principalities of the medieval, Welf estates of the [[Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg]]. All the Welf princes called themselves dukes "of Brunswick and Lüneburg" despite often ruling parts of a duchy that was forever being divided and reunited as various Welf lines multiplied or died out.

==== Congress of Vienna to Second World War (1815–1945)====
[[File:KrkHannover.png|thumb|The [[Kingdom of Hanover]], the [[Duchy of Brunswick]], the [[Grand Duchy of Oldenburg]] and [[Schaumburg-Lippe|the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe]] in the 19th century]]

Two major principalities survived east of the Weser after the Napoleonic Wars: the [[Kingdom of Hanover]] and the [[Duchy of Brunswick]] (after 1866 Hanover became a [[Province of Hanover|Prussian province]]; after 1919 Brunswick became a free state). Historically a close tie existed between the royal house of Hanover ([[Electorate of Hanover]]) and the [[United Kingdom|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] as a result of their [[personal union]] in the 18th century (the personal union was dissolved when [[Queen Victoria|Victoria]] became the Queen of the United Kingdom in 1837 because Hanover did not allow female rulers).

West of the River [[Hunte]] a "de-Westphalianising process" began in 1815.<ref>Zur räumlichen Zuordnung des Begriffs "Westfalen/westfälisch" vgl. [http://www.lwl.org/westfaelische-geschichte/portal/Internet/input_felder/langDatensatz_ebene4.php?urlID=168&url_tabelle=tab_websegmente Karl Ditt: ''Der Raum Westfalen in der Historiographie des 20. Jhs.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522084653/https://www.lwl.org/westfaelische-geschichte/portal/Internet/input_felder/langDatensatz_ebene4.php?urlID=168&url_tabelle=tab_websegmente |date=22 May 2020 }}</ref> After the [[Congress of Vienna]] the territories of the later administrative regions (''[[Regierungsbezirk]]e'') of [[Regierungsbezirk Osnabrück|Osnabrück]] and [[Regierungsbezirk Aurich|Aurich]] transferred to the Kingdom of Hanover. The [[Grand Duchy of Oldenburg]] and the [[Schaumburg-Lippe|Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe]] retained state autonomy. Nevertheless, the entire Weser-Ems region (including the city of [[Bremen]]) were grouped in 1920 into a Lower Saxon Constituency Association (''Wahlkreisverband IX (Niedersachsen)''). This indicates that at that time the western administrations of the [[Prussia]]n Province of Hanover and the state of [[Oldenburg (state)|Oldenburg]] were perceived as being "Lower Saxon".

The forerunners of today's state of Lower Saxony were lands that were geographically and, to some extent, institutionally interrelated from very early on. The [[County of Schaumburg]] (not to be confused with the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe) around the towns of [[Rinteln]] and [[Hessisch Oldendorf]] did indeed belong to the Prussian province of [[Hesse-Nassau]] until 1932, a province that also included large parts of the present state of Hesse, including the cities of [[Kassel]], [[Wiesbaden]] and [[Frankfurt am Main]]; but in 1932 the County of Schaumburg became part of the Prussian Province of Hanover.

When the [[Nazi Party]] [[Nazi seizure of power|seized power]] in 1933, they quickly transformed Germany into a highly centralised state and divided the entire [[Third Reich]] into ''Gaue'' which largely superseded (but did not outright replace) Germany's traditional federal system. Nevertheless, some changes to the old state and provincial borders were made in 1937, notably including the city of [[Cuxhaven]] being fully integrated into the Prussian Province of Hanover under the [[Greater Hamburg Act]]. The effect of this Nazi-era change was that in 1946, after the Third Reich had collapsed and when state of Lower Saxony was founded, only four states needed to be merged. With the exception of Bremen and the areas that were ceded to the [[Soviet Occupation Zone]] in 1945, all those areas allocated to the new state of Lower Saxony in 1946, had already been merged into the "Constituency Association of Lower Saxony" in 1920.

In a lecture on 14 September 2007, Dietmar von Reeken described the emergence of a "Lower Saxony consciousness" in the 19th century, the geographical basis of which was used to invent a territorial construct: the resulting [[local heritage]] societies (''Heimatvereine'') and their associated magazines routinely used the terms "Lower Saxony" or "Lower Saxon" in their names. At the end of the 1920s in the context of discussions about a reform of the Reich, and promoted by the expanding local heritage movement (''Heimatbewegung''), a 25-year conflict started between "Lower Saxony" and "Westphalia". The supporters of this dispute were administrative officials and politicians, but regionally focussed scientists of various disciplines were supposed to have fuelled the arguments. In the 1930s, a real Lower Saxony did not yet exist, but there were a plethora of institutions that would have called themselves "Lower Saxon". The motives and arguments in the disputes between "Lower Saxony" and "Westphalia" were very similar on both sides: economic interests, political aims, cultural interests and historical aspects.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/tagungsberichte/id%3D1753%26count%3D218%26recno%3D32%26sort%3Dort%26order%3Ddown%26geschichte%3D80 |title=Martin Dröge: ''Räume, Grenzen, Identitäten – Westfalen als Gegenstand landes- und regionalgeschichtlicher Forschung'' |date=29 October 2007 |publisher=Hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de |access-date=29 October 2012 |archive-date=21 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521093409/http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/tagungsberichte/id%3D1753%26count%3D218%26recno%3D32%26sort%3Dort%26order%3Ddown%26geschichte%3D80 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Formation of the state (1945–1946)====
After the [[Second World War]] most of Northwest Germany lay within the [[British occupation zone in Germany|British Zone of Occupation]]. On 23 August 1946, the [[Control Commission for Germany - British Element|British Military Government]] issued [[Ordinance No. 46]] ''"Concerning the dissolution of the provinces of the former state of [[Prussia]] in the British Zone and their reconstitution as independent states"'', which initially established the [[State of Hanover]] on the territory of the former Prussian Province of Hanover. Its minister president, [[Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf]], had already suggested in June 1945 the formation of a state of Lower Saxony, that was to include the largest possible region in the middle of the British Zone. In addition to the regions that actually became Lower Saxony subsequently, Kopf asked, in a memorandum dated April 1946, for the inclusion of the former Prussian district of [[Minden-Ravensberg]] (i.e. the Westphalian city of [[Bielefeld]] as well as the Westphalian districts of [[Kreis Minden|Minden]], [[Kreis Lübbecke|Lübbecke]], [[Kreis Bielefeld|Bielefeld]], [[Kreis Herford|Herford]] and [[Kreis Halle|Halle]]), the [[Kreis Tecklenburg|district of Tecklenburg]] and the state of [[Lippe (state)|Lippe]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nibis.ni.schule.de/nli1/rechtsx/nlpb/pdf/Landesgeschichte/Gr%FCndung%20des%20Landes%20Niedersachsen2.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719082708/http://nibis.ni.schule.de/nli1/rechtsx/nlpb/pdf/Landesgeschichte/Gr%FCndung%20des%20Landes%20Niedersachsen2.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 July 2011|author=Klaus Schaap / Rudolf Willenborg|page=21|title=Gründung des Landes Niedersachsen – Darstellung und Quellen|access-date=29 October 2012}}</ref> Kopf's plan was ultimately based on a draft for the reform of the German Empire from the late 1920s by Georg Schnath and Kurt Brüning. The strong [[House of Welf|Welf]] connotations of this draft, according to Thomas Vogtherr, did not simplify the development of a Lower Saxon identity after 1946.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/tagungsberichte/id%3D3145%26count%3D220%26recno%3D10%26sort%3Ddatum%26order%3Ddown%26geschichte%3D80 |title=Thomas Vogtherr: ''100 Jahre Historische Kommission für Niedersachsen und Bremen – Personen, Geschichtsbilder, Forschungsfelder, Netzwerke 1910–2010''. 27 May 2010 |date=10 June 2010 |publisher=Hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de |access-date=29 October 2012 |archive-date=16 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416103438/http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/tagungsberichte/id%3D3145%26count%3D220%26recno%3D10%26sort%3Ddatum%26order%3Ddown%26geschichte%3D80 |url-status=live }}</ref>

An alternative model, proposed by politicians in Oldenburg and Brunswick, envisaged the foundation of the independent state of "Weser-Ems", that would be formed from the state of Oldenburg, the Hanseatic City of Bremen and the administrative regions of Aurich and Osnabrück. Several representatives of the state of Oldenburg even demanded the inclusion of the Hanoverian districts of [[Landkreis Diepholz|Diepholz]], [[Landkreis Grafschaft Hoya|Syke]], [[Landkreis Osterholz|Osterholz-Scharmbeck]] and [[Landkreis Wesermünde|Wesermünde]] in the proposed state of "Weser-Ems". Likewise an enlarged State of Brunswick was proposed in the southeast to include the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of [[Regierungsbezirk Hildesheim|Hildesheim]] and the [[Landkreis Gifhorn|district of Gifhorn]]. Had this plan come to fruition, the territory of the present Lower Saxony would have consisted of three states of roughly equal size.

The district council of [[Landkreis Vechta|Vechta]] protested on 12 June 1946 against being incorporated into the metropolitan area of Hanover (''Großraum Hannover''). If the State of Oldenburg was to be dissolved, Vechta District would much rather be included in the [[Westphalia]]n region.<ref>{{cite web |author=Landkreis Vechta |url=http://www.landkreis-vechta.de/0800/lk/323.html |title=Landkreis Vechta: ''Zeitzeichen im Landkreis'' |publisher=Landkreis-vechta.de |date=14 April 2004 |access-date=29 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517031716/http://www.landkreis-vechta.de/0800/lk/323.html |archive-date=17 May 2013}}</ref> Particularly in the districts where there was a political [[Catholicism]] the notion was widespread, that [[Oldenburg Münsterland]] and the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Osnabrück should be part of a newly formed State of Westphalia.<ref>Joachim Kuropka: ''Katholizismus, Kirche und südoldenburgische Identität''. In: Heimatbund für das Oldenburger Münsterland (Hrsg.): ''Jahrbuch für das Oldenburger Münsterland 2004''. Vechta. p. 50f.</ref>

Since the foundation of the states of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] and [[State of Hanover|Hanover]] on 23 August 1946 the northern and eastern border of North Rhine-Westphalia has largely been identical with that of the Prussian [[Province of Westphalia]]. Only the [[Free State of Lippe]] was not incorporated into North Rhine-Westphalia until January 1947. With that the majority of the regions left of the Upper Weser became North Rhine-Westphalian.

In the end, at the meeting of the Zone Advisory Board on 20 September 1946, Kopf's proposal with regard to the division of the British occupation zone into three large states proved to be capable of gaining a majority.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nibis.ni.schule.de/nli1/rechtsx/nlpb/pdf/Landesgeschichte/Gr%FCndung%20des%20Landes%20Niedersachsen2.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719082708/http://nibis.ni.schule.de/nli1/rechtsx/nlpb/pdf/Landesgeschichte/Gr%FCndung%20des%20Landes%20Niedersachsen2.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 July 2011|title=Gründung des Landes Niedersachsen – Darstellung und Quellen|author=Klaus Schaap / Rudolf Willenborg|page=22f|access-date=29 October 2012}}</ref> Because this division of their occupation zone into relatively large states also met the interests of the British, on 8 November 1946 Regulation No.&nbsp;55 of the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Military occupation|military government]] was issued, by which the State of Lower Saxony with its capital [[Hanover]] were founded, backdated to 1 November 1946. The state was formed by a merger of the [[Free State of Brunswick|Free States of Brunswick]], [[Free State of Oldenburg|of Oldenburg]] and of [[Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe|Schaumburg-Lippe]] with the previously formed State of Hanover. But there were exceptions:
* In the Free State of Brunswick, the eastern part of the [[Kreis Blankenburg|district of Blankenburg]] and the exclave of [[Calvörde]], which belonged to the [[Landkreis Helmstedt|district of Helmstedt]] fell into the [[Soviet Zone of Occupation]] and were later integrated into the state of [[Saxony-Anhalt]].
* In the [[State of Hanover]], [[Amt Neuhaus]] and the villages of Neu Bleckede and Neu Wendischthun were allotted to the Soviet Zone and thus the subsequent [[East Germany]]. They were not returned to Lower Saxony until 1993.
* The city of [[Wesermünde]] that then lay in the [[Regierungsbezirk Stade]] was renamed in 1947 to [[Bremerhaven]] and incorporated into the new city-state of Bremen, which became one of the federated German states.

The demands of Dutch politicians that the Netherlands should be given the German regions east of the Dutch-German border as [[war reparations]], were roundly rejected at the London Conference of 26 March 1949. In fact only about {{cvt|1.3|km2}} of west Lower Saxony was transferred to the Netherlands, in 1949.

''→ see main article [[Dutch annexation of German territory after World War II]]''

=== History of Lower Saxony as a state ===
[[File:Niedersachsen Verordnung 55 3339.jpg|thumb|'''Ordinance No. 55''', with which on 22 November 1946 the British military government founded the state Lower Saxony retroactively to 1 November 1946]]
The first [[Lower Saxon Landtag|Lower Saxon parliament]] or ''Landtag'' met on 9 December 1946. It was not elected; rather it was established by the British Occupation Administration (a so-called "appointed parliament"). That same day the parliament elected the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democrat]], [[Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf]], the former Hanoverian president (''Regierungspräsident'') as their first minister-president. Kopf led a five-party coalition, whose basic task was to rebuild a state afflicted by the war's rigours. Kopf's cabinet had to organise an improvement of food supplies and the reconstruction of the cities and towns destroyed by Allied air raids during the war years. Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf remained – interrupted by the time in office of [[Heinrich Hellwege]] (1955–1959) – as the head of government in Lower Saxony until 1961.

The greatest problem facing the first state government in the immediate post-war years was the challenge of integrating hundreds of thousands of [[refugee]]s from Germany's former territories in the east (such as [[Silesia]] and [[East Prussia]]), which had been annexed by [[Poland]] and the [[Soviet Union]]. Lower Saxony was at the western end of the direct escape route from East Prussia and had the longest border with the Soviet Zone. On 3 October 1950 Lower Saxony took over the sponsorship of the very large number of refugees from [[Silesia]]. In 1950 there was still a shortage of 730,000 homes according to official figures.

During the period when Germany was divided, the Lower Saxon [[Helmstedt–Marienborn border crossing|border crossing at Helmstedt]] found itself on the main transport artery to [[West Berlin]] and, from 1945 to 1990 was the busiest European border crossing point.

Of economic significance for the state was the ''[[Volkswagen]]'' concern, that restarted the production of civilian vehicles in 1945, initially under British management, and in 1949 transferred into the ownership of the newly founded country of [[West Germany]] and state of Lower Saxony. Overall, Lower Saxony, with its large tracts of rural countryside and few urban centres, was one of the industrially weaker regions of the federal republic for a long time. In 1960, 20% of the working population worked on the land. In the rest of the federal territory the figure was just 14%. Even in economically prosperous times the jobless totals in Lower Saxony are constantly higher than the federal average.

In 1961 [[Georg Diederichs]] took office as the minister president of Lower Saxony as the successor to Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf. He was replaced in 1970 by [[Alfred Kubel]]. The arguments about the [[Gorleben Nuclear Waste Repository]], that began during the time in office of minister president [[Ernst Albrecht (politician, born 1930)|Ernst Albrecht]] (1976–1990), have played an important role in state and federal politics since the end of the 1970s.

In 1990 [[Gerhard Schröder]] entered the office of minister-president. On 1 June 1993, the new Lower Saxon constitution entered force, replacing the "Provisional Lower Saxon Constitution" of 1951. It enables [[referendum]]s and [[plebiscite]]s and establishes [[environmental protection]] as a fundamental state principle.

The former Hanoverian [[Amt Neuhaus]] with its parishes of Dellien, Haar, Kaarßen, Neuhaus (Elbe), Stapel, Sückau, [[Sumte]] and Tripkau as well as the villages of Neu Bleckede, Neu Wendischthun and Stiepelse in the parish of Teldau and the historic Hanoverian region in the forest district of Bohldamm in the parish of Garlitz transferred with effect from 30 June 1993 from {{Lang|de|[[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]]|italic=no}} to Lower Saxony ([[Landkreis Lüneburg|Lüneburg district]]). From these parishes the new municipality of Amt Neuhaus was created on 1 October 1993.

In 1998 [[Gerhard Glogowski]] succeeded Gerhard Schröder who became Federal Chancellor. Because he had been linked with various scandals in his home city of Brunswick, he resigned in 1999 and was replaced by [[Sigmar Gabriel]].

From 2003 to his election as Federal President in 2010 [[Christian Wulff]] was minister president in Lower Saxony. The [[Osnabrück]]er headed a CDU-led coalition with the FDP as does his successor, [[David McAllister]]. After the elections on 20 January 2013 McAllister was [[Deselection|deselected]].<ref>[http://www.cicero.de/berliner-republik/niedersachsen-david-mcallister-cdu-politischer-herzstillstand/53205 Machtverlust: David McAllisters politischer Herzstillstand] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123080320/http://www.cicero.de/berliner-republik/niedersachsen-david-mcallister-cdu-politischer-herzstillstand/53205 |date=23 January 2013 }}. Retrieved 21 January 2013.</ref>

==Demographics==
{{historical populations|13=1960|14=6,576,137|15=1970|16=7,121,824|17=1980|18=7,256,386|19=1990|20=7,393,302|21=2001|22=7,956,416|23=2011|24=7,777,992|25=2022|26=7,943,265|footnote=source:<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.statistik.niedersachsen.de/themenbereiche/bevoelkerung/themenbereich-bevoelkerung---tabellen-87673.html |title=Themenbereich: Bevölkerung – Tabellen |access-date=18 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718204312/https://www.statistik.niedersachsen.de/themenbereiche/bevoelkerung/themenbereich-bevoelkerung---tabellen-87673.html |archive-date=18 July 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Germany: States and Major Cities|url=https://citypopulation.de/en/germany/cities/}}</ref>|11=1950|12=6,796,500}}
At the end of 2014, there were almost 571,000 non-German citizens in Lower Saxony.<ref>{{cite news|title=In Niedersachsen leben mehr Ausländer als je zuvor|url=http://www.abendblatt.de/region/niedersachsen/article205208645/In-Niedersachsen-leben-mehr-Auslaender-als-je-zuvor.html|access-date=26 August 2016|work=Hamburger Abendblatt|date=16 March 2015|language=de|archive-date=27 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127034314/https://www.abendblatt.de/region/niedersachsen/article205208645/In-Niedersachsen-leben-mehr-Auslaender-als-je-zuvor.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 
At the end of 2023, there were almost 1,085,315 non-German citizens in Lower Saxony.<ref>{{citation|title=Ausländer: Bundesländer, Stichtag, Geschlecht/Altersjahre/Familienstand, Ländergruppierungen/Staatsangehörigkeit|url=https://www-genesis.destatis.de/genesis//online?operation=table&code=12521-0021&bypass=true&levelindex=0&levelid=1716476191295#abreadcrumb|access-date=23 May 2024|language=de|archive-date=23 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523145746/https://www-genesis.destatis.de/genesis//online?operation=table&code=12521-0021&bypass=true&levelindex=0&levelid=1716476191295#abreadcrumb|url-status=live}}</ref> 

The highest share of migrants to Germans in Lower Saxony is in the urban agglomeration of [[Braunschweig]] (44.8%) which consists the most populated parts of [[Salzgitter]] e.g [[Salzgitter-Lebenstedt|Lebenstedt]] or [[Thiede]], the town [[Wolfenbüttel]], parts of the districts [[Landkreis Peine]], [[Landkreis Gifhorn]], [[Landkreis Helmstedt]] and [[Landkreis Wolfenbüttel]]. 57.5% of [[Salzgitter]] have a [[migration background]], which has the highest percentage of people with a foreign background in Lower Saxony.  <ref>{{Cite web| title=Bürgerstiftung Braunschweig - Braunschweig impuls 2022 | language=de | trans-title=Braunschweig Citizens' Foundation - Braunschweig Impuls 2022 | url=https://braunschweig-impuls.de/wp-content/uploads/Braunschweig-imPuls-2022-Buergerstiftung-Braunschweig.pdf.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618230553/https://braunschweig-impuls.de/wp-content/uploads/Braunschweig-imPuls-2022-Buergerstiftung-Braunschweig.pdf.pdf | archive-date=2022-06-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.braunschweiger-zeitung.de/braunschweig/article241647328/Braunschweigs-Einwohnerzahl-ist-leicht-gestiegen.html | title=Braunschweigs Einwohnerzahl ist leicht gestiegen | date=12 February 2024 }}</ref>

The following table illustrates the largest minority groups in Lower Saxony:

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! style="background:#efefef;"|Rank
! style="background:#efefef;"|Nationality
! style="background:#efefef;"|Population estimate (31.12.2022) 
! style="background:#efefef;"|Population estimate (31.12.2023) 
|-
|1||{{flag|Ukraine}}||122,130||120,325
|-
|2||{{flag|Poland}}||101,355||102,760
|-
|3||{{flag|Syria}}||96,330||100,310
|-
|4||{{flag|Turkey}}||90,715||96,405
|-
|5||{{flag|Romania}}||64,675||79,890
|-
|6||{{flag|Iraq}}||45,360||47,415
|-
|7||{{flag|Bulgaria}}||31,155||36,410
|-
|8||{{flag|Afghanistan}}||26,755||31,270
|-
|9||{{flag|Netherlands}}||29,725||29,300
|-
|10||{{flag|Italy}}||28,950||29,085
|-
|}

===Vital statistics===
<ref>{{cite web|title=Area and Population – Monthly publication|url=http://www.statistik-portal.de/Statistik-Portal/en/en_inhalt01.asp|website=Statistical Offices of the Länder and the Federal Statiscal Office|access-date=16 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225053654/http://www.statistik-portal.de/Statistik-Portal/en/en_inhalt01.asp|archive-date=25 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Births from January–October 2016 = {{Increase}} 62,761
* Births from January–October 2017 = {{decrease}} 61,314
* Deaths from January–October 2016 = {{DecreasePositive}} 75,733
* Deaths from January–October 2017 = {{IncreaseNegative}} 75,804
* Natural growth from January–October 2016 = {{Increase}} -12,972
* Natural growth from January–October 2017 = {{Decrease}} -14,490

===Religion===
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Religion in Lower Saxony (Census 2011):<ref name=Census2011Religion>{{Cite web|url=https://www.zensus2011.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Publikationen/Aufsaetze_Archiv/2014_08_NI_Statistische_Monatshefte_Religion.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=5 |title=Religion und Glauben im Blickpunkt des Zensus 2011 |date=2011 |website=Zensus 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509130337/https://www.zensus2011.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Publikationen/Aufsaetze_Archiv/2014_08_NI_Statistische_Monatshefte_Religion.pdf%3Bjsessionid%3DF5626441844421EA17C371AB9414285D.1_cid380?__blob=publicationFile&v=5 |archive-date=9 May 2017 |url-status=live |access-date=15 May 2017 }}</ref>
| label1 = [[Protestant Church in Germany|Protestant Church]]
| value1 = 51.48
| color1 = DodgerBlue
| label2 = [[Roman Catholicism]]
| value2 = 18.34
| color2 = #2243B6
| label3 = [[Free church|Evangelical Free Churches]]
| value3 = 1.26
| color3 = Turquoise
| label4 = [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Church]]
| value4 = 0.85
| color4 = Orchid
| label5 = Jewish
| value5 = 0.07
| color5 = Brown
| label6 = Other religions
| value6 = 2.20
| color6 = Chartreuse
| label7 = [[Irreligion|Not religious]]
| value7 = 25.80
| color7 = Honeydew
}}

[[File:St-andreas.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|[[St. Andreas, Hildesheim]]]]

The 2011 census stated that a majority of the population were Christians (71.93%); 51.48% of the total population were members of the Protestant Church in Germany, 18.34% were Catholics, 2.11% were members of other Christian denominations, 2.27% were members of other religions. 25.8% have no denomination.<ref name=Census2011Religion/> Even though there is a high level of official belonging to a Christian denomination, the people{{snd}}especially in the cities{{snd}}are highly secular in behaviour.

As of 2020, the [[Protestant Church in Germany]] was the faith of 41.1% of the population.<ref name="EKD2020">[https://www.ekd.de/ekd_de/ds_doc/Ber_Kirchenmitglieder_2020.pdf Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland – Kirchemitgliederzahlen Stand 31. Dezember 2020] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221111729/https://www.ekd.de/ekd_de/ds_doc/Ber_Kirchenmitglieder_2020.pdf |date=21 December 2021 }} EKD, November 2021</ref> It is organised in the five [[Landeskirche]]n named [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick|Evangelical Lutheran State Church in Brunswick]] (comprising the former [[Free State of Brunswick]]), [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover]] (comprising the former [[Province of Hanover]]), [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg]] (comprising the former [[Free State of Oldenburg]]), [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schaumburg-Lippe]] (comprising the former [[Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe]]), and [[Evangelical Reformed Church in Bavaria and Northwestern Germany|Evangelical Reformed Church]] (covering all the state).

Together, these member churches of the [[Protestant Church in Germany]] gather a substantial part of the Protestant population in Germany.

The [[Catholic Church]] was the faith of 16.3% of the population in 2020.<ref name="EKD2020"/> It is organised in the three dioceses of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück|Osnabrück]] (western part of the state), [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Münster|Münster]] (comprising the former Free State of Oldenburg) and [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim|Hildesheim]] (northern and eastern part of the state). The Catholic faith is mainly concentrated to the regions of Oldenburger Münsterland, the region of Osnabrück, the region of Hildesheim and in the Western Eichsfeld.
42.6% of the Low Saxons were irreligious or adhere to other religions.<ref name="EKD2020"/> [[Judaism]], [[Islam]] and [[Buddhism]] are minority faiths.

==Economy==
The [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) of the state was 229.5 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 8.7% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 33,700 euros or 112% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 100% of the EU average.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58|title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018|website=Eurostat|access-date=7 March 2020|archive-date=17 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417095003/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58|url-status=live}}</ref>

Agriculture, strongly weighted towards the livestock sector, has always been a very important economic factor in the state. The north and northwest of Lower Saxony are mainly made up of coarse sandy soil that makes crop farming difficult and therefore grassland and cattle farming are more prevalent in those areas. Lower Saxony is home, in 2017, to one in five of Germany's [[beef|cattle]], one in three of the country's [[pork|pigs]], and 50% of its [[poultry|hens]].<ref name=Stern122017>{{cite journal |pages=64–68 |author=Jan Boris Wintzenburg|title=Der Landluft auf den Spur |journal=Stern |publisher=[[Gruner + Jahr]], Hamburg |volume=12, 2017 |date=16 March 2017}}</ref> [[Wheat]], [[potatoes]], [[rye]], and [[oats]] are among the state's present-day [[Agronomy|arable]] crops. Towards the south and southeast, extensive [[loess]] layers in the soil left behind by the last [[Quaternary glaciation|ice age]] allow high-yield crop farming. One of the principal crops there is [[sugar beet]]. Consequently, the Land has a big food industry, mainly organised in small and medium-sized enterprises ([[Small and medium-sized enterprises|SME]]). Big players are [[Deutsches Milchkontor]] and [[PHW Group]] (biggest German poultry farmer and producer).

Mining has also been an important source of income in Lower Saxony for centuries. [[Silver ore]] became a foundation of notable economic prosperity in the Harz Mountains as early as the 12th century, while [[iron mining]] in the Salzgitter area and [[salt mining]] in various areas of the state became another important economic backbone. Although overall yields are comparatively low, Lower Saxony is also an important supplier of crude oil in the European Union. Mineral products still mined today include [[Iron ore|iron]].

[[Radioactive waste]] is frequently transported in the area to the city of [[Salzgitter]], for the [[deep geological repository]] [[Schacht Konrad]] and between [[Schacht Asse II]] in the [[Wolfenbüttel (district)|Wolfenbüttel]] district and [[Lindwedel]] and [[Höfer, Germany|Höfer]].

[[Manufacturing]] is another large part of the regional economy. Despite decades of gradual downsizing and restructuring, the carmaker [[Volkswagen]] with its five production plants within the state's borders still remains the single biggest private-sector employer, its world headquarters in {{Lang|de|[[Wolfsburg]]|italic=no}}. Due to the [[Volkswagen Law]], which has recently been ruled illegal by the [[European Union]]'s high court, the state of Lower Saxony is still the second-largest shareholder, owning 20.3% of the company.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7057815.stm |title='Volkswagen law' is ruled illegal |work=BBC News |access-date=24 October 2007 |date=23 October 2007 |location=London |archive-date=25 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025050859/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7057815.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Thanks to the importance of car manufacturing in Lower Saxony, a thriving supply industry is centred around its regional focal points. Other mainstays of the Lower Saxon industrial sector include aviation (the region of Stade is called CFK-Valley), shipbuilding (such as [[Meyer Werft]]), [[biotechnology]], and [[steel]]. Medicine plays a major role; Hanover and Göttingen have two large University Medical Schools and hospitals, and [[Otto Bock]] in Duderstadt is the largest producer of [[prosthetics]] and associated componentry in the world.

The service sector has gained importance following the demise of manufacturing in the 1970s and 1980s. Important branches today are the tourism industry with [[TUI AG]] in Hanover, one of Europe's largest travel companies, as well as [[trade]] and [[telecommunications]]. Hanover is one of Germany's main hubs for insurance and financial-services companies, for example [[Talanx]] and [[Hannover Re]].
 
In October 2018, the Lower Saxony unemployment rate stood at 5.0% and was marginally higher than the national average.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/36651/umfrage/arbeitslosenquote-in-deutschland-nach-bundeslaendern/|title=Arbeitslosenquote nach Bundesländern in Deutschland 2018 {{!}} Statista|website=Statista|language=de|access-date=13 November 2018|archive-date=27 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627171657/https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/36651/umfrage/arbeitslosenquote-in-deutschland-nach-bundeslaendern/|url-status=live}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
!Year<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www-genesis.destatis.de/genesis/online/data;sid=B1C50643A60FE295E866C5D1DE88989D.GO_2_2?operation=previous&levelindex=3&levelid=1542121134059&levelid=1542121130976&step=2|title=Federal Statistical Office Germany – GENESIS-Online|last=(Destatis)|first=© Statistisches Bundesamt|date=13 November 2018|website=www-genesis.destatis.de|language=en|access-date=13 November 2018|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308110120/https://www-genesis.destatis.de/genesis/online/data;sid=B1C50643A60FE295E866C5D1DE88989D.GO_2_2?operation=previous&levelindex=3&levelid=1542121134059&levelid=1542121130976&step=2|url-status=live}}</ref>
!2000
!2001
!2002
!2003
!2004
!2005
!2006
!2007
!2008
!2009
!2010
!2011
!2012
!2013
!2014
!2015
!2016
!2017
!2018
|-
|Unemployment rate in %
|9.3
|9.1
|9.2
|9.6
|9.6
|11.6
|10.5
|8.8
|7.6
|7.7
|7.5
|6.9
|6.6
|6.6
|6.5
|6.1
|6.0
|5.8
|5.3
|}

===World Heritage Sites===
{{see also|List of World Heritage Sites in Germany}}
Lower Saxony has four [[World Heritage Sites]].

<gallery heights="80" perrow="6">
Hildesheimer Dom 2015.JPG|[[Hildesheim Cathedral]]
St Michaels Church Hildesheim.jpg|[[St. Michael's Church, Hildesheim|St. Michael's Church in Hildesheim]]
Rammelsberg Bergwerksanlagen.jpg|[[Rammelsberg|Mines of Rammelsberg]]
GoslarMaltermeister.jpg|[[Goslar|Historic Town of Goslar]]
Teiche Buntenbock.jpg|[[Upper Harz Water Regale]]
13-09-29-nordfriesisches-wattenmeer-RalfR-19.jpg|[[Wadden Sea|Lower Saxony Wadden Sea]]
Fagus Gropius Hauptgebaeude 200705 wiki front.jpg|[[Fagus Factory|Fagus Factory in Alfeld]]
</gallery>

==Transport==
The state's main airport is [[Hannover Airport]] which provides flights to other parts of Germany and other European destinations.

==Politics==
{{Main|Politics of Lower Saxony}} 
*[[Template:Cabinets of Lower Saxony|Cabinets of Lower Saxony]]

Since 1948, politics in the state have been dominated by the centre-right [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU) and the centre-left [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]]. Lower Saxony was one of the origins of the German environmentalist movement in reaction to the state government's support for underground nuclear waste disposal. This led to the formation of the German Green Party in 1980. Germany's multi-party system generally requires coalitions to be made because parties usually do not have outright majorities.

The Minister-President heads the state government, acting as a head of state (even if the federated states have the status of a state do not establish the office of a head of state but merge the functions with the head of the executive branch) as well as the government leader. They are elected by the [[Landtag of Lower Saxony]].

The former Minister-President, [[Christian Wulff]], led a coalition of his CDU with the [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] between 2003 and 2010. In [[Lower Saxony state election, 2008|the 2008 election]], the ruling CDU held on to its position as the leading party in the state, despite losing votes and seats. The CDU's coalition with the Free Democratic Party retained its majority although it was cut from 29 to 10. The election also saw the entry into the state parliament for the first time of the leftist [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] party. On 1 July 2010 [[David McAllister (politician)|David McAllister]] was elected Minister-President.

After the [[Lower Saxony state election, 2013|state election on 20 January 2013]], [[Stephan Weil]] of the Social Democrats was elected as the new Minister-President.<ref>[https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/wahl-in-niedersachsen-2013/landtagswahl-in-niedersachsen-hauchduenner-sieg-fuer-rot-gruen-12032083.html Hauchdünner Sieg für Rot-Grün] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515201426/http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/wahl-in-niedersachsen-2013/landtagswahl-in-niedersachsen-hauchduenner-sieg-fuer-rot-gruen-12032083.html |date=15 May 2013 }}. Retrieved 21 January 2013.</ref> He governed in [[coalition]] with the [[Bündnis 90/Die Grünen|Greens]]. After the [[Lower Saxony state election, 2017|state election in September 2017]], Stephan Weil remained Minister-President, with the SDP in [[coalition]] with the [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]]. After the [[2022 Lower Saxony state election|2022 Election]], Weil was once again elected as Minister-President with an SDP-Greens coalition.<ref name="l132">{{cite web | last=Spiegel | first=Der | title=Stephan Weil als Ministerpräsident in Niedersachsen wiedergewählt | website=DER SPIEGEL | date=8 November 2022 | url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/stephan-weil-wieder-niedersachsens-ministerpraesident-a-2068b617-45fd-472f-90d9-0bc2fdc10fc7 | language=de | access-date=24 February 2025}}</ref> 

===Constitution===

The state of Lower Saxony was formed after World War II by merging the former states of Hanover, Oldenburg, Brunswick and Schaumburg-Lippe. Hanover, a former kingdom, is by far the largest of these contributors by area and population and has been a province of Prussia since 1866. The city of Hanover is the largest and capital city of Lower Saxony.

The constitution states that Lower Saxony be a free, republican, democratic,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.landtag-niedersachsen.de/the_constitution_of_lower_saxony/ |title=The constitution of Lower Saxony |access-date=7 August 2015 |website=The constitution of Lower Saxony |archive-date=8 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200308092501/https://www.landtag-niedersachsen.de/the_constitution_of_lower_saxony/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> social and environmentally sustainable state inside the Federal Republic of Germany; universal human rights, peace and justice are preassigned guidelines of society, and the human rights and civil liberties proclaimed by the constitution of the Federal Republic are genuine constituents of the constitution of Lower Saxony. Each citizen is entitled to education and there is universal compulsory school attendance.

All government authority is to be sanctioned by the will of the people, which expresses itself via elections and plebiscites. The legislative assembly is a unicameral parliament elected for terms of five years. The composition of the parliament obeys the principle of proportional representation of the participating political parties, but it is also ensured that each constituency delegates one directly elected representative. If a party wins more constituency delegates than their statewide share among the parties would determine, it can keep all these constituency delegates.

The states of the Federal Republic of Germany, and so Lower Saxony, have legislative responsibility and power mainly reduced to the policy fields of the school system, higher education, culture and media and police, while other policy fields like economic and social policies, foreign policy are a prerogative of the federal government. Hence the probably most important function of the federal states is their representation in the Federal Council (Bundesrat), where their approval on many crucial federal policy fields, including the tax system, is required for laws to become enacted.

==Coat of arms==
{{Main|Coat of arms of Lower Saxony}}
The [[coat of arms]] shows a white [[horse]] ([[Saxon Steed]]) against a red background, which is an old symbol of the Saxon people. Legend has it that the horse was a symbol of the Saxon leader [[Widukind]], albeit a black horse against a yellow background. The colours changed after the Christian baptism of Widukind. White and red are colours (besides black and gold) of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] symbolising [[Christ]] as the saviour, who is still shown with a red cross against a white background.

==See also==
{{Portal|Germany}}
* [[List of places in Lower Saxony]]
* [[Straße der Megalithkultur]] – tourist route from Osnabrück to Oldenburg via some 33 Megalithic sites.
* [[Lower Saxon Asparagus Road|Niedersächsische Spargelstraße]] – tourist route around the Asparagus growing areas.
* [[Road of Weser Renaissance|Straße der Weserrenaissance]] – tourist route that passes through Lower Saxony
* [[Outline of Germany]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==External links==
{{wikivoyage}}
* [https://www.lower-saxony.de/startseite/ Official governmental portal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240417134131/https://www.lower-saxony.de/startseite/ |date=17 April 2024 }}
* [https://www.niedersachsen-tourism.com/ Official website for tourism and holiday in Lower Saxony] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505204729/https://www.niedersachsen-tourism.com/ |date=5 May 2018 }}
* [http://www.niedersachsen-karte.de/ Map with tourist highlights, notepad and personal guide] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326013200/http://www.niedersachsen-karte.de/ |date=26 March 2009 }} {{in lang|de}}
* {{Osmrelation-inline|62771}}

{{Germany districts Lower Saxony}}
{{States of the Federal Republic of Germany}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Lower Saxony| ]]
[[Category:States of Germany]]
[[Category:1946 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1946]]
[[Category:NUTS 1 statistical regions of the European Union]]