Autostadt

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Autostadt
Logo of the "Autostadt"

Logo of the "Autostadt"

place Wolfsburg , Lower Saxony GermanyGermanyGermany 
opening June 1, 2000
Visitors 40 million (since 2000)
surface 28 hectares
building-costs approx. EUR 430 million
staff over 1000
Website www.autostadt.de
Autostadt (Germany)
Autostadt
Autostadt
Location of the park

Coordinates: 52 ° 25 ′ 52 ″  N , 10 ° 47 ′ 31 ″  E

Autostadt from Midland Canal seen from

The Autostadt is a delivery center for new cars , a museum and an amusement park for Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg in the immediate vicinity of the Volkswagen factory . It is operated by Autostadt GmbH .

Location and purpose

The Autostadt is located directly on the Mittelland Canal between downtown Wolfsburg and the Volkswagen factory. The buildings and the 28-hectare outdoor area present contemporary architecture and landscape architecture. In terms of area, the Autostadt is one of the larger German amusement parks . There is a fee to enter, from 6 p.m. when the pavilions close, entry is free (outside of event times).

The Autostadt serves as the brand land for the Volkswagen Group as a communication platform between companies, in this case the individual group brands, and existing and future customers. It can be referred to as a mixed-use center . In addition to exhibits from the Group's historical and current range of models, numerous adventure offers are on offer.

The luxury hotel The Ritz-Carlton Wolfsburg is located on the premises . The interior was designed by the French interior designer Andrée Putman . In 2014 the five-star superior hotel received a new interior design.

In addition to the brand pavilions, there are art installations on the site such as the 15-meter-long fragrance tunnel by the Danish artist Olafur Eliasson with 2160 flower pots.

history

Since at least 1995, Ferdinand Piëch , then Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, had been planning to present the Volkswagen company in a more contemporary way to visitors to the Volkswagen factory and those picking up new cars, and to include the other brands of the Volkswagen Group as well. During his time as CEO of Audi AG, Piëch had a new customer center built in Ingolstadt , which opened in 1992.

On September 26, 1996, the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG decided to build the Autostadt. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Autostadt took place in May 1998 , and the foundation stone was laid in the same year . For its construction in 1997, the existing building on the construction site of the Volkswagen plant and the coal and oil storage of were power plant largely removed, an office building was used as service building integrated in the Motor City.

On May 31, 2000, the opening of the Autostadt took place as a decentralized project of the Expo 2000 in Hanover in the presence of Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder , the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Sigmar Gabriel and the CEO of Volkswagen AG, Ferdinand Piëch. The Autostadt has been open to the public since June 1, 2000.

The overall planning was in the hands of HENN Architekten Ingenieure , and the costs amounted to around 430 million euros. The landscape architect Hinnerk Wehberg , then a professor at the Institute for Urban Development and Landscape Planning at the TU Braunschweig , designed the outdoor facilities.

In November 2000 the Autostadt welcomed the one millionth visitor. The Autostadt has been a training company since 2001, and an extracurricular learning location since 2003 . In February 2005, the 10 millionth guest visited the Autostadt.

According to the operating company, more than 40 million visitors have come from all over the world since the opening (as of February 2019); many of them combine the visit with picking up their new car. The Autostadt is open all year round except for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve . In 2015, 2.42 million people visited the Autostadt.

Group forum

The history of automobility is presented in the group forum: with presentations such as the AUTOWERK, a portal to production and the design display. The Level Green installation designed by Berlin-based ART + COM was opened in June 2009 and deals with the topic of sustainability on around 1000 m².

Branded pavilions

Porsche pavilion in the Autostadt

In 2016, the exhibition comprised eight brand pavilions for the Audi , Lamborghini , Seat , Škoda , Porsche , Volkswagen and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brands . The Bugatti brand has been represented in the Premium Clubhouse Pavilion, previously Bentley's Pavilion, since October 31, 2008 . In June 2012, the Porsche Pavilion opened as the first new building in the Autostadt's existence.

ZeitHaus

The ZeitHaus

The ZeitHaus shows classic automobiles from their beginnings towards the end of the 19th century until today. These include a replica of the Benz Patent Motor Car No. 1 from 1886. The extremely rare Bugatti Atlantic , of which only two examples exist worldwide, is also on display as a replica . Not only models from the VW Group are shown here, but also vehicles from other car brands - a total of 250 milestones in automobility from over 60 brands.

Customer Center

New car buyers from the Volkswagen brands and, since April 2010, Seat can pick up their vehicle at the customer center . It is the world's largest automobile delivery center. In the two glass car towers, which can be seen from afar, around 400 new cars are regularly made available per tower on 20 floors for delivery within the following days. The car towers are 48 meters high; they are illuminated at night. As soon as a car is picked up by the customer, it is automatically transported to the customer center . Since 2007 it has also been possible for visitors to see a tower from the inside. The entrance to the 20th floor of the tower is chargeable. In 2018, coaches of the brands Büssing and MAN were delivered for the first time in the Autostadt .

gastronomy

There are thirteen different restaurants in the Autostadt, ten of which are operated by the Mövenpick company. For example, they offer international and Italian cuisine with dishes made from regional ingredients. The key is the triad vital - vegetarian - vegan , according to which guests can choose between vital dishes with fish and meat, vegetarian or vegan dishes. The restaurants include self-service and family restaurants as well as gastronomy in the style of a Viennese coffee house . The largest catering establishment has 1400 seats. In our own bread factory 2012 bread and bakery products are produced in organic quality and sold since late: The Bread Factory Bread corresponds to the manufacturing concept in catering the Autostadt and has since 2012 alongside the Eismanufaktur Cool and Creamy and Pastamanufaktur in the restaurant La Coccinella the Ability to track food production more closely.

Events

Regular events and highlights of the past

Water fountain show 2009 ( Magic Moments )

Events and shows take place regularly in the Autostadt. In winter z. B. the attractions winter market and chimney house offered. During this time of year an ice rink is set up, which is particularly popular in the evenings. Figure art shows are often performed; In 2006 the theme was a Russian fairy tale, in 2007 a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm . In the winter of 2008, the ice dance revue The Wizard of Oz was performed on the ice .

The Movimentos Festival has been taking place annually in the Autostadt since 2003 as a festival for contemporary dance and culture. International dance companies perform in the power plant, the former combined heat and power plant of the Volkswagen plant. One of the highlights of the event in May 2009 was the presentation of the International Movimentos Dance Prize , which was awarded for the second time by the Autostadt together with ZDF and ARTE . The multi-week program also includes concerts, readings, matinees and soirees.

For the 2009 political thriller The International , essential indoor and outdoor shots were shot in the Autostadt. The film shows the entire area with the car towers, the hotel, the forum and the prominent globe inside.

Gloria Gaynor , Nena , Rammstein and Sting are among the most famous artists who have performed in the Autostadt so far .

Water fountain show

Another event is the summer event, in the past, for example, several times with the world's largest mobile water fountain show with fountains up to 70 meters high, which is performed three times a day in summer for about four weeks. In the summer of 2007, choreographies on the musical styles of classical, swing, rock and film music ran under the title “Magic Waters”. Due to the success, a new water show called "Magic Oceans" was staged in summer 2008. The three oceans, the Atlantic , Pacific and Indian Oceans as well as the Mediterranean Sea were discussed . In 2009 the show was continued under the title "Magic Moments" with the subtopics "Love, Desire, Freedom, and Happiness".

Cirque Nouveau

Since 2016, a six-week festival with over 300 events has been held every summer under the name Cirque Nouveau. A large harbor stage and a garden stage will be set up for this purpose.

Picture gallery

literature

  • Emanuel Eckardt: Autostadt in Wolfsburg. (Merian live!). 2nd Edition. Travel House Media, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-8342-9539-2 .

Movie

  • In the movie The International by Tom Tykwer , the Autostadt is known as the headquarters of the criminal Luxembourg bank IBBC to see. (Position in the film: 17 min 27 sec)

Web links

Commons : Autostadt  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Record: 40 million guests since the Autostadt opened. Wolfsburger Blatt, February 18, 2019, accessed on February 22, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b What is the Autostadt? autostadt.de, accessed on April 25, 2018
  3. ^ Ritz-Carlton stays in Wolfsburg. AHGZ, August 11, 2015, accessed August 9, 2016 .
  4. ↑ Ferdinand Piëch: Auto.Biographie. Hoffmann and Campe, Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-455-09336-1 , pp. 253ff.
  5. ^ Special page "Autostadt Milestones" of the "Wolfsburger Nachrichten" from August 31, 2017.
  6. ↑ The Autostadt rushes from record to record. In: Hello Wolfsburg. (Newspaper), supplement to the 80th city birthday 2018, p. 36.
  7. ↑ Hendrik Rasehorn: With world star Sting through the Autostadt. In: Wolfsburger Nachrichten. Edition of June 8, 2020.
  8. ↑ From the hunter to the hunted. spiegel.de from May 21, 2001, accessed on July 10, 2018.
  9. ↑ Moving moments. autogramm.volkswagen.de, May 2010 edition, accessed on July 10, 2018.
  10. ↑ The Autostadt in numbers: 20 million visitors. waz-online.de of May 27, 2010, accessed on April 25, 2018
  11. ↑ [1]
  12. ↑ AUTOWERK. Plotmag, October 27, 2015, accessed August 9, 2016 .
  13. ↑ Design display. Autostadt, accessed on August 9, 2016 .
  14. ↑ Article on www.autofahrer-magazin.de Porsche with its own pavilion in the Autostadt
  15. ↑ Pick up the vehicle. autostadt.de, accessed on July 9, 2018.
  16. ↑ ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: 2500000 vehicle delivery in the Autostadt in Wolfsburg. )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.tagesspiegel.de
  17. ↑ "Der Schmidt" has the second generation of coaches christened. wolfsburger-nachrichten.de from May 30, 2018, accessed on July 9, 2018.
  18. ↑ Up to now you could only pick up cars in the Autostadt, now the keys for two MAN coaches have been handed over there for the first time. busmagazin.de from April 17, 2018, accessed on July 9, 2018.
  19. ↑ http://www.waz-online.de/Wolfsburg/Stadt-Wolfsburg/Cirque-Nouveau-in-der-Autostadt