It is no wonder that Brunswick, the center of a research region known around the world and home to almost a million people, was producing pioneering technologies in times gone by. The first state railway in Germany was founded here and carrying on this tradition, the revolutionary TRANSRAPID rail system was developed at Brunswick's Technical University. This high speed train became famous throughout the world following its first commercial application in Shanghai. The operating control system for this train line was supplied by Siemens, an international concern operating the world's largest railway signalling technology division from its base in Brunswick.
Brunswick is not just a synonym for "competence in transportation". Industrial success stories have a long tradition here too. The preliminary plant of the Volkswagen concern known as the "Vorwerk" – which has assembled parts and supplied equipment for the company's manufacturing headquarters in neighboring Wolfsburg – has long been based here. Trucks, buses and trains are also produced in the region: MAN the successor to the truck manufacturer Büssig and LHB Alstom an energy and transport infrastructure concern are based in Brunswick. The steel for these companies comes from Germany's second largest steel concern, Salzgitter AG, located about 20 km away.
Today, Brunswick is also at the cutting edge of innovative technologies in the fields of telecommunications (digital TV), information technology, coating technology and nanotechnology (with the Fraunhofer Institute IST among others), microsystems and adaptronics to name a few of the important twenty-first century fields that have already found their place in Brunswick.
Our mechanical engineering and plant construction facilities are acclaimed throughout the world. Sugar factories, grain and rice mills are all based in Brunswick as is machinery for the packaging industry. The products from our photographic industry made by Rollei, Voigtländer and Leica along with our pianos crafted by Schimmel and Grotrian-Steinweg are in demand around the world.
Brunswick has also made its mark as a service center in the financing sector. Two global players Nord/LB and Volkswagen Financial Services are both located here. This financial cluster focusing on medium-sized enterprises is rounded off with a training academy and an institute at the Technical University.
An attractive retail sector can be added to the other strengths of the area: Brunswick has a large, diverse selection of shops. With over 13,000 retail traders, Brunswick is an attractive center to do your shopping in, whether you are based in the city or the surrounding region.
