Helmstedt is a district in Lower Saxony , Germany . It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the district of Wolfenbüttel , the City of Braunschweig , the District of Gifhorn , the City of Wolfsburg and the State of Saxony-Anhalt (districts of Börde and Harz ).
15-573: Ehra-Lessien is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn , in Lower Saxony , Germany . The Municipality Ehra-Lessien includes the villages of Ehra and Lessien. Volkswagen Group owns a test track facility in Ehra-Lessien, some 18 km (11 mi) north of its Wolfsburg factory. The facility was built during the Cold War . The location was chosen because, at the time, it was in
30-433: A no-fly zone only 10 km (6.2 mi) west of the border between East Germany and West Germany , and thus secret prototypes could be tested out of sight of potential rivals. The track is currently used by all Volkswagen Group subsidiaries and marques , such as Audi , Lamborghini , Bentley , Bugatti , SEAT , Škoda , and Porsche . The facility features 96 km (60 mi) of private tarmac, which includes
45-406: A large variety of road surfaces and curves, used as test tracks to evaluate new and prototype vehicles. More significantly, there is a high speed circuit with a straight approximately 8.7 km (5.4 mi) long. Although the straight portion of the track is perfectly flat and level for the entire length, when standing at one end of the straight one cannot see the far end due to the curvature of
60-761: Is bounded by the Elm (a hill chain) in the west and the Lappwald (a riparian forest) in the east. Large parts of the district are part of the Elm-Lappwald Nature Park . In the Elm, limestone was mined in medieval times; limestone from the region was used for the tomb of Henry the Lion as well as for the imperial cathedral of Königslutter . In the Middle Ages, Königslutter was among the wealthiest cities of
75-605: The Holy Roman Empire . In 1576, the University of Helmstedt was founded, which was the largest university of protestant Germany. The Duchy of Brunswick (deriving from Brunswick-Lüneburg ) created administrative districts ( Kreise ) in 1833; the District of Helmstedt was one of those districts. It was subdivided into the Ämter of Calvörde , Königslutter , Helmstedt , Schöningen , and Vorsfelde . In 1944,
90-603: The Mittellandkanal is at Edesbüttel in the district. It is bounded by (from the south and clockwise) the district of Helmstedt , the cities of Wolfsburg and Braunschweig , the districts of Peine , Hanover , Celle and Uelzen , and by the state of Saxony-Anhalt (districts of Altmarkkreis Salzwedel and Börde ). The lowest point of the administrative district Gifhorn lies at the Aller near Müden (46 m (151 ft) above sea level). The highest point lies in
105-501: The Amt of Calvörde, which formed an exclave , was moved to the District of Haldensleben , Province of Saxony . During the administrative reforms of the 1970s, northern areas of the district were moved to the District of Gifhorn and to the City of Wolfsburg ; the district gained areas in the west from the District of Gifhorn and the District of Brunswick (see List of territorial changes to
120-505: The District of Helmstedt ). During the 20th century, the area between Helmstedt and Schöningen was used for lignite mining by the Braunschweigische Kohlenbergwerke AG. Several villages ( Alversdorf , Büddenstedt and Runstedt ) were destroyed by surface mining ; their inhabitants moved to Helmstedt, Schöningen and to the newly built village of Neu Büddenstedt , later on renamed Büddenstedt . In
135-638: The Earth. Banked corners at both ends of the circuit allow for a high entry and exit speed to and from the straight, and to increase average speed during the 20 km (12 mi) lap. The straight is especially useful for determining vehicle top speed, and is one of the few places on Earth that the Bugatti Veyron or the McLaren F1 can reach their top speed. Notably, the top speeds of the Veyron and
150-518: The McLaren F1 were recorded along this straight. In Episode 2 of Season 9, aired on 4 February 2007 on BBC Two 's Top Gear , presenter James May reached 407.5 km/h (253.2 mph) in a Bugatti Veyron thus breaking the world land speed record for a road legal vehicle. On 26 June 2010 May broke his own record in a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport with 1,200 bhp (890 kW), reached 417.9 km/h (259.7 mph) However shortly after this,
165-585: The border of Saxony-Anhalt and extends from the southern edge of the Lüneburg Heath ( Lüneburger Heide ) in the north to the suburbs of Braunschweig and Wolfsburg in the south. The Aller River enters the district in the southeast, runs through the town of Gifhorn , is joined by the Ise and Oker river and leaves the district in the west. The southern terminus of the Elbe Lateral Canal at
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#1732779514743180-759: The city of Fallersleben was incorporated into Wolfsburg. The lion as well as the hearts are heraldic symbols of Lüneburg - Gifhorn was a part of the duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg for many centuries and, briefly the Duchy of Gifhorn . The horn symbolises the syllable "horn" in the word Gifhorn. (numbers of inhabitants from 30 June 2005) Communities * Seat of Samtgemeinde government Samtgemeinden with their local communities Area without community (uninhabited) [REDACTED] Media related to Landkreis Gifhorn at Wikimedia Commons 52°29′N 10°33′E / 52.483°N 10.550°E / 52.483; 10.550 Helmstedt (district) The district
195-522: The north of the district near Sprakensehl (124 m (407 ft) above sea level). The district was established in 1885 by the Prussian government. In 1932, the former district of Isenhagen became the northern part of the Gifhorn district. The city of Wolfsburg originally was a part of the district, but became a district-free city in 1951. In 1974 the district again lost parts of its territory, when
210-502: The record was broken by Bugatti test driver Pierre Henri Raphanel , who recorded a speed of 431.072 km/h (267.856 mph) ( Top Gear Episode 5, Season 15). The facility also appeared on National Geographic Channel 's Man-Made , in episodes about the Bugatti Veyron and Chiron . On 2 August 2019, Bugatti used a specially modified Chiron and broke the record again, reaching 490.48 km/h (304.77 mph). The top speed
225-460: Was set by Andy Wallace and verified by the TÜV (Germany's Technical Inspection Association). The event was recorded with multiple video cameras. Reportedly, Bugatti had spent the prior twelve months preparing for this new high speed record run. Gifhorn (district) Gifhorn ( German pronunciation: [ˈɡɪfhɔʁn] ) is a district in Lower Saxony , Germany . The district is located at
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