South Lower Saxony (german: Südniedersachsen) refers to the southern part of the German federal state of

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

. The region so described is neither historically nor geographically clearly defined to the north within Lower Saxony. It cuts across the more obviously delineated natural regions of the

Weser Uplands The Weser Uplands (German: ''Weserbergland'', ) is a hill region in Germany, between Hannoversch Münden and Porta Westfalica, along the river Weser. The area reaches into three states, Lower Saxony, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia. Important ...

, Leine valley,

Leine Uplands The Leine Uplands (german: Leinebergland, ) is a region in Germany's Central Uplands which forms a part of the Lower Saxon Hills and lies along the River Leine between Göttingen and Hanover. It borders on the Weser Uplands in the west, the Inne ...

and the western parts of the

Harz mountains The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

as well as the western part the historical region of Eichsfeld. OdertLuftb

The districts of

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...

and

Northeim Northeim (; nds, Nuurten) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, seat of the district of Northeim, with, in 2011, a population of 29,000. It lies on the German Half-Timbered House Road. History Northeim is first mentioned in 800 in a document ...

are counted as being within South Lower Saxony, as are those of

Holzminden Holzminden (; nds, Holtsminne) is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Holzminden. It is located on the river Weser, which at this point forms the border with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Histor ...

and

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines ...

, depending on the context. The only regional centre is the university city of Göttingen. Stadtansicht Goettingen 2007

Its current significance lies in the fact that a number of institutions bear the name; these are mainly those to do with communal cooperation, e. g. the South Lower Saxony Transport System Administration Union (''Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund Süd-Niedersachsen'' or ''ZVSN''). The South Lower Saxony Transport System (''Verkehrsverbund Süd-Niedersachsen'' or ''VSN''), which covers the districts of Göttingen, Holzminden, Northeim and Osterode am Harz, brings together the bus and rail companies as well as public transport divisions. The South Lower Saxony Regional Association ('' Landschaftsverband Südniedersachsen'') deals with cultural issues. In the wake of the disbandment of regional administrations (''Bezirksregierungen'') in 2005 important functions to do with the promotion of regional culture were transferred to it by the state of Lower Saxony. The South Lower Saxony Foundation (''Südniedersachsenstiftung'') acts as an independent and party-politically neutral network coordinator, which advances the South Lower Saxony region as a whole in terms of economic, cultural and social development and growth.

Cultural history

Until the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

the hilly terrain between the Weser and the Harz belonged to the heartlands of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

. After that its suffered for several centuries from battles over its political domination. As a result, it became a political fringe region. Numerous cultural treasures have been preserved, that have only partially been opened up to tourism.

External links

''Regionalverband Südniedersachsen''

''SüdniedersachsenStiftung''

''Landschaftsverband Südniedersachsen''

Working Group for South Lower Saxony Local History Research (''Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Südniedersächsische Heimatforschung'')
{{Coord missing, Lower Saxony Regions of Lower Saxony