Schöningen

The Schöningen spears are a set of ten wooden weapons from the Palaeolithic Age that were excavated between 1994 and 1999 from the 'Spear Horizon' in the open-cast lignite mine in Schöningen, Helmstedt district, Germany. The spears are the oldest hunting weapons discovered and were found together with animal bones and stone and bone tools. Being used by the oldest known group of hunters, they provided never before uncovered proof that early human ancestors were much closer to modern humans in both complex social structure and technical ability than thought before. The excavations took place under the management of Hartmut Thieme of the Lower Saxony State Service for Cultural Heritage (NLD). The age of the spears, originally assessed as being between 380,000 and 400,000 years old, was estimated from their stratigraphic position, 'sandwiched between deposits of the Elsterian and Saalian glaciations, and situated within a well-studied sedimentary sequence.' However, more recently, thermoluminescence dating of heated flints in a deposit beneath that which contained the spears date the spears to between 337,000 and 300,000 years old, placing them at the end of the interglacial Marine Isotope Stage 9. All studies place the spears in the Holstein interglacial, which is commonly correlated to either of the mentioned marine isotope stages, MIS 11 (424–374 thousand years ago) and MIS 9 (337–300 thousand years ago). The Schöningen spears thus may predate the fragmented Clacton spear point and in so represent the oldest known worked wooden implements, but surely the oldest complete wooden weapons. To date, hominin remains have not been discovered from the Schöningen Pleistocene deposits, and therefore the species that crafted and used the wooden weapons and other tools at Schöningen remains uncertain. The most likely candidates are Homo heidelbergensis or early Neanderthals. The spears provide clear evidence of the importance of wood as a material for Palaeolithic tools, and also further support the practice of hunting by Middle Pleistocene humans. The spears are associated with animal bones, over 90% of which represent the extinct horse species Equus mosbachensis.

Buschhaus Power Station is a lignite-fired power station near Helmstedt in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is operated by Helmstedter Revier GmbH, a subsidiary company of MIBRAG. Until end of 2013, the power station was owned by E.ON.The station's chimney stands 307 metres (1007 ft, 3 in) tall, making it the tallest in Germany. The power station was modernized in 2002 to increase its efficiency. It has an output capacity of 390 megawatts.Plans for Buschhaus Power Stations were drawn up at the end of the 1970s, despite the lack of demand for more electricity in West Germany at the time. The new plant created new jobs not only in construction and operation, but also in coal mining. In September 2016, the power plant has been shut down. Until 2020, the power station will be kept as cold-reserve. Afterwards, the power plant will be decommissioned.

Warberg is a municipality in the district of Helmstedt, in Lower Saxony, Germany.

Büddenstedt is a former municipality in the district of Helmstedt, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 6 km (4 miles) south of the town of Helmstedt into which it was incorporated on 1 July 2017 as a quarter.

Wolsdorf is a municipality in the district of Helmstedt, in Lower Saxony, Germany.

Hötensleben is a municipality in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.

Offleben is a former municipality in the district of Helmstedt, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was Incorporated into the newly formed Büddenstedt on 1 March 1974. Since 1 July 2017 Offleben is part of Helmstedt. Offleben is an Ortschaft (municipal division) of the town Helmstedt, and includes the villages Offleben, Reinsdorf and Hohnsleben.

Frellstedt is a municipality in the district of Helmstedt, in Lower Saxony, Germany.

The Großes Bruch ("Great Marsh") is a 45 kilometres (28 mi) long wetland strip in Germany, stretching from Oschersleben in Saxony-Anhalt in the east to Hornburg, Lower Saxony in the west. The depression formed from a glacial valley. The lowland meadow landscape with numerous reed- and willow-fringed ditches is one to four kilometres wide and runs along the Großer Graben and Schiffgraben ditches connecting the river valleys of the Bode in the east and Oker in the west.

Wackersleben is a village and a former municipality in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 2 January 2010, it is part of the municipality Hötensleben.

Räbke is a municipality in the district of Helmstedt, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is part of the collective municipality (Samtgemeinde) of Nord-Elm. The village is situated north of the wooded Elm hill range at the Schunter river. The settlement was first mentioned as Ridepe in a 1205 deed. Since the 16th century Räbke was known for its paper mills meeting the needs of the University of Helmstedt.

The Altenau is a small river of Lower Saxony, Germany. It rises in the Elm, northeast of Eitzum, a district of Schöppenstedt, and discharges from the right into the Oker near Halchter, a district of Wolfenbüttel.