Lower Saxony State Attractions Niedersachsen

Situation and characteristicsThe river Leine (281km/175mi long, navigable for 112km/70mi), rises in the Eichsfeld in Thuringia and flows into the Aller at Schwarmstedt. The Leinebergland, a region of varied scenery, extends between the Weserbergland (Weser Uplands) and the Harz.LandscapeWest of the Leine are a series of hills - Külf (260 m/853ft), the Thüsterberg (433 m/1,421ft), the Duinger Berg (330 m/1,083ft), the Duinger Wald (221 m/725ft) and Selter (396 m/1,299ft). To the rear are the long ridge of Ith (439 m/1,440ft), with its picturesque limestone crags, and Hils (477 m/1,565ft; sandstone), which form a transition to the Weserbergland.To the east of the river are Heber (305 m/1,001ft), the Sackwald (330 m/1,083ft) and the limestone plateau of the Sieben Berge (Seven Hills; 398 m/1,306ft), said to be the scene of the fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". To the north extends the Hildesheimer Wald (281 m/922ft).

Situation and characteristicsThe Emsland, an expanse of flat country with tracts of moorland, lies on both sides of the middle Ems, which here flows broadly parallel to the Dutch frontier. The river rises in the Senne Heath, is joined at Meppen by the Dortmund-Ems Canal and flows into the Dollart near Leer.With its poor moorland and heath soil and its marginal situation, the Emsland was for centuries one of the least developed areas in Germany. Unsuccessful attempts at cultivating the land were made during the 18th and 19th centuries, but it was only after the First World War that the population began to increase. Under the Nazis, inmates from concentration camps in the area were used as forced labor for work on the land.

The medieval castle of Bad Bentheim is reputed to date back to Carolingian times but was ravaged by Duke Lothar of Saxony in 1116. Since the 13th C. it has been owned by the Counts (now princes) of Bentheim and has been steadily enlarged. Notable features are its immense towers and battlements linked by high walls and terraces. St Catherine's Church contains the Palace Museum (stonemasonry exhibits) and the former granary now houses the Royal Museum (collections illustrating the history of Bentheim). The "Lord God of Bentheim", a Romanesque stone crucifix dating from around 1100, is set in one of the castle walls.

Schloss Lembeck is an impressive moated palace. There is a reference to the lords of Lembeck as early as 1117. The present structure was built by Dietrich Konrad Ardnold of Westerholt around 1692. In 1708 it was acquired by the Counts of Merveldt. The main castle and the outer works are both surrounded by water. The mansion house has two corner towers and transverse wings. The main part dates back to the 15th C. The hall, furnished around 1725 by Johann Conrad Schlaun, is fitted with paneling, stucco work and ornate head pieces. The rooms contain valuable furniture, 17th C. Flemish tapestries and paintings.

Situation and characteristicsThe medieval town of Duderstadt, in the Eichsfeld to the southwest of the Harz, is huddled within the 3km/2mi long circuit of its walls. It has about 500 half-timbered houses.

Situation and characteristicsThie old town of Leer on the river Leda, near its junction with the Ems, styles itself the "gateway to East Friesland". Its red-brick buildings show the influence of the Early Baroque architecture of the Netherlands.

Hermannsburg is located in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the River Örtze.