Gatersleben

Infobox German Location
Art = Gemeinde
image_photo =
Wappen =
Wappengröße = 80
lat_deg = 51 |lat_min = 49
lon_deg = 11 |lon_min = 16
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Saxony-Anhalt
Landkreis = Salzlandkreis
Verwaltungsgemeinschaft = Seeland
Höhe = 110
Fläche = 16.00
Einwohner = 2422
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 06466
Vorwahl = 039482
Kfz = ASL
Gemeindeschlüssel = 15 0 89 115
Straße = Schmiedestraße 1
Website = [http://www.gatersleben.de www.gatersleben.de/]
Bürgermeister = Edith Hüttner
Partei =

Gatersleben (IPA2|ˈgaːtɐsleːbən) is a municipality of Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated southwest of Magdeburg and northwest of Halle (Saale).

Economy

Agriculture and Biotechnology are the two major focus areas to promote economic development in and around the village. The Biopark Gatersleben [http://www.bioparkgatersleben.de] , developed at the initiative of the State of Saxony-Anhalt, provides space to growing biotech companies. Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (http://www.ipk-gatersleben.de IPK] ), Gatersleben is one of the world famous institute for biotechnology, molecular biology and genetics. The mission of the IPK Gatersleben, a Leibniz Institute, is to conduct basic and applied research in the area of plant genetics and crop plant research. The results of this work are not only of significant benefit to plant breeders and the agricultural industry, but also to the food, feed, and chemical industry. An additional research area, the use of renewable raw materials, is increasingly gaining in importance.

At present, Gatersleben is rapidly becoming a center for “green” biotechnology. The establishment of SunGene, a plant biotechnology company and subsidiary of the BASF group, provided the principal impetus in 1998 . Today, SunGene is a part of the BASF Plant Science organisation and has more than 60 employees and an ideal research environment in a modern laboratory building. Three other biotech firms, hived off from the IPK, work in a business centre completed in autumn 2000: TraitGenetics, Novoplant, and ArrayOn. Plantalytics GmbH, a small service company for photosynthetic metering, also operates on the campus.

Transport

The major local mode of transport is bus and local train. The fares depends on the distance and region of travel. Buses in the village are connecting to nearby town and villages and run by [http://www.qbus-ballenstedt.de/ QBUS] . One can also take Harz Elbe Express [http://www.hex-connex.de/PortalPage____7219.aspx HEX Online] which is connecting Halberstadt in north and Halle in south.

The nearest major airport is Leipzig/Halle Airport, located around 90 km south of village.

In and around the village

There is nothing much in the center of gatersleben, it is a small village with few traditional restaurants, bank [http://www.sparkasse-aschersleben-stassfurt.de/inner.php?IFLBSERVERID=IF@@054@@IF Sparkasse] , a post office [http://www.deutschepost.de/dpag?skin=hi&check=yes&lang=de_DE&xmlFile=828 DP] , a supermarket [http://www.niedrig-preis.de NP] , a hardware store, and Schlecker drugstore.

Saxony-Anhalt with its regional capital of Magdeburg extends from the Altmark region (also known as the "cradle of Prussia"), via the Magdeburg Börde and the industrial areas around Halle and Bitterfeld as far as the vineyards in the Saale and Unstrut region, the most northerly wine growing area in Germany. The heartland of German history, this region is an ideal destination for city breaks and cultural trips, although it also has plenty to offer nature lovers and active holidaymakers.

Quedlinburg 12km and can be easily accessed by bus are listed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. Quedlinburg is one of the best-preserved medieval and renaissance towns in Europe, having miraculously escaped major damage in World War II.