What was Wolfsburg, the city built around the Volkswagen factory, originally named under the Nazi regime?

What was Wolfsburg, the city built around the Volkswagen factory, originally named under the Nazi regime? Stadt des KdF-Wagens bei Fallersleben. The planned city was founded on 1 July 1938 to house workers for the Volkswagen factory, which was being built to produce the KdF-Wagen, the car later known as the Volkswagen Beetle.

Its full official name translates roughly as “City of the Strength Through Joy Car at Fallersleben.” “Kraft durch Freude,” usually abbreviated KdF, was a Nazi organization that promoted state-controlled leisure and consumer projects. The new town was therefore named after the political program associated with the promised people’s car, rather than after Volkswagen, Porsche, or the nearby historic settlement alone.

The name Stadt des KdF-Wagens bei Fallersleben remained in use until the end of the war. In May 1945, after the area was occupied by American forces, local authorities adopted the name Wolfsburg, taken from Wolfsburg Castle. The city’s later identity is closely tied to Volkswagen, but Autostadt is a modern visitor attraction, not the city’s original name.