Schöningen is a small town on the southeastern edge of Lower Saxony, close to the old border with Saxony-Anhalt and the wooded Elm hills. It would be easy to pass it by as another quiet German market town, but the place has one claim that changes the whole scale: the Schöningen spears, among the oldest known wooden weapons ever found.
That prehistoric story is the reason to come. The spears were discovered in a former open-cast mine near town, together with horse bones and other evidence that early humans here were skilled hunters. The finds are now interpreted at the Paläon research and experience centre, a modern museum on the edge of the archaeological landscape.
The town itself adds enough for a short visit: Schöningen Castle, St. Lorenz Church, half-timbered streets and the easy countryside of the Elm-Lappwald Nature Park. It is not a full-day city break, but if you are moving between Braunschweig, Helmstedt and the Harz, Schöningen is worth the detour.