Gifhorn was first mentioned in 1196, when it was located at the crossing of two important merchant routes, one transporting salt between Lüneburg and Braunschweig, the other transporting corn between Celle and Magdeburg.
Gifhorn is known as the Mühlenstadt (mill town) and there's a good reason for this.
Gifhorn nowadays has 45,000 inhabitants and has grown up on the crosswords of the old salt road (Luneburg-Braunschweig) and the corn road (Celle-Magdeburg).
The heath and district administrative town of Gifhorn was at the intersection of these two important trade routes and its economic developed is consequently very ancient.