Situated in the North German County of Lower Saxony and straddling the A2 just west of Hannover, which it borders, the present day Garbsen was created in 1974 by the amalgamation of several districts, the best known being Old Garbsen, Berenbostel, Havelse and Auf der Horst. With population of 61,000(1998) and an area of 80square km, it is the largest town in the Hannover Region.

Being an amalgamation of several districts, Garbsen suffered for many years from the lack of an identifiable centre, but this problem was overcome by the opening of the new Town Hall, which officially took place in February 1998 and the ceremony was attended by the representatives of all its Twin Towns. Bassetlaw was represented by its Chairman and his wife and the Chairman of the Bassetlaw Twinning v Association.

Transport connections are very good since Garbsen lies on the Ruhr-Berlin autobahn and is only 15 minutes from Hannover and 20 minutes from the International Airport., The two principal shopping centres are the Planetenring Centre and the Roten Reihe/Dorfplatz in the Berenbostel district. The best , known school is the Intergrierte Gesamtschule (Comprehensive) which has connections with our Valley School and has exchanged visits with other Comprehensives.

Worksop Harriers send a team to compete every year in the North German cross-country championships and invite runners from Garbsen to compete in the Bassetlaw Half Marathon. Worksop Dolphins make alternate yearly exchange visits with Garbsen Swimmers, an event which has continued since the early 80's. Garbsen caters well for these sporting activities since it has one outdoor and two indoor swimming pools and an area known as the Garbsener Schweiz (Garbsen's Switzerland} where the cross country championships are held.   In this area also is an 18 hole Golf Course.

Industrially it is similar to Worksop and is near to a large city (Hannover) which attracts a large number of Garbseners. Its industrial base, which is growing, is mainly light industry and it is looking forward to industrial growth in the future.