Sightseeing OverviewThe
Red Thread (see
Tours of the City), a 4km- (3-mile) red line painted onto the road, is a definitive walking route linking 36 city center attractions, and is the most obvious way for new arrivals to experience the city for the first time.
More independent-minded visitors might wish to begin their own explorations from the
Hauptbahnhof, under the
equestrian statue - the city's favorite meeting place. From this busy plaza, a number of routes radiate out, although the most obvious is the
Bahnhofstrasse, which leads up to another
hub at
Kröpcke, the city's central square, linked to
Opernplatz and
Georgsplatz by
Georgstrasse, the main pedestrian thoroughfare.
To the west lies the
Old Town, with interesting
small shops,
pubs and
restaurants. The best surviving examples of half-timbered
medieval architecture and street layout can be found in Marktplatz, whose highlights include the 15th-century Old Town Hall.
Characteristic north German red brick buildings include the 15th-century
Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall), the
Kreuzkirche (Church of the Holy Cross) and the
Marktkirche (Market Church), both dating from the 14th century.
South of the Old Town, the
Neues Rathaus (Town Hall) overlooks the
Maschsee Lake. The baroque
Herrenhäusen Gardens are a few kilometers to the west, while the
Eilenriede (a
forest within the city) lies beyond the main station to the east. The huge
Messegelände convention and exhibition center and the
Expo 2000 site lie immediately to the southeast of the city.
Hanover's streets may not have the grandeur of those in Berlin or Munich, but one thing that brings them to life is the
street art. The urban streetscape is enlivened by
brightly colored sculptures known as
‘nanas' (once mocked and now almost a symbol of Hanover), and a series of
extravagant bus stops, created by international designers.
Tourist InformationHannover Tourismus Service Ernst-August-Platz 8
Tel: (0511) 1234 5111.
Website:
www.hannover.dePassesThe
Hannover Card offers visitors discounts for most major attractions, theater tickets and public guided tours of the city, as well as free transport on
GVH buses and trams in the Hanover ticket zone, and on the airport S-bahn line. The card is valid from the moment it is stamped. The ticket is available in one or three-day versions, from the Tourist Office. Group cards are also available.
Key Attractions:Herrenhäuser Gärten Although little remains of the original palace buildings, the Herrenhäusen
Gardens are one of the city's most popular attractions, particularly during the summer months when there are festivals, fireworks and theater performances. The symmetrical baroque landscape of the
Great Garden (Grosser Garten) was laid out by Duke Johann Friedrich of Calenberg, at the end of the 17th century, and includes the oldest hedge theater in Europe, an enormous fountain (70m/230ft at full pressure) and ornamental flower beds. In contrast, the
Berggarten (the former palace utility or herbal garden) features a botanical collection of more than 12,000 different plants. To complete the picture, in the 19th century, a romantic
‘English' Garden (Georgengarten) was created around Herrenhäuser Allee in honor of George IV.
The
Wilhelm-Busch-Museum/German Museum for Caricature & Critical Drawing is housed in Wallmoden Palace in the Georgengarten. The museum features a collection of work by German satirical artist Wilhem Busch and exhibitions by contemporary cartoonists.
Herrenhäuser Strasse 4
Tel: (0511) 1684 7576.
Admission Charge.
Website:
www.hannover.de/herrenhausen/index.html Wilhelm-Busch-Museum/German Museum for Caricature & Critical Drawing
Georgengarten
Tel: (0511) 1699 9911.
Admission Charge.
Website:
www.wilhelm-busch-museum.deSea Life HannoverLocated in the Herrenhäusen Gardens, the aquarium offers a perfect alternative to the royal gardens when it is raining and an interesting aside at other times. A tropical underwater world, it includes life from the shores of the Caribbean to the tropical rainforests of the Amazon, with 30 tanks including piranhas and sharks. The highlight is a deep-water tank with an 8m- (26ft-) long glass tunnel running through it.
Herrenhäuser Strasse 4A
Tel: (01805) 6669 0101.
Website:
www.sealifeeurope.comAdmission charge.
Sprengel-Museum Opened in 1979, the Sprengel Museum combines the endowment of Dr Bernhard Sprengel with the 20th-century art collections of the state of Lower Saxony and the city of Hanover. Offering a comprehensive educational program, the museum now rates as one of the most important centers of modern art in Germany. Exciting exhibitions of contemporary art, photography and new media complement a permanent collection of modern classics, including works by Picasso, Klee and Schwitters.
Kurt-Schwitters-Platz
Tel: (0511) 1684 3875.
Website:
www.sprengel-museum.de Admission charge.
Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) An object of derision when it opened in 1913, the monumental architecture and copper-coated dome of Hanover's ‘new' Town Hall have since made it the city's main landmark. Visitors can ascend the dome by means of the unique curving lift, for an excellent bird's-eye view of the city and Maschsee. Below the dome, the huge vaulted central hall houses four models of the city, representing Hanseatic Hanover in 1689, 1939 pre-war Hanover, 1945 after the devastating bombing raids and finally the present day city - the latter model is constantly updated to reflect the rapidly changing face of modern Hanover. Council chambers are only open to visitors on an official guided tour.
Trammplatz 2
Tel: (0511) 1684 5333.
Admission charge.
Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum (Lower Saxony State Museum) This museum is housed in a neo-Renaissance building opposite the Maschpark. It contains a selection of paintings and sculptures spanning nine centuries, as well as interesting archaeological, ethnological and natural history exhibits. The stars of the archaeological collection are the bodies of prehistoric homo sapiens found in the local peat bogs.
Willy-Brandt-Allee 5
Tel: (0511) 980 7686.
Website:
www.nlmh.deAdmission charge.
Eilenriede Eilenriede park is virtually a city forest and Hanover's ‘green lungs'. It covers an area of 650 hectares (1,943 acres), larger than Central Park in New York. The park comprises woodland and meadows, crisscrossed by a network of paths and fitness trails and dotted with numerous monuments, a mini golf course, a toboggan slope, restaurants, cafes and beer gardens. The northern part of Eilenriede encompasses a bird sanctuary and the popular
Erlebnis Zoo Hannover, which houses over 2,600 animals.
The zoo is much better than many of its ilk, with visitors able to explore four unique Zoo Adventure Worlds - Zambezi, Jungle Palace, Gorilla Mountain and Meyer's Farm. A fifth Zoo World, representing the vast Alaskan wilderness of ‘Yukon Bay', is under construction - a model can be viewed near the Jungle Palace.
Erlebnis Zoo Hannover
Adenauerallee 3
Tel: (0511) 2807 4163.
Website:
www.zoo-hannover.de Admission charge.
Maschsee The 68-hectare (168-acre) Maschsee Lake was dug out between 1934 and 1936, providing the city with an enviable aquatic playground. Pleasure seekers can enjoy summer boat trips or illuminated evening cruises (including dinner), operated by the local transport organization from Rudolf-von-Bennigsen-Ufer. The Maschsee fleet includes a solar-powered catamaran with a capacity of up to 55 people. The lake is surrounded by parkland and has a number of restaurants, beer gardens and a casino on its shores. During summer, Maschsee provides the perfect setting for a popular cultural and entertainment festival (see
Special Events).
Rudolf von Bennigsen Ufer
Tel: (0511) 700 950.
Website:
www.uestra-reisen.de/content/maschsee Free admission.
Street Art Hanover's bountiful street art is a highlight of visiting the city. Much of the innovative public art dates back to the 1970s, with a plethora of weird and wonderful creations, from multi-colored shapes through to surreal sculptures, such as a stag with a figure of a man sitting atop its antlers. Perhaps the most famous work are the three buxom ‘Nanas' placed on the banks of the Leine river. These characters were creations of French artist Niki de St Phalle, who died in 2002. Many of the city's bizarre fountains are also works of art in themselves, as are a number of Hanover's bus stops.
Further Distractions:Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall)Dating in parts from the early 15th century, Hanover's gothic Old Town Hall is a fine example of the ornate red brickwork long associated with Lower Saxony, and one of the highlights of the old marketplace. Built over a lengthy period, with additions made in various architectural styles, it was saved from demolition in the mid 19th century by public demand, and renovated to its 16th century condition. Further renovations were carried out in 1998. It is nowadays used as a restaurant and events venue, offering historic surroundings for either a light snack or a full meal.
Karmarschstrasse 42
Tel: (0511) 300 8040.
Website:
www.altes-rathaus-hannover.deKestner-Museum Based on an 18th-century endowment by Herman Kestner, the Kestner Museum houses a collection of Egyptian, Roman, Cypriot, Etruscan, Italian, Greek and German arts and crafts exhibits covering 6,000 years. The highlight of the Egyptian section is the head of Pharaoh Akhenaton, which is more than 3,000 years old.
Trammplatz 3
Tel: (0511) 1684 2120.
Website:
www.hannover.de/museen/museen/kestner/vorst Admission charge.
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