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| | Lower Saxony | |||
| Hannover (Hanover) | |||
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Hannover – Ancient settlers on the city's river originally called their town 'Hohen Overe,' (high bank) which mutated to Honovere and finally Hannover, the capital of the Niedersachsen region of Germany. One curiosity – the 18th century Duke of Hannover, George, was recruited by the English to be their King George I, thus founding the current English royal family. | |
| Tip: Head into the tourism office located across from the train and bus stations to get maps, festival schedules, and a discount City Card forunlimited use of public transportation and discounts on entrance fees at many of the sites you’ll want to see such as museums and tours! There are single passes and family passes. |
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Hannover day trips | ||
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Ernst August Platz – Hannover's city center, between the Central Train Station, the old town by the river, the Steintor in the east and the Aegidientor to the west. This area has been reconstructed from the rubble of World War II – but it was done with great love and respect for history. | ||
 Bahnhofstrasse
– A pedestrian walkway which takes you from the Central Station
to the heart of the city. Kids will like the fun of the Passerelle – an underground shopping district. At the far end of the Bahnhofstrasse you'll
reach Kröpcke, the most popular square in town. |
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| Kröpke
– Hannoverians call this the heart of the city. Come hear
to see buskers entertaining under the Kr”pke clock and get a feeling for
the city. |
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| Georgstrasse – Named for the Hannoverian King George of England, you'll find
wonderful shops here and also the neo-classical Opera House, built
in 1845 as the royal theater. Don't miss the statues of famous poets and
composers. |
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Hannover´s Old Town – Before WWII, this area from Steintor to Aegidientorplatz was filled with half-timbered buildings from the Middle Ages. Only about three dozen medieval buildings survived the bombing, yet you'll see far more now. Ancient facades found all town were brought here during reconstruction to recreate the feeling of this neighborhood. | ||
| Old
City Hall – Construction took almost all of the 15th century,
it overlooks Schmiedestrasse (Blacksmith Street). Check out the Apothekenflügel
(Chemists' Wing) built in Italian Romanesque style and the portraits
of princes. |
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| Leibnizhaus – A beautiful sandstone building originally built in 1499, it
was restored in 1652 and served as the home of the philosopher Leibniz in
the 17th century. What you'll see today is a reconstruction after WWII bombing – go inside to see how they did it from their photographic exhibit. |
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| Marktkirche
– The largest church in Hannover's "old town" built in
the northern German neo-Gothic style. The roof line may seem a little
odd – when the tower was half built, construction ground to
a halt due to low funds. Check out the portal, which features scenes from
German history designed by Gerhard Marcks. Stop at "Deutsche Michel's" burial place – General Johann Michael von Obentraut, the local
hero of the Thirty Years War in the 17th century. |
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The Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) at Tramplatz – Built on a bog just before WWI, they had to put 6026 beech piles in the ground before laying the foundation. Kids will want to see the four scale models of the city on permanent display: Middle Ages, pre-WWII , WWII, and current. Take time to tour the Hodler Hall's mural painting and the Mosaic Hall mosaics of craftsmen, but don't miss a ride in the elevator to the top of the dome, where you can see far and wide across the city to the Harz Mountains. There's a tourism office here for more city info and a cafe for snacks. | |
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Museums – | ||
| Sprengel
Museum – The stated aim of the Sprengel Museum is to appeal to
people from all walks of life, and that visitors, adults and children, experience
the museum in a vivid way. To do this there are lots of programs using
various media to help children encounter and experience art. The
Children's Forum at the Sprengel Museum Hannover offers 'Art -
Child's Play!' for kids over 6 every Tuesday and Thursday and
weekend afternoons. Also on the weekends kids can experiment with their
own art – the museum provides paint and paper. The Mini
Gallery provides individually-designed displays of Max Ernst, Fernand Léger,
El Lissitzky that kids can experience "up close and personal." |
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| Förderverein
Heimatmuseum is a museum of the typical regional skills, such as weaving,
farming, and fishing. The rooms and furnishing show the life of a
Steinhude family around 1850. You'll see looms and weavings, fishing nets,
traps, a boat and smoking chamber, a shoe maker's workshop, and a photo
exhibit. |
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| The
Frehrking Blacksmiths Museum – The Helstorf historical
society restored this village smithy and everything, including all the tools,
are the real McCoy! The Helstorf smithy is popular for the regular demonstrations
of blacksmiths. |
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| Hannover
Fire Brigade Museum – Fire brigade Nr.1 is now a museum
where you can see a collection of 18th century equipment and uniforms.
There's a horse-drawn engine complete with manual hoses, life-saving equipment,
all kinds of neat stuff for the fireman fan. |
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| Niedersächsische
Landesmuseum – This city museum has everything from 1,000 years
of art (including Rembrandt, Rubens and Albrecht Durer), to archeological exhibits (covering 200,000 years of human history)
to natural history exhibits (including dinosaur models and a reptile
exhibit). Something a little eerie? How about the exhibits on burial rituals
and after life beliefs, from the Stone Age as well as the first farmers
in the late Stone Age on. Don't miss the famous the mummified corpses taken from Niedersachsen's peat bogs. |
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| Historische
Museum – This museum covers 750 years of Hannover's history with periods separated on different floors. You'll see royal coaches,
flags, costumes and and medals. There are also exhibits on forestry
and hunting, the postal service, the railways, mining, universities and
the legal system The second floor is all about the rural life
of Niedersachsen, with models of farm houses, agricultural equipment
and traditional costumes. |
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| Wilhelm-Busch-Museum – Opened in 1937, the museum centers around a cartoonist and
illustrator Wilhelm Busch. Your kids may have seen his work in Max and Moritz
books, or illustrating Brothers Grimm fairy tales. This is a favorite place
with local kids, and the collection contains hundreds of Busch's oil paintings.
The museum has hosted a 150 cartoon exhibitions so far – you
may find your favorite when you arrive. To read Max and Moritz escapades
in English and German, click
here. |
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The Herrenhäusen Gardens – Walk from the Georgengarten through a 1.5 mile alley of trees – or take the tram to this wonderful baroque garden devoted to the art of landscape gardening founded by Duke Johann Friedrich (the same one who founded the Tiergarten). The park really bloomed under the patronage of Princess Sophie, mother of the first Hannoverian English king. Fountains, model gardens, sculpture, hedges all make this a wonderful place to wander. But don't miss the maze, orangerie, and rock garden (with its greenhouses of exotic plants like orchids and cacti). | |
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The Market Place – This is where medieval craftsmen once came to sell their goods or skills. The Church here dates from the 1300s, and is considered a classic of German Gothic architecture. This is a beautiful area for strolls and treats. | ||
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Take a walk along the Leine River where you'll find shaded promenades and, on warm evenings, you'll pass a lot of local. This is the location of the Flea Market (see "Shopping" below). | ||
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Three Nanas – This statue by Niki de St. Phalle is one of
the most photographed sites in Hannover – but when they first
went up - ach! This is art? The kids will probably compare it to their own
work.. |
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Eilenriede forest – Called Hannover's "lungs," the park was established by the Dukes of Wenzeslaus and Albrecht of Sachsen in 1371. This immense city park covers 650 hectares, filled with beech, oak, pine, birth trees right to the city center; much larger than Hyde park or the "Bois de Boulogne." There are playgrounds, and an inexpensive cafeteria (as well as more pricey restaurants) on the grounds, or bring a picnic. | ||
| Go
for a walk – the park offers forest educational trails and
fitness trails. |
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| Rent
a bike and really get to see everything. |
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| Horseback
riding is also available for good riders. |
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| Play
some miniature golf. |
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| Check
out the bird sanctuary. |
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| Hannover
Zoo – Attractions here are enclosures (not cages) where animals
are in a recreation of natural habitats, such as: Gorilla Mountain (take a path on an expedition into Central Africa, with footprints hint
at the inhabitants to a jungle meadow); Jungle Palace (enter
the "ruins" of a maharaja's palace with waterworks and gargoyles,
"crumbling" walls covered in vines reveal elephants, tigers, and
leopards); Jambesi (visit the African steppes filled with zebras,
antelope, ostriches and walk across the suspension bridge); end up at Meyer's
Farm (recreation of a Saxony farm with bakery, storehouse, sheep, pigs,
and cows) where you'll find a great restaurant filled with typical country
dishes. |
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Tiergarten – A 112 hectare recreational forest home to wild animals, this is one of Hannover's most popular attractions. Duke Johan Friedrich created Tiergarten in 1678 for hunting by releasing 120 deer into the forest – about the number there now. You can see some of them up close at the "Hubertus" enclosure, but throughout the forest you'll see lots of species of birds as well. |
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Fun food – |
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Market Hall – Go here to find an incredible range of both local favorites and international treats. Not particularly scenic (it was built about 50 years ago) – it's the place to find the best treats in town! |
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Desserts – Germans love desserts and make some famous ones, but try a few that may be less familiar: Rote Grütze mit Sahne oder Vanillesosse is a wonderful fruit compote with cream, then there's the Lübecker marzipan, and the Baumkuchen ("tree cake") made with layers to mimic the rings of a tree. |
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Bread rolls filled with prawns makes a great light meal – or try the Hannoversches Blindhuhn, a potato dish with bacon, vegetables and fruit! |
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Shopping – |
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The Flea Market – One of the oldest in Europe, you'll find it down by the river bank – and you'll also see that famous "Nanas" sculpture! |
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