Welcome to Hannover
Hannover is the capital of the Lower Saxony region, a modern metropolis with medieval roots which has something to offer for every traveller. If you’re looking to stroll through picturesque market squares fringed by handsome half-timbered buildings and soaring churches, Hannover is a perfect choice. If you’re planning a city break that encompasses distinctive museums, gracious parks and pleasant water features, Hannover has that covered too. And if you’re coming here to do business, the Hannover Messe is a world-leading conference and events facility.
Hannover’s History
Hannover’s history stretches back at least 750 years, to its origins as a busy medieval market town. Over the centuries it grew steadily in size, trading in iron and silver from the Harz Mountains and building some of the finest Gothic churches in northern Germany. Hannover also shares a royal heritage with Great Britain, as from 1714 to 1837 the Dukes of Hannover sat on the British throne.
Hannover’s Top Attractions
Any visit to Hannover’s city centre should take in the Town Halls old and new. The Altes Rathaus is a handsome structure in the traditional Saxon half-timbered style, while the larger Neues Rathaus is a flamboyant civic palace, filled with interesting exhibits and with a dome observation gallery that gives panoramic views across the city.
Pleasant Parks
Hannover’s city centre boasts a splendid group of connected parks in varying styles. The Herrenhauser Garten is a grandly formal affair, which borders on the Berggarten, home to an important botanical collection and the SEA LIFE Aquarium. The Georgengarten is a long green corridor landscaped in the English style, leading to the Prinzengarten Welfengarten, now part of the Leibniz University campus.
Arts and Culture
Hannover is home to a fine range of museums and galleries. The Historisches Museum Hannover is filled with interesting exhibits detailing the city’s journey from the medieval to the modern. The Lower Saxony State Museum has galleries devoted to natural history, ethnographic exhibits and artworks from the Middle Ages to the present. The Sprengel Art Museum houses an important collection of modernist art, with works by Picasso, Fernand Léger, Max Ernst and Paul Klee, among others.
Shopping in Hannover
Hannover is home to a lively shopping scene that covers distinctively local souvenirs and major global brands, in settings ranging from the traditional to the very modern. Historic markets still thrive in the pretty cobbled squares of the city centre, and the Christmas period fills them with festive wares and attractions. The Ernst August Galerie by the main train station is a spanking new shopping centre, filled with fashion, homewares, eateries and gift ideas.
Eating and Drinking
Hannover has all the eating opportunities you would expect from a German metropolis. Be sure to sample some characteristically Saxon fare, such as Blinsen and Klitscher pancakes, Kochwurst sausages and Fischbrötchen fish sandwiches, washed down with a stein or two of a good local brew. German staples such as red and white sausages and pork knuckles are readily available, and all the major global cuisines are very well represented.
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