Experience Hannover

Hannover wasn’t somewhere I’d researched much before arriving. Armed with little more than curiosity and a willingness to wander, I set off to see what I could find. Turns out, quite a lot.

Coming from New Zealand, where a building from the early 1900s feels positively ancient, there’s something that never quite gets old about walking through a European city where history is literally built into every street corner. Hannover has that in abundance, and as I would keep discovering over the next few days, often in ways I wasn’t expecting.

Herrenhausen Gardens

Getting to Herrenhausen Gardens was easy enough via the subway from Marienßtrasse, and stepping through the gates it was immediately clear this was somewhere worth the trip. The gardens have a regal, almost grand quality to them, wide avenues of trees, elegant fountains, carefully tended plants and statues that make you feel like you’ve wandered into another era entirely. My favourite was the Big Cascade fountain, which is exactly as impressive as it sounds. (see video below)

Schlossgastronomie

I had lunch at the Schlossgastronomie Herrenhausen, which I’d highly recommend if you’re spending time here, it’s worth slowing down rather than rushing through. I visited in September so the gardens had that early autumn feel; flower variety will be quite different if you visit in summer.

The Grotto

But the real surprise was the Grotto. A few days earlier I’d spotted the Nanas, Niki de Saint Phalle’s bold, curvaceous female figures along the riverside and been immediately taken by their playfulness and use of colour. I looked her up, discovered she had designed the Grotto at Herrenhausen, and knew I had to see it. Though the outside is quite unassuming nothing quite prepares you for it. Every surface is covered in mirrors, shells and mosaic, chaotic and dazzling in equal measure  a complete contrast to the formal elegance of the gardens surrounding it, and somehow perfect because of that.

Worth noting when I visited, some of the figures were away in France for restoration due to weather exposure, so what you see may vary depending on when you go. Worth checking before you visit.

 

 

Quick Tips – Herrenhausen Gardens

• Getting there: Subway to Marienßstrasse
• When I visited: September early autumn, so flower variety will differ in summer
• Lunch: Schlossgastronomie Herrenhausen  worth stopping for
• Don’t miss: The Big Cascade fountain and the Niki de Saint Phalle Grotto
• Good to know: Some Grotto figures may be away for restoration, check before you visit
• Entry & opening times: Vary by season and area, check the website for current fees and hours
• Time to allow: Half a day minimum

 

The New Town Hall

One of the things that made me smile about Hannover before I’d even stepped inside the hall, was discovering that the grand building in front of me was called the New Town Hall. New. Built in the early 1900s, it would be considered a historic landmark back in New Zealand, but here it’s the newer of the two town halls, which tells you everything you need to know about just how layered European history is.

Before you even go inside it’s worth pausing to take in the surroundings, the building sits in parklike grounds with a small lake that gives you a beautiful reflection of the facade, and the copper embellishments on the dome are stunning up close.

Inside, don’t rush past the four scale models of Hannover showing the city at different points in history, medieval, pre-war, post-bombing, and the rebuilt modern city. Seeing the devastation of WWII laid out like that is quietly sobering. Walking up the steps inside also gives you a great view of the interior of the building before you head up to the dome via the elevator  which is an experience in itself, travelling on a curve following the shape of the dome rather than going straight up. The views over Hannover from the top make it very worthwhile on a clear day you can see Lake Maschsee and the Eilenriede forest stretching out beyond the city.

 

Quick Tips – New Town Hall

• Entry: Free to enter the building
• Elevator to the dome: €5
• Don’t skip: The four scale models and the curved elevator
• Also worth it: Walk the steps inside for views of the interior
• Photo tip: The lake reflection outside is a great shot
• Time to allow: 1- 2 hours

Maschsee Lake

After the town hall it felt like the right time to slow down, and Maschsee Lake delivered exactly that. What’s impressive to know is that the lake is entirely man-made – you’d never guess it from the natural feel of the place. A lakeside promenade lined with palm trees adds an unexpectedly Mediterranean touch, and the whole area has a relaxed, unhurried atmosphere.

I joined a boat tour operated by Üstra Reisen  which is a lovely way to see the lake properly. It was a nice day out on the water, with small yachts racing across the lake adding a bit of life to the scene, along with a fountain out on the water. One of the unexpected highlights was looking back and spotting the New Town Hall in the distance, a completely different perspective on a building you’ve just been standing on top of. Not far away is the Sprengel Museum, which is worth adding to your itinerary if you have time and fittingly it also houses works by Niki de Saint Phalle.

Quick Tips – Maschsee Lake

• Boat tours: Üstra Reisen
• Also available: Paddle boats, rowboats, kayaks and SUPs for rent
• Lakeside promenade: Great for a walk with some surprising palm trees!
• Best views: Look back toward the New Town Hall from the water
• Good to know: Yacht racing happens on the lake so you may catch a show
• Nearby: Sprengel Museum — check current opening before visiting
• Time to allow: 1–2 hours

Following The Red Thread

At some point during my time in Hannover I spotted a red line painted on the pavement and did what any curious person would do – followed it. It led me straight to the tourist information centre, where I discovered it was the famous Rote Faden, or Red Thread – a 4.2km walking trail connecting 36 of Hannover’s historic highlights. I bought the book and the city suddenly had a shape to it.

Old Town – Altstadt

The old town is where the trail really comes alive. Wandering through Ballhofplatz and past the timber-framed buildings, the Ballholf Hannover’s oldest gymnasium, and at the end of the Burgstrabe is the oldest timber-framed house in the city. A lot of this area was painstakingly reconstructed after the WWII bombing, which makes it feel both ancient and quietly remarkable at the same time.

The Old Town Hall

The Old Town Hall is one of those buildings that stops you in your tracks — a beautiful Gothic structure right in the heart of the old town, with the Raths Apotheke next door which wasn’t on the Red Thread but caught my eye anyway. Nearby the Market Church is hard to miss, its tall brick towers dominating the skyline.

 

The Market Church – Marktkirche,

The church is hard to miss, its tall Gothic brick towers rising above the old town roofline. I didn’t go inside; there was work being done on the exterior during my visit which may have affected access, but even from the outside the architecture is impressive enough to stop you in your tracks. If you do get to visit, look closely at the artwork – it has a few surprises, including the odd skeleton or two.

 

Göttingen Seven

One of the unexpected highlights was coming across the Göttingen Seven monument. I knew from the sheer scale of it that whoever these people were, they mattered. I didn’t know the full story at the time but looked it up afterwards, seven professors from Göttingen University who publicly refused to accept the King of Hanover’s decision to abolish the constitution in 1837, losing their jobs and in some cases being expelled from the kingdom for their stand. Two of them were the Brothers Grimm, which I hadn’t known at all. It’s a different kind of statue to what you usually see, not a single heroic figure on a plinth but a whole group of people, which gives it a very human feeling.

Kröpcke Clock

I also kept an eye out for the Kröpcke Clock — I have a bit of a thing for clocks and have a small collection at home, so seeking out famous ones wherever I travel has become a habit. The Kröpcke Clock is a Hannover institution, one of those landmarks locals use as a meeting point and visitors photograph without always knowing why it’s significant

Along the way the trail also takes you past the State Opera House, the Leine Palace and its bridge over the River Leine, Gate of the Marstall and the Beginenturm (Beguine Tower) part of the city’s fortifications. I didn’t go inside everything, some places I simply took in from the outside but that’s part of what’s so great about the Red Thread. It gives you enough of a nudge to notice things you might otherwise walk straight past.

The Aegidienkirche – St Giles Church

Of everything I saw in Hannover, the Aegidienkirche – St Giles Church, is the one that has stayed with me most. From the outside it looks like a ruin because it is one. The church was destroyed in the WWII bombing of Hannover and was deliberately never rebuilt, left instead as a permanent memorial to the devastation of war. The nave is completely open to the sky, the walls standing roofless on either side of the surviving tower which still bears its clock.

I went inside and spent time just taking it in. There’s a quiet there that feels different from other churches, less solemn, more raw. Coming from New Zealand where that kind of living, built-in grief simply doesn’t exist in our landscape, it’s the sort of place that recalibrates something in you.
Tucked inside is the peace bell donated by the city of Hiroshima, two cities on opposite sides of the world, devastated by the same war in very different ways, connected by this small gesture of peace. I could only photograph it through the gate but I’m glad I got the shot.

I found myself coming back a second time. Some places just do that to you. Then you begin to notice other things too. The sculptures Siebenmannerstein, and Humility,  memorial plaques and art by artist Dorothee von Windheim Schattenlinie -shadow line.

 

Art and Sculptures

Hannover turned out to be a city that takes its public art seriously, and sculptures have a way of appearing when you least expect them.
The Nanas were my introduction to Niki de Saint Phalle – three large, bold, gloriously colourful female figures along the Leibniz Ufer by the river. What struck me immediately was how different they were to everything else around them. In a city of stone buildings, copper domes and Gothic architecture, these three figures felt almost shocking in the best possible way – joyful and unapologetic. It was spotting them that led me to seek out the Grotto at Herrenhausen, so in a way they set the tone for my whole time in the city. (see the video for all of the Nanas)

 

Along the river I also found the bronze statue of a boy leading a horse, positioned in front of the Beginenturm a quieter, more classical piece but perfectly placed. After the Nanas I took a bit of a detour, as you do, which happened to take me past the Waterloo Column, a tall monument commemorating the Hanoverian soldiers who fought at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. And then, almost by accident, I spotted the Evangelical Reformed Church of Hanover. It wasn’t the building itself that caught my eye first but the greenery climbing up the side of it, one of those moments where something stops you mid-stride and you’re glad it did.

 

 

Elsewhere around the city I came across the Fountain of Leaves, the Le Hallebardier (The Halberdier), and the Karoline Duhnsen known affectionately as the Marktfrau or market woman, each one worth pausing for. This is a small portion of the art found around the city so keep a lookout for more.

More Ways to Experience Hannover

One of the pleasures of following the Red Thread is stumbling into places you might not have sought out deliberately. The Ernst Grote Haus is one of those, it’s near St Giles Church and worth a look up when you pass, the roofline is quite something. Similarly the Church of the Holy Cross, also on the trail near the old town, caught my eye twice, once for the lovely copper top and once for the clock. You know I can’t resist a clock.

 

Explore more of Germany in Karlsruhe

The Markthalle

The Markthalle was a welcome pause mid-exploration, a proper food hall where you can grab a coffee, pick up fresh fruit, or sit and eat something. I did exactly that. After a lot of walking it’s the kind of place that restores you.

And then there’s the River Leine. There’s something about flowing water that just makes you stop — I stood on the bridge and looked back toward the city with the New Town Hall dome rising above the trees in the distance, which is exactly the kind of view that makes you grateful you went somewhere.

I did also manage to fit in an op shop or two, because of course I did. But that deserves its own blog, so stay tuned for that one.

Final Thoughts

Hannover surprised me. I arrived with little preparation and no real expectations, and left having followed a red line through centuries of history, discovered an artist who would stop me in my tracks twice, stood in the ruins of a church that chose to remember rather than rebuild, and looked out over a city that quietly rewards anyone willing to wander.

There’s still plenty I didn’t get to, the Sprengel Museum is firmly on the list for next time, along with a few corners of the city the Red Thread hinted at but that time didn’t allow. That’s not a complaint though. A city that leaves you with reasons to return is doing something right.
If you’re heading to Germany and Hannover isn’t on your list, consider adding it. You might surprise yourself.

 

Hannover Video Highlights