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Sightseeing Overview
The Red Thread (see Tours of the City), a 4km- (3-mile) red line painted onto the road, is a denotative walking route, and is the most obvious way for new arrivals to sightsee the city. More independent-minded visitors might wish to begin their own explorations from the Hauptbanhof, 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 central square at the heart of the city, linked to Opernplatz and Georgsplatz by Georgstrasse, the city’s main pedestrian thoroughfare.

To the west lies the Old Town, with interesting small shops, pubs and restaurants. The best examples of medieval housing and street layout can be found on Kramerstrasse and Burgstrasse. Buildings made of red bricks, a characteristic style of northern Germany, 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 Rathaus (Town Hall) overlooks the Maschsee lake. The Baroque Herrenhäusen Gardens are a few kilometers to the west, while the Eilenriede (a unique forest within the city) is situated beyond the main station to the east. The huge Messegelände and the Expo 2000 site lie 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 multiple examples of 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 Information
Hannover Tourismus Service
Ernst-August-Platz 8
Tel: (0511) 12345 111.
Website: www.hannover.de

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1800, Sat 0900-1400; Sun 0900-1400 (Apr-Sep).


Passes
The Hannover Card offers visitors discounts for sightseeing attractions (including the Prengel Museum, Zoo and Herrenhäuser Gärten), 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 cards, from the Hannover Tourismus Centrum. 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, Baroque 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 or 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 4543.
Website: www.hannover.de/herrenhausen/index.html
Opening hours: (Grosser Garten and Berggarten) Daily from 0900, closes 1630 (Nov-Jan); 1730 (Feb); 1800 (Mar and Oct); 1900 (Apr and Sep); 2000 (May-Aug). (Georgengarten) Daily 24 hours.
Admission charge; tours available.

Wilhelm-Busch-Museum/German Museum for Caricature & Critical Drawing
Georgengarten
Tel: (0511) 1699 9911.
Website: www.wilhelm-busch-museum.de
Opening hours: Tues-Fri 1100-1700; Sat, Sun and bank holidays 1100-1800 (Closed 24 and 31 Dec).
Admission charge.

Sea Life Grossaquarium
Opening Easter 2007, the Sea Life Aquarium will be Germany’s first sea life aquarium, and its 10th attraction (replacing the Regendwaldhaus, The Rain Forest House, which closed down in July 2006). Located 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. The futuristic building was designed by the English architect who created the Princess of Wales Conservatory in London’s Kew Gardens. This will be a heavenly and tropical underwater world, spanning life from the shores of the Caribbean to the tropical rainforests of the Amazon, with 30 tanks including mussels, crabs, piranhas and sharks. Around 70% of the previously-housed Rain Forest House plants will be integrated here, and decorate the ‘Dom’ of the building (the building itself will remain unchanged). The highlight will be a deep-water tank with an 8m (26ft) long glass tunnel running through it.

Herrenhäuser Strasse 4
Tel: (0511) 126 0420.
Website: www.sealife.de or www.hannover.de./herrenhausen/index.html.
Admission 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
Opening hours: Tues 1000-2000, Wed-Sun 1000-1800.
Admission charge.

Rathaus (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.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1800 (Closed 24-26 and 31 Dec, 1 Jan).
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.de
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1700, Thurs 1000-1900.
Admission 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 minigolf course, a toboggan slope, restaurants, cafés 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, the vast Alaskan wilderness of ‘Yukon Bay’, is underway – a model can be viewed near the Jungle Palace.

Erlebnis Zoo Hannover
Adenauerallee 3
Tel: (0511) 2807 4163.
Website: www.zoo-hannover.de
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800 (Mar-Oct); 1000-1600 (Nov-Feb); until 1400 on 24-25 Dec.
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 boat trips or illuminated evening cruises (including dinner), available from April to October 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
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
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:

Aegidienkirche (St Giles Church)
This Gothic church, with its Baroque tower, suffered heavy bomb damage in 1943 and has remained in its ruined state as a memorial to victims of war the world over. It is a moving and atmospheric spot, with Virginia creeper and ivy running riot over the walls. Under the tower lies a ‘peace’ bell, donated to Hanover by the city of Hiroshima. The buttress of the choir supports the Seven-Man-Stone, commemorating the death of seven men at the hands of the Duke of Brunswick’s troops in 1490. Every week, the church bells chime out the tune of Wind of Change, by Hanoverian rock band The Scorpions, to reflect more recent political upheavals.

Aegidienkirchhof
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Free admission.

Kestner-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.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1100-1800, Wed 1100-2000.
Admission charge.

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