Hannover

Hanover (Hannover), the capital of Lower Saxony, has close links with the Englishspeaking world. In 1714, the eldest son of Electress Sophie of Hannover a granddaughter of James I of England and V1 of Scotland ascended the British throne as King George 1. This Anglo German union lasted through several generations until 1837. Savaged by heavy bombing in 1943, Hanover was rebuilt into a prosperous city known throughout Europe for its trade fairs.

Information

The tourist office (Ir 16 84 97 11, fax 16 84 97 08) is at Emst August Platz 2, next to the main post office arid near the main train station. It's open 9 am to 7 pm weekdays, 9.30 am to 3 pm Saturday. The HannoverCard, which entitles you to unlimited public transportation and discount admission to museums and other attractions, costs DM14 for one day, DM22 for three days and is valid after 9 am each day.

Things to See & Do

One way to pick out most city sights on foot is to follow the numbered attractions with the help of the Red Thread Guide (DM4) from the tourist office. The chief attractions are the glorious parks of Herrenhauser Garten, especially the baroque Grosser Garten and the Berggarten (open till 8 pin on summer evenings; DM5), and their museums (take tram No 4 or 5). The gardens are open from 8 am year round and close at 4.30 pm from November to January; opening hours get longer as the weather warms up, with the gardens closing at 8 pm from May to August. The Furstenhaus (DM6/3.50) shows what treasures remain from the Guelph palaces, and the Wilhelm Busch Museum of caricature and satirical art (both closed Monday; DM4/2) contains the work of Wilhelm Busch and others.

The Sprengel Museum (open till 8 pm on Tuesday, closed Monday; DM8/6) on KurtSchwitters Platz exhibits contemporary works, the highlights being Picasso and Max Beckmann. The Niedersachsisches Landesmuseum (closed Monday; DM3/1.50), Willy Brandt Allee 5, has displays of natural history and European paintings.

At Am Markt in the old town, the l4thcentury Marktkirche, apart from its truncated tower, is characteristic of the northern redbrick Gothic style; the original stained glass windows are particularly beautiful. The Altes Rathaus across the marketplace was built in various sections over a century. Around Burgstrasse some of the half timbered town houses remain, as well as the Ballhof, originally built for badminton type games of the 17th century but today offering theatrical plays.