Hanover or Hannover (German: Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later to described as the Elector of Hanover). At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the Electorate was enlarged to become the capital of the Kingdom of Hanover.
Ads
In addition to being the capital of Lower Saxony, Hanover was the capital of the administrative area Regierungsbezirk Hannover (Hanover region) until Lower Saxony's administrative regions were disbanded at the beginning of 2005. Since 2001 it is part of the Hanover district (Region Hannover), which is a municipal body made up from the former district (Landkreis Hannover) and city of Hanover.
Important places to visit in Hannover:
Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen: One of the biggest and most beautiful Baroque gardens in Germany, complete with mazes and artfully arranged flower beds. In summer, the historic Garden Theatre is well worth a visit.
New Town Hall: Very impressive building with cupola, situated right next to Maschsee Lake. Definitely well worth a visit are the four scale models in the great hall of the building that represent the city before and after World War II.
Maschsee Lake: “Blue eye" of Hanover and very popular among Hanoverians. They love to go for a walk around the lake, which takes about an hour.
Old Town: Medieval atmosphere with lots of small shops and beautiful cafes.
Adventure zoo: Hanover Zoo is one of the most spectacular and best zoos in Europe. Here, visitors may not only watch hippopotamuses under water, but may also travel along Sambezi River on old boats alongside giraffes and zebras.