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Hanover (Hannover)
Anzeigerhochhaus. 1920s Expressionism of Fritz Hoger - photo by Ross Clegg.
* Located in Lower Saxony, north central Germany
* Explore nature in the nearby Lüneburger Heide
* Population of 520,000 people
* Site of Expo 2000 & the annual CeBit & Hanover Messe trade fairs
* Region with close historic ties to Britain
* Gateway to the picturesque towns of Celle, Hameln & Hildesheim
* Relaxed, easy-going city with some fine museums
World Cup 2006 Matches in Hanover
Mon 12 June Italy v Ghana
Fri 16 June Mexico v Angola
Tues 20 June Costa Rica v Poland
Fri 23 June Switzerland v South Korea
Tues 27 June Round of 16
Hanover, the present-day capital of Lower Saxony, dates back to the 12th century. The area has close historical links to Britain. In 1714 the son of the Electress of Hannover, Georg Ludwig, ascended to the British throne as George I. Hanover was built up on the back of trade and the brewing industry, both of which are still major secto
The city takes great pride in hosting two important trade fairs: the CeBit - the largest office information and telecommunications trade show held annually in March and the Hannover Messe, an industrial fair held in April. Hanover also hosted Expo 2000 and the exhibition site at Messegelände still has many of the original exhibits in situe, including: Deutsche Post's 46.5m Postbox - the biggest in the world, the Dutch "Eco-Sandwich", a Bhutanese temple and Germany's glass Expo-Plaza.
Hanover's main attraction are the gardens of Herrenhausen (access by U-Bahn #4 or #5) to the west of the city which were laid out from the 17th century onwards. The gardens include a fantastic maze, botannical gardens, modern hot houses and two museums and are a great place to simply relax and wander.
In the reconstructed Altstadt there remains the 14th-century Martkiche church, the Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) and the Ballhof, which now stages plays.
The Kestner Museum houses some impressive Greek, Roman and Egyptian art and the popular Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum has a collection of art from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
Beer lovers will enjoy Hanover's two main brews: Gilde and Herrenhausen.
Within easy reach of the city are the still preserved towns of Celle and Hameln (of Pied Piper fame), untouched by war, they contain many ornate half-timbered houses, cobbled streets and castles. Hildesheim, once acknowledged as the most beautiful of German towns, has been completely rebuilt in the original wooden style after wartime damage - a remarkable achievement.rs in the local economy. The city was heavily bombed in World War II and little of the Altstadt (Old Town) remains intact.
Getting to Hanover
Air
Hanover's glitzy airport is within easy reach of the center by S-Bahn #5 (16 mins) and is served by several European airways including British Airways (BA), Air France and KLM.
Train
The Hauptbahnhof (main station) is the most modern in Germany, centrally located and adjoins the city's bus station. Hanover has direct rail connections to Hamburg (75 mins), Berlin (90 mins), Frankfurt (2 hours 15 mins) and Munich (4 hours 30 mins).
Bus/Road
Hanover connects by autobahn with Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich and on to Amsterdam and Brussels.
City Transport
Hanover has an excellent public transport system of buses and combination streetcar/U-Bahn line. The steetcars (trams) go underground through the city center. Purchase the HannoverCard at the tourist office which offers unlimited public transport and discounts at city museums and other attractions.
A climate-neutral World Cup
Click here for the 2006 Fifa World Cup venues
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