Marktkirche and old town in Hannover, Germany

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Hanover

Locals love Hanover (spelt 'Hannover' in German) for the low cost of living; good public transport; wealth of museums, theatre, live music and other arts and cultural events; and the city's proximity to green spaces. The spectacularly Baroque Herrenhäuser Gärten, the constructed Lake Maschsee and the Eilenriede, Europe's largest urban forest, are all close at hand. That said, most Germans groan at the first mention of Hanover, whose dialect is regarded as the closest tongue to High German. Perhaps it's a complex socio-linguistic thing – or perhaps they're just jealous of the laid-back lifestyle.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Herrenhäuser Gärten

    Herrenhäuser Gärten

    Hanover

    Proof that Hanover is not all buttoned-down business are the grandiose Baroque Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen, about 5km north of the city centre, which…

  • Neues Rathaus

    Neues Rathaus

    Hanover

    An excellent way to get your bearings in Hanover is to visit the Neues Rathaus (built 1901–13) and ascend 98m in the curved elevator (the only one of its…

  • Sprengel Museum

    Sprengel Museum

    Hanover

    The Sprengel Museum is held in extremely high esteem, both for the design of the building as well as for the art housed inside. Its huge interior spaces…

  • Wasserspiele

    Wasserspiele

    Hanover

    A highlight in summer, the Wasserspiele are water fountains synchronised to do some spectacular spurting.

  • Die Nanas

    Die Nanas

    Hanover

    When these three earth-mama sculptures were first installed beside the Leine River in 1974, Hanover’s city fathers and mothers were inundated with nearly…

  • Grosser Garten

    Grosser Garten

    Hanover

    The jewel in the crown of the Herrenhäuser Gärten is grand both in format and history, having been laid out as a Baroque garden in 1714 under the tutelage…

  • Museum Schloss Herrenhäusen

    Museum Schloss Herrenhäusen

    Hanover

    The Schloss Herrenhäusen, an early-19th-century palace destroyed by bombing in 1943, reopened in 2013 after being spectacularly reconstructed to the…

  • Maschsee

    Maschsee

    Hanover

    This artificial lake, built by the unemployed in one of the earliest Nazi-led public-works projects, is now a favourite spot for boating and swimming. It…

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