Plan a trip to Hannover

You are In Hannover and you have to meet someone and you ask: “Where shall we meet?” And the reply is: “You have two main options, we can meet under the Clock or under the tail (this expression predates  the cell phone).

The Kröpcke Clock was and is one of the best-known landmarks in Hannover so it is an ideal place to meet, especially because it is downtown. Although today’s clock is a replica it is still impressive. The second meeting spot is where you’ll find the equestrian monument of Ernest-Augustus, King of Hannover riding a horse, in front of the Hanover main train station (Hauptbahnhof) at Ernst-August-Platz. Because of its central location, this place is one of the most popular meeting spots in the city and is particularly suitable for appointments with people coming to the city by train.

Note: The horse's tail points in the direction of the entrance to the station and when planning a meeting the response was “Under the tail” (obviously referring to the horse’s tail)

The 14th century Marktkirche (Market Church of Saints George and James) is a beautiful example of a brick-gothic architectural style, from the impressive saddleback roof to the bell tower, which is about 75 meters high. Near the Marktkirche is the Hanover Historical Museum (Historisches Museum Hannover).  The exhibitions and collections document the history of the city in the last 750 years. 

There are beautiful and unique gardens throughout Hanover. The most famous (possibly throughout Europe as well) are the Herrenhausen Gardens (Herrenhäuser Gärten) which include the Great Garden (Großer Garten), the Welfengarten, the Berggarten, and the Georgengarten. The Herrenhausen Palace (Schloss Herrenhausen) is in the center of the gardens. There is no way to describe the distinguished, unique and elegant gardens, each with its individual personality! Festivals and events are held mostly during the spring and summer months.

There is also the lovely Maschpark Gardens which was created at the beginning of the 20th century and was the first public park in Hannover. It was built on what was once the city wall and this is where they erected the new Town Hall (Neues Rathaus).  There are two museums around the lake as well, the South Saxony Museum Niedersachsisches Landsmuseum and the Sprengel Museum Hannover with about 12,000 works of German Expressionism and French Modernism in its permanent collection. Exhibits by the most famous artists from around the world hang on these walls, including: Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, Fernand Leja, René Magritte and countless more, making it one of the most important and interesting museums in Europe.

And a trip to the Hannover Zoo that has over 3000 animals, is a must. It was established in 1865 and in the last decades has evolved to show animals in their own world with almost invisible bars or fences. There is a path of about 5 km that weaves between the different areas which have been laid out as “themes”.  

Local dishes and local beer make up the cuisine of this area. A favorite classic, local dish is the Pinkel sausage (Grützwurst) which is usually served with kale (Grünkohl) and potatoes. If we may add, not exactly a health food, but definitely a comfort food the smoked sausage includes pork fat, suet, bacon, onions, oat groats and spices. “Bon Appetit” or as we say in German "Guten Appetit”!