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The Masch lake: one of the many oasis in Hanover
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A tendency to play things down
Perhaps, no other German city has to cope with so many prejudices. Hanover is often belittled as a wannabe cosmopolitan city. Has anything truly remarkable ever come from this city? Well, for starters the famous German rock band “Scorpions” hail from the capital of the State of Lower Saxony. And if we’re talking about real mega events here, Hanover played host to the biggest world exhibition, “EXPO 2000” last year. It may be the Hanoverians’ tendency to play things down, to moan that their city is not appreciated for miles around. Hanover has nevertheless a certain appeal to itself and a lot to offer.
A green city
Ask any Hanoverian what is so special about his city, and he’ll just keep saying: “I like the greenery and the water!” And believe it or not, almost half of the city zone is made of parks, forests and stretches of water: It’s Europe’s biggest city forest, what with the Eilenriede, the Masch lake, the St. George’s garden and many other green oases that contribute to Hanover’s high quality of life. The city with the atmosphere of a small town became the capital of the Lower Saxony in 1946. Hanover is thus not only a green metropolis, but the cultural, economic and scientific heart of the northern state.
A city with hidden qualities
Hanover is certainly far from being the perfect example of urban development. Almost 85 per cent of the city center was destroyed during World War II. That explains the wild mixture of architectural styles that you see today, and which at the most can be called “interesting”. In the districts that surround the center, though, you will find whole streets graced by late 19th-century houses or buildings harking from the “Gründerzeit”, a period of industrial expansion in Germany from 1871 onwards. In Hanover, the apartments in old buildings, very much in vogue in Germany, are quite affordable, as opposed to exorbitant rents for the same kind of accommodation in Munich or Cologne.
The world’s trade show place
Hanover is not only one of Germany’s but the world’s most important trade show places. The giant Hanover Trade Fair, that takes place every year in April, is the world’s largest industrial fair. It was set up by the British, at a time when they were the occupying power in Northern Germany. The fair was intended to boost the reconstruction of German industry after the end of World War II. But in today’s information age, Hanover is better known for hosting the annual “Cebit", the world’s largest computer and technology fair. What once used to be a spin-off from the industrial exhibition, has now far outstripped and overshadowed it. More than 600,000 people visiting the “Cebit“ every year in March.
A long tradition in researching and teaching
Hanover’s reputation as a center of research is not a new one, rather it’s a century-old tradition. The famous scholar Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz spent most of his life in the city on the Leine river, before he died here in 1716. The university is named after the philosopher, who, among other things, is the father of integral and differential calculus. The city was also home to other renowned personalities. 19th-century draftsman and poet, Wilhelm Busch was known for his wickedly satirical verses and caricatures. German dadaist Kurt Schwitters gained international fame with his poem "An Anna Blume". And Hannah Arendt, one of Germany’s most renowned 20th-century philosophers, was born in Hanover.
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Camille Jouet-Pastren from France about the small-town flair of the big city Hanover:
'Whenever you go out for a walk you always meet people you know who you can have a chat with.' (German)
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DW-tv's program, "Reiseland Deutschland" takes a trip to the zoo in Hanover: (German)
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| Further Information
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