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Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the
German state The Federal Republic of Germany is a federation and consists of sixteen partly sovereign ''states''. Of the sixteen states, thirteen are so-called area-states ('Flächenländer'); in these, below the level of the state government, there is a ...
of
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the 13th-largest city in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
as well as the fourth-largest in
northern Germany Northern Germany (, ) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony and the two city-states Hambur ...
after
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
,
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
and
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...
. Hanover's
urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...
comprises the towns of
Garbsen Garbsen () is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Leine, approximately northwest of Hanover. The name Garbsen can be traced back to 1223. Today's 13 city districts have partly developed in ...
,
Langenhagen Langenhagen (; Eastphalian: ''Langenhogen'') is a town in the Hanover district of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. Overview Laatzen Laatzen () is a town in Hanover Region, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated directly south of Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021 ...
and has a population of about 791,000 (2018). The
Hanover Region Hanover Region () is a districts of Germany, district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Heidekreis, Celle (district), Celle, Gifhorn (district), Gifhorn, Peine (district), Peine, Hildeshe ...
has approximately 1.16 million inhabitants (2019) and is the largest in the Hanover–Braunschweig–Göttingen–Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region, the 17th biggest metropolitan area by GDP in the European Union. Before it became the capital of Lower Saxony in 1946, Hanover was the capital of the
Principality of Calenberg The Principality of Calenberg was a dynastic division of the House of Welf, Welf Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg established in 1432. Calenberg was ruled by the House of Hanover (from the Principality of Lüneburg) from 1635 onwards; the princes re ...
(1636–1692), the
Electorate of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover ( or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an Prince-elector, electorate of the Holy Roman Empire located in northwestern Germany that arose from the Principality of Calenberg. Although formally known as the Electorate of Brun ...
(1692–1814), the
Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover () was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Hanover, and j ...
(1814–1866), the
Province of Hanover The Province of Hanover () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1866 to 1946. During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, alo ...
of the
Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...
(1868–1918), the
Province of Hanover The Province of Hanover () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1866 to 1946. During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, alo ...
of the
Free State of Prussia The Free State of Prussia (, ) was one of the States of the Weimar Republic, constituent states of Weimar Republic, Germany from 1918 to 1947. The successor to the Kingdom of Prussia after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, it cont ...
(1918–1947) and of the
State of Hanover The State of Hanover () was a short-lived state within the British Zone of Allied-occupied Germany. It existed for 92 days in the course of the dissolution of the Free State of Prussia after World War II until the foundation of Lower Saxony in ...
(1946). From 1714 to 1837 Hanover was by
personal union A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...
the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, under their title of the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later described as the
Elector of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover ( or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire located in northwestern Germany that arose from the Principality of Calenberg. Although formally known as the Electorate of Brunswick-Lünebur ...
). The city lies at the
confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of the
River Leine The Leine (; Old Saxon ''Lagina'') is a river in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller and the Weser and is long. The river's source is located close to the town of Leinefelde in Thuringia. About downriver ...
and its
tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
the
Ihme The Ihme (Wennigser Mühlbach in its upper course) is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Leine. The Ihme is long. Its source is in the village a district of Wennigsen. After about , the Ihme reaches the city of ...
, in the south of the
North German Plain The North German Plain or Northern Lowland () is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain. The region is bounded by the coasts of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the north, Germany's ...
. The city is a major crossing point of railway lines and motorways (
Autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...
en), connecting European main lines in both the east–west (
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
–
Ruhr area The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
/
Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...
/
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
) and north–south (Hamburg–
Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
/
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
/
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
) directions.
Hanover Airport Hannover Airport is the international airport of Hanover, capital of the Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. The List of airports in Germany, ninth largest airport in Germany, it is situated on in Langenhagen, north of the centre of Han ...
lies north of the city, in
Langenhagen Langenhagen (; Eastphalian: ''Langenhogen'') is a town in the Hanover district of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. Overview Hanover Medical School (), one of Germany's leading
medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...
s, with its university hospital , and the
Leibniz University Hanover Leibniz University Hannover (), also known as the University of Hannover, is a public research university located in Hanover, Germany. Founded on 2 May 1831 as Higher Vocational School, the university has undergone six periods of renaming, its ...
. The city is also home to International Neuroscience Institute. The
Hanover Fairground The Hanover Fairground ( German: ''Messegelände Hannover'') is an exhibition area in the ''Mittelfeld'' district of Hanover, Germany. Featuring 392,453 m² (4.2 million sq.ft.) of covered indoor space, 58,000 m² (624,306 sq ft) of open-air sp ...
, owing to numerous extensions, especially for the
Expo 2000 Expo 2000 was a World Expo held in Hanover, Germany from 1 June to 31 October 2000. It was located on the Hanover Fairground (Messegelände Hannover), which is the largest exhibition ground in the world. Initially, some 40 million people were ...
, is the largest in the world. Hanover hosts annual commercial
trade fairs A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and ...
such as the
Hanover Fair The Hannover Messe (HM; "Hanover Fair") is one of the world's largest trade fairs, dedicated to the topic of industry development. It is organized by Deutsche Messe AG and held on the Hanover Fairground in Hanover, Germany. The fair attracts ...
and up to 2018 the
CeBIT CeBIT was a computer expo which, at its peak, was the largest and most internationally representative. The trade fair was held each year on the Hanover fairground, the world's largest fairground, in Hanover, Germany. In its day, it was c ...
. It also hosts the biannual IAA Commercial Vehicles show, the world's leading trade show for transport, logistics and mobility. Every year Hanover hosts the Schützenfest Hanover, the world's largest marksmen's festival, and the Oktoberfest Hanover.


Etymology

The name of the city may derive from the German , literally 'on the high (river) bank'. Traditionally, the English spelling is . However, , the German spelling with a double-, has become more popular in English. Recent editions of
Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...
prefer the German spelling, and the local government uses the German spelling on their English webpages. The English pronunciation, with stress on the first syllable, is applied to both the German and English spellings, which is different from German pronunciation, with stress on the second syllable and a long second vowel. The traditional English spelling is still used in historical contexts, especially when referring to the British
House of Hanover The House of Hanover ( ) is a European royal house with roots tracing back to the 17th century. Its members, known as Hanoverians, ruled Hanover, Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Empire at various times during the 17th to 20th centurie ...
.


History


Early history

Hanover was founded in medieval times on the east bank of the
Leine The Leine (; Old Saxon ''Lagina'') is a river in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller and the Weser and is long. The river's source is located close to the town of Leinefelde in Thuringia. About downriver ...
River. Its original name ''Honovere'' may mean 'high river bank', but that is debated. Hanover was a small village of ferrymen and fishermen that became a comparatively large town in the 13th century and received
town privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...
in 1241 because of its position at a natural crossroads. As overland travel was relatively difficult, its position on the upper navigable reaches of the river helped it grow from increasing trade. It was connected to the
Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...
city of
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...
by the Leine River and was situated near the southern edge of the wide
North German Plain The North German Plain or Northern Lowland () is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain. The region is bounded by the coasts of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the north, Germany's ...
and northwest of the
Harz The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' der ...
mountains, so east–west traffic such as mule trains passed through it. Hanover was thus a gateway to the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
,
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
and
Saar Saar or SAAR has several meanings: People Given name * Sarr Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player * Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist * Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor Surname * Ain Saar (born 1968), E ...
river valleys, and their industrial areas which grew up to the southwest and the plains regions to the east and north for overland traffic skirting the Harz between the
Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...
and
Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
or
Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...
. In the 14th century, the main churches of Hanover were built, as well as a
city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...
with three city gates. The beginning of industrialization in Germany led to trade in iron and silver from the northern
Harz Mountains The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a Mittelgebirge, highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The nam ...
, which increased the city's importance. In 1636
George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (17 February 1582, in Celle (German Georg)– 12 April 1641, in Hildesheim), ruled as Prince of Calenberg from 1635. He was a member of the House of Welf, a prominent German noble family. George was part of a ...
, ruler of the Brunswick-Lüneburg
principality of Calenberg The Principality of Calenberg was a dynastic division of the House of Welf, Welf Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg established in 1432. Calenberg was ruled by the House of Hanover (from the Principality of Lüneburg) from 1635 onwards; the princes re ...
, moved his residence to Hanover. The Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg were elevated by the
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
to the rank of
Prince-Elector The prince-electors ( pl. , , ) were the members of the Electoral College of the Holy Roman Empire, which elected the Holy Roman Emperor. Usually, half of the electors were archbishops. From the 13th century onwards, a small group of prince- ...
in 1692, which was confirmed by the Imperial Diet in 1708. Thus, the principality was upgraded to the
Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg The Electorate of Hanover ( or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire located in northwestern Germany that arose from the Principality of Calenberg. Although formally known as the Electorate of Brunswick-Lünebur ...
, colloquially known as the
Electorate of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover ( or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an Prince-elector, electorate of the Holy Roman Empire located in northwestern Germany that arose from the Principality of Calenberg. Although formally known as the Electorate of Brun ...
after Calenberg's capital (see also
House of Hanover The House of Hanover ( ) is a European royal house with roots tracing back to the 17th century. Its members, known as Hanoverians, ruled Hanover, Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Empire at various times during the 17th to 20th centurie ...
). Its electors later became monarchs of
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
(and from 1801 of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into one sovereign state, established by the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801. It continued in this form until ...
). The first of them was George I Louis, who acceded to the British throne in 1714. The last British monarch who reigned in Hanover was
William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...
. Semi-Salic law, which required succession by the male line if possible, forbade the accession of
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
in Hanover. As a male-line descendant of George I, Queen Victoria was herself a member of the House of Hanover. Her descendants, however, bore her husband's titular name of
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ( ), was an Ernestine duchy in Thuringia ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present-day states of Thuringia and Bavaria in Germany. It lasted from 1826 to ...
. Three kings of Great Britain, or the United Kingdom, were concurrently also Electoral Princes of Hanover. During the time of the personal union of the crowns of the United Kingdom and Hanover (1714–1837), the monarchs rarely visited the city. In fact during the reigns of the last three joint rulers (1760–1837), there was only one short visit, by
George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...
in 1821. From 1816 to 1837,
Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...
Adolphus Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo, and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name with German origins. The name is a compound derived from the Old High German ''Athalwolf'' (or ''Hadulf''), a composition of ''athal'', or ''adal'', mean ...
represented the monarch in Hanover. During the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
, the
Battle of Hastenbeck The Battle of Hastenbeck (26 July 1757) was fought as part of the Invasion of Hanover during the Seven Years' War between the allied forces of Hanover, Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) and Brunswick, and the French. The allies were defeated by ...
was fought near the city on 26 July 1757. The French army defeated the Hanoverian Army of Observation, which led to the city's occupation as part of the Invasion of Hanover. It was recaptured by Anglo-German forces, led by
Ferdinand of Brunswick Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...
, the following year.


19th century

After
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
imposed the
Convention of Artlenburg The Convention of Artlenburg or Elbkonvention was the surrender of the Electorate of Hanover to Napoleon's army, signed at Artlenburg on 5 July 1803 by ''Oberbefehlshaber'' Johann Ludwig von Wallmoden-Gimborn. It disbanded the Electorate of Hano ...
(treaty of the Elbe) on 5 July 1803, about 35,000 French soldiers occupied Hanover. The convention also required disbanding the
Hanoverian Army The Hanoverian Army (German: ''Hannoversche Armee'') was the standing army of the Electorate of Hanover from the seventeenth century onwards. From 1692 to 1803 it acted in defence of the electorate. Following the Hanoverian Succession of 1714, thi ...
. However,
George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
did not recognise the Convention of the Elbe, which resulted in a great number of soldiers from Hanover eventually emigrating to Great Britain, where the
King's German Legion The King's German Legion (KGL; ) was a formation of the British Army during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Consisting primarily of expatriate Germans, it existed from 1803 to 1816 and achieved the distinction of being the on ...
was formed. It was only troops from Hanover and Brunswick who consistently opposed France throughout the Napoleonic Wars. The Legion later played an important role in the
Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...
and the
Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...
in 1815. In 1814 the electorate became the
Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover () was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Hanover, and j ...
. In 1837, the
personal union A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...
of the United Kingdom and Hanover ended because
William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...
's heir in the United Kingdom was female (
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
). Hanover could be inherited only by male heirs. Thus, Hanover passed to William IV's brother, Ernest Augustus, and remained a kingdom until 1866, when it was annexed by the
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
during the
Austro-Prussian war The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...
. Though Hanover was expected to defeat Prussia at the Battle of Langensalza in 1866, Prussia employed Moltke the Elder's Kesselschlacht order of battle to destroy the Hanoverian Army. Thereafter the city of Hanover became the capital of the Prussian
Province of Hanover The Province of Hanover () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1866 to 1946. During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, alo ...
. In 1872, the first horse railway was inaugurated, and in 1893, an electric
tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
was installed. A local newspaper, the ''Hannoverscher Kurier'', was published in Hanover at this time.


Nazi era

After 1937 the
lord mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...
and the state commissioners of Hanover were members of the
NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...
(Nazi party). A large
Jewish population the world's core Jewish population (those identifying as Jews above all else) was estimated at 15.8 million, which is approximately 0.2% of the 8 billion worldwide population. Israel hosts the largest core Jewish population in the world with ...
then existed in Hanover. In October 1938, 484 Hanoverian Jews of Polish origin were expelled to Poland, including the Grynszpan family. However, Poland refused to accept them, leaving them stranded at the border with thousands of other Polish-Jewish deportees, fed only intermittently by the Polish
Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
and Jewish welfare organisations. The Grynszpans' son
Herschel Grynszpan Herschel Feibel Grynszpan (Yiddish: הערשל פײַבל גרינשפּאן; German language, German: ''Hermann Grünspan''; 28 March 1921 – last rumoured to be alive in 1945, declared dead in 1960) was a History of Jews in Poland, Polish-Jew ...
was in Paris at the time. When he learned of what was happening, he drove to the German embassy in Paris and shot the German diplomat Eduard
Ernst vom Rath Ernst Eduard vom Rath (3 June 1909 – 9 November 1938) was a member of the German nobility, a Nazi Party member, and German Foreign Office diplomat. He is mainly remembered for his assassination in Paris in 1938 by a Polish Jewish teenager, ...
, who died shortly afterwards. The Nazis took this act as a pretext to stage a nationwide pogrom known as
Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...
(9 November 1938). On that day, the
synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
of Hanover, designed in 1870 by Edwin Oppler in
neo-romantic The term neo-romanticism is used to cover a variety of movements in philosophy, literature, music, painting, and architecture, as well as social movements, that exist after and incorporate elements from the era of Romanticism. It has been used ...
style, was burnt by the Nazis.


World War II

In September 1941, through the "Action Lauterbacher" plan, a
ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...
isation of the remaining Hanoverian Jewish families began. Even before the Wannsee Conference, on 15 December 1941, the first Jews from Hanover were deported to
Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
. A total of 2,400 people were deported, and very few survived. During the war seven
concentration camps A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploit ...
were constructed in Hanover, in which many Jews were confined, but also
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
,
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
and
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
women. Of the approximately 4,800 Jews who had lived in Hanover in 1938, fewer than 100 were still in the city when troops of the United States Army arrived on 10 April 1945 to occupy Hanover at the end of the war. Today, a memorial at the Opera Square is a reminder of the persecution of the Jews in Hanover. After the war a large group of
Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tra ...
survivors of the nearby
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp Bergen-Belsen (), or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in Northern Germany, northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen, Lower Saxony, Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, ...
settled in Hanover. There was also a camp for
Sinti The Sinti (masc. sing. ''Sinto''; fem. sing. ''Sintetsa, Sinta'') are a subgroup of the Romani people. They are found mostly in Germany, France, Italy and Central Europe, numbering some 200,000 people. They were traditionally Itinerant groups i ...
and
Romani people {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...
(see ''
Romani Holocaust The Romani Holocaust was the genocide of European Roma and Sinti people during World War II. Beginning in 1933, Nazi Germany systematically persecuted the European Roma, Sinti and other peoples pejoratively labeled 'Gypsy' through forcible ...
''), and dozens of
forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...
subcamps of the
Stalag XI-B Stalag XI-B and Stalag XI-D / 357 were two German World War II prisoner-of-war camps ('' Stammlager'') located just to the east of the town of Fallingbostel in Lower Saxony, in north-western Germany. The camps housed Polish, French, Belgian, So ...
prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...
for Allied POWs. As an important railway and
road junction A junction is where two or more roads meet. History Roads are a means of transport, historically linking locations such as towns, forts and geographic features such as river fords. Where roads met outside of an existing settlement, these junct ...
and production centre, Hanover was a major target for
strategic bombing during World War II World War II (1939–1945) involved sustained strategic bombing of railways, harbours, cities, workers' and civilian housing, and industrial districts in enemy territory. Strategic bombing as a military strategy is distinct both from close ...
, including the Oil Campaign. Targets included the AFA (
Stöcken Stocken, or Stöcken, may refer to: * HM Prison Stocken, a prison in the county of Rutland, England * Stöcken, Schwyz, a village in the municipality of Unteriberg, Schwyz, Switzerland * Stocken, Sweden, a community on the island of Orust, Swede ...
), the Deurag-Nerag refinery ( Misburg), the
Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...
plants ( Vahrenwald and Limmer), the United light metal works (VLW) in
Ricklingen Ricklingen () is a borough and a quarter of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, and in Germany. The borough Ricklingen consists of the quarters Bornum, Mühlenberg, Oberricklingen, Ricklingen and Wettbergen. It is the home of Rugby football Rugby foot ...
and
Laatzen Laatzen () is a town in Hanover Region, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated directly south of Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021 ...
(today
Hanover fairground The Hanover Fairground ( German: ''Messegelände Hannover'') is an exhibition area in the ''Mittelfeld'' district of Hanover, Germany. Featuring 392,453 m² (4.2 million sq.ft.) of covered indoor space, 58,000 m² (624,306 sq ft) of open-air sp ...
), the Hanover/Limmer rubber reclamation plant, the
Hanomag Hanomag (Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG, ) was a German producer of steam locomotives, tractors, trucks and military vehicles in Hanover. Hanomag first achieved international fame by delivering numerous steam locomotives to Finland, Romania and ...
factory ( Linden) and the tank factory ''M.N.H. Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen'' (Badenstedt). Residential areas were also targeted, and more than 6,000 civilians were killed by the Allied bombing raids. More than 90% of the city centre was destroyed in a total of 88 bombing raids. After the war, the Aegidienkirche was not rebuilt and its ruins were left as a war memorial. Today around 25% of the city consists of buildings from before 1950. The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Hanover in April 1945. The US 84th Infantry Division captured the city on 10 April 1945.


Post-war

Hanover was in the British zone of occupation of Germany and became part of the new state (Land) of
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
in 1946. In 1947, Hanover established its relationship with
Bristol, England Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
in exchanges of goods, students and music. This would link the two cities as models for establishing programs and organizations like
Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) with the goal of facilitating partnerships between communities within the United States and other countries by establishing sister cities. Sister cities are agreements of ...
. Today Hanover is a vice-president city of
Mayors for Peace , Secretary General of Mayors for Peace Secretariat, Hiroshima (left) and Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (2017) Mayors for Peace ''(founded as The World Conference of Mayors for Peace t ...
, an international mayoral organisation mobilising cities and citizens worldwide to abolish and eliminate nuclear weapons by 2020.


Geography


Climate

Hanover has an
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Cfb'') independent of the isotherm. Although the city is not on a coastal location, the predominant
air mass In meteorology, an air mass is a volume of air defined by its temperature and humidity. Air masses cover many hundreds or thousands of square miles, and adapt to the characteristics of the surface below them. They are classified according to ...
es are still from the ocean, unlike other places further east or south-central Germany. The Hanover weather station has recorded the following extreme values: * Its highest temperature was on 20 July 2022. * Its lowest temperature was on 22 January 1940. * Its greatest annual precipitation was in 1981. * Its least annual precipitation was in 1959. * The longest annual sunshine was 1,971.6 hours in 1959. * The shortest annual sunshine was 1,274.3 hours in 1998.


Subdivisions

The city of Hanover is divided into 13 boroughs (''
Stadtbezirk A (; also called ''Ortsbezirk'' in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate) is an administrative division in Germany, which is part of a larger city. It is translated as "borough". In Germany, usually only exist in a metropolis with more than 150,000 in ...
e'') and 53 quarters (''
Stadtteil A quarter is a part of an urban area, urban settlement. A quarter can be administratively defined and its borders officially designated, and it may have its own administrative structure (subordinate to that of the city, town or other urban area ...
e'').


Boroughs

#
Mitte Mitte () is the first and most central borough of Berlin. The borough consists of six sub-entities: Mitte proper, Gesundbrunnen, Hansaviertel, Moabit, Tiergarten and Wedding. It is one of the two boroughs (the other being Friedrichshain-Kreuz ...
#
Vahrenwald-List Vahrenwald-List (; Eastphalian: ''Fahrnwoole-List'') is the second district of Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the L ...
# Bothfeld-Vahrenheide #
Buchholz-Kleefeld Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
# Misburg-Anderten #
Kirchrode-Bemerode-Wülferode Kirchrode-Bemerode-Wülferode (; Eastphalian: ''Kerkreoe-Beimeroe-Wülferoe'') is the sixth borough of Hanover. , it has 32,625 inhabitants and consists of the quarters Kirchrode (12,222 inhabitants), Bemerode (19,453 inhabitants) and Wülferode ( ...
# Südstadt-Bult # Döhren-Wülfel #
Ricklingen Ricklingen () is a borough and a quarter of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, and in Germany. The borough Ricklingen consists of the quarters Bornum, Mühlenberg, Oberricklingen, Ricklingen and Wettbergen. It is the home of Rugby football Rugby foot ...
#
Linden-Limmer Linden-Limmer () is the tenth borough (''Stadtbezirk'') of Hanover, the state capital of Lower Saxony. It became part of the city in 1920.Klaus Mlynek et al., eds. (2009), ''Stadtlexikon Hannover'' Linden-Limmer is where Hannah Arendt was born. It ...
# Ahlem-Badenstedt-Davenstedt # Herrenhausen-Stöcken #
Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televisi ...


Quarters

A selection of the 53 quarters: * Nordstadt * Südstadt *
Oststadt Oststadt may refer to: * Oststadt (Karlsruhe), a borough of Karlsruhe * , a borough of Hannover {{disambiguation ...
*
Zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...
(for the zoo itself, see
Hanover Zoo Hanover Zoo is located in the Mitte borough of Hanover, Germany. The zoo was established on 4 May 1865, and comprises an area of . It contains about 3,414 animals in 237 species, which are cared for by more than 400 employees in the summer seaso ...
) * Herrenhausen * Waldheim


Politics


Mayor

The current mayor of Hanover is
Belit Onay Belit Nejat Onay (born 15 January 1981) is a German politician of Turkish origin for the Alliance 90/The Greens. He was elected Mayor of Hanover in 2019, and took office on 22 November. Role in national politics Onay was born in Goslar. In the ...
of
Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...
, elected in 2019. The most recent mayoral election was held on 17 October 2019, with a runoff held on 10 November, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,
Belit Onay Belit Nejat Onay (born 15 January 1981) is a German politician of Turkish origin for the Alliance 90/The Greens. He was elected Mayor of Hanover in 2019, and took office on 22 November. Role in national politics Onay was born in Goslar. In the ...
, align=left,
Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...
, 60,096 , 32.2 , 92,146 , 52.9 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Eckhard Scholz , align=left,
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
( CDU) , 60,046 , 32.2 , 82,116 , 47.1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Marc Hansmann , align=left,
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...
, 43,727 , 23.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Joachim Wundrak , align=left,
Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...
, 8,645 , 4.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Jessica Kaußen , align=left, The Left , 3,628 , 1.9 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Iyabo Kaczmarek , align=left,
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
, 3,593 , 1.9 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Catharina Gutwerk , align=left,
Die PARTEI (''Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative''), or Die PARTEI (''The PARTY''), is a German political party. It was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazine ...
, 2,886 , 1.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Bruno Adam Wolf , align=left,
Pirate Party Pirate Party is a label adopted by various Political party, political parties worldwide that share a set of values and policies focused on Civil and political rights, civil rights in the digital age. The fundamental principles of Pirate Partie ...
, 2,382 , 1.3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Ruth Esther Gilmore , align=left,
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
, 841 , 0.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Julian Klippert , align=left,
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
, 536 , 0.3 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 186,380 ! 99.7 ! 174,262 ! 99.6 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 647 ! 0.3 ! 769 ! 0.4 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 187,027 ! 100.0 ! 175,031 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 401,847 ! 46.5 ! 402,129 ! 43.5 , - , colspan=7, Source: City of Hanover
1st round

2nd round
)


City council

The Hanover city council governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 12 September 2021, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,
Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...
(Grüne) , 165,105 , 27.8 , 11.5 , 18 , 8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...
(SPD) , 164,431 , 27.7 , 3.7 , 18 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 123,181 , 20.7 , 3.7 , 13 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 35,917 , 6.0 , 0.9 , 4 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 33,019 , 5.6 , 1.4 , 4 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,
Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...
(AfD) , 25,302 , 4.3 , 4.3 , 3 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,
Die PARTEI (''Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative''), or Die PARTEI (''The PARTY''), is a German political party. It was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazine ...
(PARTEI) , 13,853 , 2.3 , 0.6 , 1 , ±0 , - , , align=left, The Hanoverians (HAN) , 7,044 , 1.2 , 1.6 , 1 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,
Pirate Party Pirate Party is a label adopted by various Political party, political parties worldwide that share a set of values and policies focused on Civil and political rights, civil rights in the digital age. The fundamental principles of Pirate Partie ...
(Piraten) , 7,089 , 1.2 , 0.9 , 1 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,
Volt Germany Volt Germany (, mostly known by the abbreviated name Volt) is a social-liberal pro-European, eurofederalist political party in Germany. It is the German branch of Volt Europa, a political movement that operates on a European level. Italian A ...
(Volt) , 10,135 , 1.7 , New , 1 , New , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , , align=left, Climate Alliance Hanover , 4,022 , 0.7 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,
Free Voters Free Voters (, FW) is a political party in Germany. It originates as an umbrella organisation of several Free Voters Associations (), associations of people which participate in an election without having the status of a registered party. These a ...
(FW) , 3,126 , 0.5 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Grassroots Democratic Party (dieBasis) , 1,981 , 0.3 , New , 0 , New , - , , align=left, Active for a Social Hanover (ASH) , 260 , 0.0 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 594,465 ! 100.0 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 201,998 ! 98.8 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 2,373 ! 1.2 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 204,371 ! 100.0 ! ! 64 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 398,328 ! 51.3 ! 0.2 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Hanover


Main sights

There are around 5,500 buildings of major historic value within city limits. One of Hanover's most grandiose sights is the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen. Its Great Garden is an important European
Baroque garden The Baroque garden was a style of garden based upon symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. The style originated in the late-16th century in Italy, in the gardens of the Vatican and the Villa Borghese gardens in Rome and in the ...
. The palace itself was largely destroyed by Allied bombing, but was reconstructed and reopened in 2013. Among its points of interest is the Grotto, with the interior designed by French artist
Niki de Saint Phalle Niki de Saint Phalle (; born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle; 29 October 193021 May 2002) was a French sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author of colorful hand-illustrated books. Widely noted as one of the few female monumental sculp ...
. The Great Garden consists of several parts and features Europe's tallest garden fountain. The historic ''Garden Theatre'' has hosted the musicals of the German rock musician Heinz Rudolf Kunze. Also at Herrenhausen, the '' Berggarten'' is a botanical garden with the most varied collection of orchids in Europe. Some points of interest are the ''Tropical House'', the ''Cactus House'', the ''Canary House'' and the ''Orchid House'', and free-flying birds and butterflies. Near the entrance to the Berggarten is the historic ''Library Pavillon''. The ''Mausoleum'' of the Guelphs is also in the Berggarten. Like the Great Garden, the Berggarten also consists of several parts, for example the ''Paradies'' and the ''Prairie Garden''. The ''
Georgengarten The Georgengarten () is a landscape garden in the northwestern borough of Herrenhausen of the German city Hanover. It is a part of Herrenhausen Gardens. History Around 1700, country estates for several noblemen were established in the forme ...
'' is an English landscape garden. The ''Leibniz Temple'' and the ''Georgen Palace'' are two points of interest there.The landmark of Hanover is the New Town Hall (). Inside the building are four scale models of the city. An elevator ascends to the observation deck at the top of the large dome along a variable angle of up to 17 degrees, thought to be unique in the world. The ''
Hanover Zoo Hanover Zoo is located in the Mitte borough of Hanover, Germany. The zoo was established on 4 May 1865, and comprises an area of . It contains about 3,414 animals in 237 species, which are cared for by more than 400 employees in the summer seaso ...
'' received the Park Scout Award for the fourth year running in 2009–10, placing it among the best zoos in Germany. The zoo consists of several theme areas: Sambesi, Meyers Farm, Gorilla-Mountain, Jungle-Palace, and Mullewapp. Some smaller areas are Australia, the wooded area for wolves, and the so-called swimming area with many seabirds. There is also a tropical house, a jungle house, and a show arena. The new Canadian-themed area, Yukon Bay, opened in 2010. In 2010 the Hanover Zoo had over 1.6 million visitors. There is also the ''
Sea Life Centre Sea Life is a chain of commercial sea life-themed aquarium attractions. there are 53 Sea Life attractions (including standalone Sea Life centres, mini Sea Life features within resort theme parks, and Legoland submarine rides) around the wo ...
Hanover'', which is the first tropical aquarium in Germany. Another point of interest is the ''Old Town''. In the centre are the large '' Marktkirche'' (Church , preaching venue of the bishop of the Lutheran Landeskirche Hanovers), and the 15th century '' Old Town Hall'', heavily damaged by Allied bombing in 1943, and reconstructed after World War II. Nearby are the ''Leibniz House'', the ''Nolte House'', and the ''Beguine Tower''. The ''Kreuz-Church-Quarter'' around the ''Kreuz Church'' contains many little lanes. Nearby is the old royal sports hall, now called the ''Ballhof'' theatre. On the edge of the Old Town are the ''Market Hall'', the ''
Leine Palace The Leine Palace (), situated on the Leine in Hanover, Germany, is a former residence of the Hanoverian dukes, electors and kings. It is now the seat of the parliament () of Lower Saxony. The first building on the site was a Franciscan friar ...
'', and the ruin of the ''Aegidien Church'' which is now a monument to the victims of war and violence. Through the ''Marstall Gate'' the bank of the river ''Leine'' can be reached; the ''Nanas'' of
Niki de Saint Phalle Niki de Saint Phalle (; born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle; 29 October 193021 May 2002) was a French sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author of colorful hand-illustrated books. Widely noted as one of the few female monumental sculp ...
are there. They are part of the ''Sculpture Mile'', which starts at ''Trammplatz'', runs along the river bank, crosses ''Königsworther Square'', and ends at the entrance of the ''Georgengarten''. Near the Old Town is the district of Calenberger Neustadt where the Catholic St. Clement's Basilica, the ''Reformed Church'' and the Lutheran Neustädter Hof- und Stadtkirche St. Johannis stand. Some other popular sights are the ''
Waterloo Column The Waterloo Column () is a victory column commemorating the Battle of Waterloo. It is situated in Hanover, the capital of the German state of Lower Saxony. Built from 1825 to 1832, it was designed by Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves who had been th ...
'', the ''
Laves Laves may refer to: * Fritz Laves (1906-1978), a German mineralogist and crystallographer, best known for his description of the intermetallic Laves phases. * Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves (December 15, 1788 – April 30, 1864) a leading neoclassi ...
House'', the ''
Wangenheim Palace Wangenheim Palace () is a building in the Mitte district of Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. From 1863 to 1913, it was the town hall and seat of the city's administration. Today it is the seat of the Lower Saxon Ministry of Econom ...
'', the ''Lower Saxony State Archives'', the ''Hanover Playhouse'', the ''Kröpcke Clock'', the ''Anzeiger Tower Block'', the ''Administration Building of the NORD/LB'', the '' Cupola Hall'' of the Congress Centre, the ''Lower Saxony Stock'', the ''Ministry of Finance'', the ''Garten Church'', the ''Luther Church'', the '' Gehry Tower'' (designed by the American architect Frank O. Gehry), the specially designed ''Bus Stops'', the ''Opera House'', the '' Hanover Central Station'', the ''
Maschsee The Masch Lake () is an artificial lake situated south of the city centre of Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. Covering an area of , it is the largest body of water within Hanover and a popular recreation area as well as venue for ...
'' lake and the city forest ''
Eilenriede The (literally 'alder marsh' in German, meaning 'marsh populated with alder trees') is a municipal forest in Hanover, Germany. It is the largest urban city forest in Germany, one of the largest in Europe, and is nearly twice the size of Centr ...
'', which is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. For recreation, Hanover has 40 parks, forests and gardens, a couple of lakes, two rivers and a canal. The historic ''Leibniz Letters'', which can be viewed in the ''
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (or Leibnitz; – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat who is credited, alongside Sir Isaac Newton, with the creation of calculus in addition to ...
Library'', have been on
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
's
Memory of the World Register UNESCO's Memory of the World (MoW) Programme is an international initiative to safeguard the documentary heritage of humanity against collective amnesia, neglect, decay over time and climatic conditions, as well as deliberate destruction. It ca ...
since 2007. Outside the city centre is the ''
Hanover Fairground The Hanover Fairground ( German: ''Messegelände Hannover'') is an exhibition area in the ''Mittelfeld'' district of Hanover, Germany. Featuring 392,453 m² (4.2 million sq.ft.) of covered indoor space, 58,000 m² (624,306 sq ft) of open-air sp ...
'', which was the site of
EXPO 2000 Expo 2000 was a World Expo held in Hanover, Germany from 1 June to 31 October 2000. It was located on the Hanover Fairground (Messegelände Hannover), which is the largest exhibition ground in the world. Initially, some 40 million people were ...
fair. Some points of interest are the ''Planet M.'', the former ''German Pavillon'', some nations' vacant pavilions, the ''Expowale'', the ''EXPO-Plaza'' and the ''EXPO-Gardens'' (Parc Agricole, EXPO-Park South and the Gardens of change). The fairground can be reached by the ''Exponale'', one of the largest pedestrian bridges in Europe. The ''Hanover Fairground'' is the largest exhibition centre in the world. It provides of covered indoor space, of open-air space, 27 halls and pavilions. Many of the Exhibition Centre's halls are architectural highlights. Furthermore, it offers the Convention Center with its 35 function rooms, glassed-in areas between halls, grassy park-like recreation zones and its own heliport. Two important sights on the fairground are the ''Hermes Tower'' ( high) and the ''EXPO Roof'', the largest wooden roof in the world. In the district of Anderten is the ''European Cheese Centre'', termed a "Cheese Experience Centre." Another tourist sight in Anderten is the ''Hindenburg Lock'', which was the biggest lock in Europe when it was constructed in 1928. The ''Tiergarten'' in the district of Kirchrode is a forest originally used for deer and other game for the king's table. The '' Telemax'' communications tower, the tallest building in Lower Saxony and the highest television tower in northern Germany, lies in the district of Groß-Buchholz. Some other notable towers are the ''VW-Tower'' in the city centre and the old towers of the former middle-age defence belt: ''Döhrener Tower'', ''Lister Tower'' and the ''Horse Tower''. The 36 most significant sights of the city centre are connected by a walking trail called the ''Red Thread'' that is literally painted onto the pavement with red paint. It starts at the Tourist Information Office and ends on the Ernst-August-Square, both in front of the central train station. There is also a guided sightseeing bus tour through the city.


Population

Hanover has a population of about 540,000. It is the
largest city The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metrop ...
in
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
and is the 13th largest city in Germany. The
Hanover Region Hanover Region () is a districts of Germany, district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Heidekreis, Celle (district), Celle, Gifhorn (district), Gifhorn, Peine (district), Peine, Hildeshe ...
, a district that surrounds the city of Hanover and cities like
Langenhagen Langenhagen (; Eastphalian: ''Langenhogen'') is a town in the Hanover district of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. Overview Garbsen Garbsen () is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Leine, approximately northwest of Hanover. The name Garbsen can be traced back to 1223. Today's 13 city districts have partly developed in ...
and
Laatzen Laatzen () is a town in Hanover Region, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated directly south of Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021 ...
has a population of about 1,160,000 and is the largest District (Landkreis) in Germany. Hanover metropolitan region, which includes also cities like
Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...
,
Hildesheim Hildesheim (; or ; ) is a city in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim (district), Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of t ...
and
Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...
, has a population of about 3,850,000 and is the 8th largest
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
in Germany. Hanover passed a population of 100,000 in 1875, and Hanover's population has grown since 1946, when Hanover became the capital of
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
state and it grew rapidly in 1950s and 60s due to West German
Wirtschaftswunder The ''Wirtschaftswunder'' (, "economic miracle"), also known as the Miracle on the Rhine, was the rapid reconstruction and development of the Economy, economies of West Germany and Austria after World War II. The expression was first used to re ...
. This also saw the growth of a large migrant population, drawn largely from
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
,
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
and
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. Hanover has also one of the largest Vietnamese communities in former
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
due to its proximity to former
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
. The Viên Giác
pagoda A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but some ...
in Mittelfeld, southern district of Hanover is the largest Vietnamese pagoda in Germany and one of the largest in Europe. Hanover is one of the liveable cities due to its good location and good population size. It is the fifth-largest city in the
Low German Low German is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language variety, language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in the Russian Mennonite diaspora worldwide. "Low" ...
dialect area after Hamburg,
Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...
,
Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...
and Bremen.


Society and culture


Religious life

Hanover is headquarters for several
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
organizations, including the
World Communion of Reformed Churches The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is the largest association of Reformed (Calvinist) churches in the world. It has 230 member denominations (227 members and three associate or affiliate members) in 108 countries, together claiming ...
, the
Protestant Church in Germany The Evangelical Church in Germany (, EKD), also known as the Protestant Church in Germany, is a federation of twenty Lutheran, Reformed, and United Protestant regional Churches in Germany, collectively encompassing the vast majority of the count ...
, the Reformed Alliance, the
United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany The United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (German: Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands, VELKD) was founded on July 8, 1948, in Eisenach, Germany. Its total membership is 7.5 million people. All its member churches belong ...
, and the
Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church The Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church (, abbreviated SELK) is a confessional Lutheran church body of Germany. It is a member of the European Lutheran Conference and of the International Lutheran Council (ILC) (of which the Lutheran Church ...
. In 2015, 31.1% of the population were
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
and 13.4% were
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
. The majority 55.5% were
irreligious Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, rationa ...
or other religion.


Museums and galleries

The Historisches Museum Hanover (Historic museum) describes the history of Hanover, from the medieval settlement "Honovere" to the city of today. The museum focuses on the period from 1714 to 1834 when Hanover had a strong relationship with the British royal family of that period. With more than 4,000 members, the
Kestnergesellschaft Kestner Gesellschaft (Kestner Society) is an art institution in Hanover, Germany, founded in 1916 to promote the arts. Its founders included the painter Wilhelm von Debschitz (1871–1948). The association blossomed under the management of and ...
is the largest art society in Germany. The museum hosts exhibitions from classical modernist art to contemporary art. Emphasis is placed on film, video, contemporary music and architecture, room installments and presentations of contemporary paintings, sculptures and video art. The Kestner-Museum is located in the ''House of 5,000 windows''. The museum is named after
August Kestner Georg Christian August Kestner (28 November 1777, in Hanover – 5 March 1853, in Rome) was a German diplomat and art collector. Life Kestner was the son of civil servant Johann Christian Kestner and his wife Charlotte Buff. From 1796 to 17 ...
and exhibits 6,000 years of applied art in four areas: Ancient cultures, ancient Egypt, applied art and a valuable collection of historic coins. The KUBUS is a forum for contemporary art. It features mostly exhibitions and projects of artists from Hanover. The Kunstverein Hannover (Art Society Hanover) shows contemporary art and was established in 1832 as one of the first art societies in Germany. It is located in the ''Künstlerhaus'' (House of artists). There are around seven international exhibitions each year. The Landesmuseum Hanover is the largest museum in Hanover. The art gallery shows European art from the 11th to the 20th century, the nature department shows the zoology, geology, botanic, geology and a ''vivarium'' with fish, insects, reptiles and amphibians. The primeval department shows the primeval history of Lower Saxony, and the folklore department shows cultures from all over the world. The
Sprengel Museum Sprengel Museum is a museum of modern art in Hanover, Lower Saxony, holding one of the most significant collections of modern art in Germany. It is located in a building situated adjacent to the Masch Lake () approximately south of the state m ...
shows the art of the 20th century. It is one of the most notable art museums in Germany. The focus is put on the classical modernist art with the collection of ''Kurt Schwitters'', works of German expressionism, and French cubism, the cabinet of abstracts, the graphics and the department of photography and media. Furthermore, the museum shows the works of the French artist Niki de Saint-Phalle. The Theatre Museum shows an exhibition of the history of the theatre in Hanover from the 17th century up to now: opera, concert, drama and ballet. The museum also hosts several touring exhibitions during the year. The
Wilhelm Busch Museum The Wilhelm Busch Museum (, "Wilhelm Busch - German Museum of Caricature and Drawings") is a museum in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany. It features the world's largest collection of works by Wilhelm Busch, as well as contemporary comic art, illust ...
is the ''German Museum of Caricature and Critical Graphic Arts''. The collection of the works of Wilhelm Busch and the extensive collection of cartoons and critical graphics is unique in Germany. Furthermore, the museum hosts several exhibitions of national and international artists during the year. A cabinet of coins is the Münzkabinett der TUI-AG. The ''Polizeigeschichtliche Sammlung Niedersachsen'' is the largest police museum in Germany. Textiles from all over the world can be visited in the ''Museum for textile art''. The ''EXPOseeum'' is the museum of the world-exhibition "EXPO 2000 Hanover". Carpets and objects from the orient can be visited in the ''Oriental Carpet Museum''. The ''Museum for the visually impaired'' is a rarity in Germany, there is only one other of its kind in Berlin. The ''Museum of veterinary medicine'' is unique in Germany. The ''Museum for Energy History'' describes the 150 years old history of the application of energy. The ''Heimat-Museum Ahlem'' shows the history of the district of Ahlem. The ''Mahn- und Gedenkstätte Ahlem'' describes the history of the Jewish people in Hanover and the ''Stiftung Ahlers Pro Arte / Kestner Pro Arte'' shows modern art. Modern art is also the main topic of the ''Kunsthalle Faust'', the ''Nord/LB Art Gallery'' and of the ''Foro Artistico / Eisfabrik''. Some leading art events in Hanover are the ''Long Night of the Museums'' and the ''Zinnober Kunstvolkslauf'' which features all the galleries in Hanover. People who are interested in astronomy should visit the ''Observatory Geschwister Herschel'' on the Lindener Mountain or the small planetarium inside of the Bismarck School.


Theatre, cabaret and musical

Around 40 theatres are located in Hanover. The ''Opera House'', the ''Schauspielhaus'' (Play House), the ''Ballhof eins'', the ''Ballhof zwei'' and the ''Cumberlandsche Galerie'' belong to the ''Lower Saxony State Theatre''. The Theater am Aegi is Hanover's principal theatre for musicals, shows and guest performances. The ''Neues Theater'' (New Theatre) is the boulevard theatre of Hanover. The ''Theater für Niedersachsen'' is another large theatre in Hanover, which also has an own musical company. Some of the most important musical productions are the rock musicals of the German rock musician Heinz Rudolph Kunze, which take place at the ''Garden-Theatre'' in the Great Garden. Some important theatre events are the ''Tanztheater International'', the ''Long Night of the Theatres'', the ''Festival Theaterformen'' and the ''International Competition for Choreographers''. Hanover's leading cabaret stage is the ''GOP Variety theatre'' which is located in the ''Georgs Palace''. Some other cabaret-stages are the ''Variety Marlene'', the ''Uhu-Theatre''. the theatre ''Die Hinterbühne'', the ''Rampenlich Variety'' and the revue-stage ''TAK''. The most important cabaret event is the ''Kleines Fest im Großen Garten'' (Little Festival in the Great Garden) which is the most successful cabaret festival in Germany. It features artists from around the world. Some other important events are the ''Calenberger Cabaret Weeks'', the ''Hanover Cabaret Festival'' and the ''Wintervariety''.


Music


Classical music

Hanover has two symphony orchestras: The Lower Saxon State Orchestra Hanover and the
NDR Radiophilharmonie The NDR Radiophilharmonie is a German radio orchestra, affiliated with the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) in Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony. The orchestra principally gives concerts in the ''Großer Sendesaal'' of the '' Landesfunkhaus Niede ...
(North German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra). Two notable choirs have their homes in Hanover: the Mädchenchor Hanover (girls' choir) and the Knabenchor Hanover (boys' choir). There are two major international competitions for classical music in Hanover: * Hanover International Violin Competition (since 1991) * Classica Nova International Music Competition (since 1997); the non-profit association Classica Nova exists in Hanover with the aim of continuing the Classica Nova competition


Popular music

The rock bands
Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
and
Fury in the Slaughterhouse Fury in the Slaughterhouse is a German rock band from Hanover, founded in 1987. Their hits include "Time to Wonder", "Every Generation Got Its Own Disease", "Won't Forget These Days", "Radio Orchid", "Dancing in the Sunshine of the Dark", "Milk ...
are originally from Hanover. Acclaimed DJ
Mousse T Mustafa Gündoğdu (; born 2 October 1966), best known under his stage name Mousse T., is a German-Turkish DJ, record producer, film music composer and judge on season 15 of '' Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', the German version of '' Pop Id ...
also has his main recording studio in the area.
Rick J. Jordan Rick J. Jordan (born Hendrik Stedler, 1 January 1968) is a German music producer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer and sound designer, who is most well known for his work in the German band Scooter. Youth and early years Rick Jo ...
, member of the band Scooter was born here in 1968.
Lena Lena or LENA may refer to: Places * Léna Department, a department of Houet Province in Burkina Faso * Lena, Manitoba, an unincorporated community located in Killarney-Turtle Mountain municipality in Manitoba, Canada * Lena, Norway, a village in ...
, winner of the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest, is also from Hanover.


Sport

Hanover 96 (nicknamed , literally 'the Reds') is the top local
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
team that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga. Home games are played at the
Niedersachsenstadion Niedersachsenstadion (, ) is a football stadium in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, which is home to football club Hannover 96. The original 86,000-capacity stadium was completed in 1954 and has since been rebuilt several times for various major ...
(''Lower Saxony Stadium''), which hosted matches in the
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
and
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
World Cups A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
and the Euro 1988. Their reserve team Hanover 96 II plays in the 3rd division of German Football. Their home games were played in the traditional
Eilenriedestadion The Eilenriedestadion (also known as the 96-Stadion) is a football stadium in Hanover, Germany. It is the home ground of the reserve team of Bundesliga club Hannover 96, Hannover 96 II, and is situated at the edge of the Eilenriede forest in the ...
until they moved to the HDI Arena due to DFL directives. Arminia Hanover is another traditional football team in Hanover that has played in the second division (then 2. Liga Nord) for years and plays now in the Niedersachsen-West Liga (Lower Saxony League West). Home matches are played in the Rudolf-Kalweit-Stadium. The Hanover Indians are the local ice hockey team. They play in the third tier. Their home games are played at the traditional Eisstadion am Pferdeturm. The Hanover Scorpions played in Hanover in Germany's top league until 2013 when they sold their license and moved to
Langenhagen Langenhagen (; Eastphalian: ''Langenhogen'') is a town in the Hanover district of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. Overview rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
capitals in Germany. The first German rugby team was founded in Hanover in 1878. Hanover-based teams dominated the German rugby scene for a long time. DSV 78 Hanover,
SC Germania List The SC Germania List is a German rugby union club from the district List of Hanover, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga. Apart from rugby, the club also offers other sports like tennis, gymnastics and handball. The club has three German ...
, and SV Odin Hanover plays in the
first division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...
, and DRC Hanover as well as SG 78/08 Hanover play in the second division. Hanover has traditionally been one of Germany's hubs in
Water sports Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms ...
and especially in
Water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
. The SG Waspo'98 Hanover won the
Deutsche Wasserball-Liga The Deutsche Wasserball-Liga (DWL) is the premier category in the league system for water polo clubs in Germany. The men's championship was founded in 1912, but only two editions took place. It was resumed in 1919 and has taken place regularly s ...
in 2020 and 2021. In total, clubs from Hanover have won the German championship 11 times. Thanks to the Maschsee lake, the rivers Ihme and Leine and to the Mittellandkanal canal, Hanover hosts sailing schools, yacht schools, waterski clubs, rowing clubs, canoe clubs and paddle clubs. The first German
fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...
club was founded in Hanover in 1862. Today there are three additional fencing clubs in Hanover. The Hanover Korbjäger are the city's top basketball team. They play their home games at the IGS Linden. The Hanover Regents play in the third
Bundesliga (baseball) The Deutsche Baseball Liga (English: ''German Baseball League'') or DBL is the professional elite competition for baseball in Germany. Until 2024, the league was called Baseball-Bundesliga. The winner is awarded the German championship. Like ...
division. The Hanover Grizzlies, Armina Spartans and Hanover Stampeders are the local American football teams. The Hanover
Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
is the biggest running event in Hanover with more than 11,000 participants and usually around 200,000 spectators. Some other important running events are the Gilde Stadtstaffel (a relay event), the Sport-Check Nachtlauf (a night running event), the "Herrenhäuser Team-Challenge", the "Hannoversche Firmenlauf" (a company running event) and the Silvesterlauf (New Year's running event). Hanover also hosts an important international
cycle race Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling sports in ...
, the "''Nacht von Hannover"'' ("Night of Hanover"). The race takes place around the market hall. The lake Maschsee hosts international
dragon boat A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family of t ...
races and canoe olo tournaments. Many
regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...
s take place during the year. "Head of the river Leine" on the river Leine is one of the biggest rowing regattas in Hanover. One of Germany's most successful dragon boat teams, the All Sports Team Hanover, which has won since its foundation in year 2000 more than 100 medals on national and international competitions, regularly trains on the local Maschsee lake. Some other important sport events include the Lower Saxony beach
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
tournament, the international
horse show A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and pony, ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrianism, equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days ...
"German Classics" and the international
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
tournament Nations Cup.


Regular events

Hanover is one of the leading exhibition cities in the world. It hosts more than 60 international and national exhibitions every year. The most popular ones are the ''
CeBIT CeBIT was a computer expo which, at its peak, was the largest and most internationally representative. The trade fair was held each year on the Hanover fairground, the world's largest fairground, in Hanover, Germany. In its day, it was c ...
'', the ''Hanover Fair'', the ''Domotex'', the ''Ligna'', the ''IAA Nutzfahrzeuge'' and the ''Agritechnica''. Hanover also hosts a huge number of congresses and symposiums like the ''International Symposium on Society and Resource Management.'' Hanover is also host to the ''Schützenfest Hannover,'' the largest marksmen's fun fair in the world which takes place once a year from late June to early July. Founded in 1529, it consists of more than 260 rides and inns, five large beer tents and a large entertainment programme. The highlight of this fun fair is the ''Parade of the Marksmen'' with more than 12,000 participants from all over the world, including around 5,000 marksmen, 128 bands, and more than 70 wagons, carriages, and other festival vehicles. This makes it the longest procession in Europe. Around 2 million people visit this fun fair every year. The landmark of this event is one of the largest transportable
Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a big wheel, giant wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondola ...
s in the world, with a height of about . Hanover also hosts one of the two largest spring festivals in Europe, with around 180 rides and inns, 2 large beer tents, and around 1.5 million visitors each year. The Oktoberfest Hanover is the second largest Oktoberfest in the world with around 160 rides and inns, two large beer tents and around 1 million visitors each year. The ''Maschsee Festival'' takes place around the
Maschsee The Masch Lake () is an artificial lake situated south of the city centre of Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. Covering an area of , it is the largest body of water within Hanover and a popular recreation area as well as venue for ...
Lake. Each year around 2 million visitors come to enjoy live music, comedy, cabaret, and much more. It is the largest Volksfest of its kind in Northern Germany. The Great Garden hosts every year the ''International Fireworks Competition'', and the ''International Festival Weeks Herrenhausen,'' with music and cabaret performances. The ''Carnival Procession'' is around long and consists of 3,000 participants, around 30 festival vehicles and around 20 bands and takes place every year. Other festivals include the Festival ''Feuer und Flamme'' (Fire and Flames), the ''Gartenfestival'' (Garden Festival), the ''Herbstfestival'' (Autumn Festival), the ''Harley Days'', the ''Steintor Festival'' (Steintor is a party area in the city centre) and the ''Lister-Meile-Festival'' (Lister Meile is a large pedestrian area). Hanover also hosts food-oriented festivals including the ''Wine Festival'' and the ''Gourmet Festival''. It also hosts some special markets like the ''Old Town Flea Market'' and the ''Market for Art and Trade''. Some other major markets include the ''Christmas Markets of the City of Hanover'' in the Old Town and city centre, and the Lister Meile.


Tourism

Hanover is an attractive tourist place due to its many sights and famous events. Hanover had about 580,000 visitors in 2021, predominantly from the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
and the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. Famous sights in Hanover are New Town Hall,
Herrenhausen Gardens The Herrenhausen Gardens (, ) of Herrenhausen Palace are located in Herrenhausen, an urban district of Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. Dating to the era of the King of Hanover, Kings of Hanover, they comprise Great Garden (), Ber ...
and
Hanover Zoo Hanover Zoo is located in the Mitte borough of Hanover, Germany. The zoo was established on 4 May 1865, and comprises an area of . It contains about 3,414 animals in 237 species, which are cared for by more than 400 employees in the summer seaso ...
, which is one of the largest zoos in Germany. The annual trade fair "
Hannover Messe The Hannover Messe (HM; "Hanover Fair") is one of the world's largest trade fairs, dedicated to the topic of industry development. It is organized by Deutsche Messe AG and held on the Hanover Fairground in Hanover, Germany. The fair attracts t ...
" usually attracts between 100,000 and 200,000 visitors. First held in 1947, it is dedicated to the topic of industry development and is one of the world's largest
trade fairs A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and ...
.


Transport


Rail

The city's central station,
Hanover Hauptbahnhof Hannover Hauptbahnhof () is the main railway station for the city of Hanover in Lower Saxony, Germany. The railway junction is one of the 21 stations listed as a railway Category 1 station by DB Station&Service. It is also the most important pub ...
, is a hub of the German high-speed
ICE Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...
network. It is the starting point of the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line and also the central hub for the
Hanover S-Bahn The Hanover S-Bahn (in German: ''S-Bahn Hannover'') is an S-Bahn network operated by Transdev Hannover in the area of Hanover in the German state capital of Lower Saxony. It went operational shortly before Expo 2000 and is focused on the Hanover ...
. It offers many international and national connections.


Air

Hanover and its area is served by
Hanover Airport Hannover Airport is the international airport of Hanover, capital of the Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. The List of airports in Germany, ninth largest airport in Germany, it is situated on in Langenhagen, north of the centre of Han ...
(
IATA code IATA codes are abbreviations that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) publishes to facilitate air travel. They are typically 1, 2, 3, or 4 character combinations (referred to as unigrams, digrams, trigrams, or tetragrams, respec ...
: HAJ; ICAO code: EDDV) in Langenhagen.


Road

Hanover is also an important hub of Germany's
autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...
network; the junction of two major autobahns, the A 2 and A 7 is at ''Kreuz Hanover-Ost'', at the northeastern edge of the city. Local autobahns are A 352 (a shortcut between A7 and A2, also known as the ''Airport autobahn'' because it passes Hanover Airport), and the A 37. The expressway () system, a number of
Bundesstraße ''Bundesstraße'' (, ), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways. Germany Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km. German ''Bundesstraßen'' are labelled with re ...
roads, forms a structure loosely resembling a large
ring road A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...
together with A2 and A7. The roads are B 3, B 6 and B 65, called ''Westschnellweg'' (B6 on the northern part, B3 on the southern part), ''Messeschnellweg'' (B3, becomes A37 near Burgdorf, crosses A2, becomes B3 again, changes to B6 at ''Seelhorster Kreuz'', then passes the
Hanover fairground The Hanover Fairground ( German: ''Messegelände Hannover'') is an exhibition area in the ''Mittelfeld'' district of Hanover, Germany. Featuring 392,453 m² (4.2 million sq.ft.) of covered indoor space, 58,000 m² (624,306 sq ft) of open-air sp ...
as B6 and becomes A37 again before merging into A7) and ''Südschnellweg'' (starts out as B65, becomes B3/B6/B65 upon crossing Westschnellweg, then becomes B65 again at Seelhorster Kreuz).


Bus and light rail

Hanover has an extensive
Stadtbahn (; German for 'city railway'; plural ) is a German word referring to various types of urban rail transport. One type of transport originated in the 19th century, firstly in Berlin and followed by Vienna, where rail routes were created that co ...
and bus system, operated by
üstra üstra Hannoversche Verkehrsbetriebe AG is the operator of public transport in the city of Hanover, Germany. The company is a member of the Großraum-Verkehr Hannover (GVH) transport association. From 2003 to 2006, it had outsourced its oper ...
. The city uses
designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exper ...
buses and tramways, the
TW 6000 The TW 6000 is a type of articulated light rail vehicle used on the Hanover Stadtbahn system, manufactured by Duewag, Linke-Hofmann-Busch, AEG, Kiepe and Siemens. The vehicle can serve both high platforms and street-level stops; it has cabs a ...
and
TW 2000 The TW 2000 is a Stadtbahn vehicle in operation on the Hanover Stadtbahn network in Hanover, Germany. History After winning the bid for the Expo 2000 in 1990, the city of Hanover faced the need to greatly improve its transportation system. Ther ...
trams being examples.


Bicycle

Bicycle paths are very common in the city centre. At off-peak hours bikes can be taken on a tram or bus.


Economy

Various industrial businesses are located in Hanover. The
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV; , abbreviated ''VWN'' ) is a German brand, marque of light commercial vehicles, owned by Volkswagen Group. It is headquartered in Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany. Originally part of Volkswagen Passenger ...
Transporter (VWN) factory at Hanover-Stöcken is the biggest employer in the region and operates a large plant at the northern edge of town adjoining the canal Mittellandkanal and the autobahn A2. Volkswagen shares a coal-burning power plant with a factory of German tire and automobile parts manufacturer
Continental AG Continental AG, commonly known as Continental and colloquially as Conti, is a German multinational automotive parts manufacturing company. Headquartered in Hanover, Lower Saxony, it is the world's third- largest automotive supplier and the fo ...
. Continental, founded in Hanover in 1871, is one of the city's major companies. Since 2008 a take-over has been in progress: the
Schaeffler Group Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG, also known as the Schaeffler Group (''Schaeffler-Gruppe'' in German), is a German manufacturer of rolling element bearings for automotive, aerospace and industrial uses, including the FAG brand. It was fo ...
from
Herzogenaurach Herzogenaurach (; ) is a town in the district of Erlangen-Höchstadt, in Bavaria, Germany. It is home to two major international sporting goods companies, Adidas and Puma, and Schaeffler Group, a car parts manufacturer. Geography Herzogenaura ...
(
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
) holds the majority of Continental's stock but were required due to the financial crisis to deposit the options as securities at banks. The audio equipment company
Sennheiser Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG (, ) is a German audio equipment manufacturer headquartered in Wedemark. Sennheiser specializes in equipment for both the consumer and professional audio markets, including microphones, headphones, and loudsp ...
and the travel group
TUI AG TUI AG ( trading as TUI Group) is a German multinational leisure, travel and tourism company; it is the largest such company in the world. TUI is an acronym for ''Touristik Union International'' ("Tourism Union International"). TUI AG was known ...
are both based in Hanover. Hanover is home to many insurance companies including
Talanx Talanx is a German multinational financial services company headquartered in Hanover, Germany. Its core businesses include reinsurance, insurance and asset management. Talanx is Germany's third-largest insurance group and one of the major Europe ...
,
VHV Group VHV Group (United Hanoverian Insurance Group; in German: Vereinigte Hannoversche Versicherung) is a German insurance and reinsurance company based in Hanover, specialising in provision non-life and life insurance as well. Its core businesses ar ...
, and Concordia Insurance. The major global reinsurance company
Hannover Re Hannover Re (in German ''Hannover Rück'') is a reinsurance company based in Hannover, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the n ...
also has its headquarters east of the city centre.


List of largest employers in Hanover


Key figures

In 2012, the city generated a
GDP Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performance o ...
of €29.5 billion, which is equivalent to €74,822 per employee. The gross value of production in 2012 was €26.4 billion, which is equivalent to €66,822 per employee. Around 300,000 employees were counted in 2014. Of these, 189,000 had their
primary residence A person's primary residence, or main residence is the dwelling where they usually live, typically a house or an apartment. A person can only have one ''primary'' residence at any given time, though they may share the residence with other people. A ...
in Hanover, while 164,892 commute into the city every day. In 2014 the city was home to 34,198 businesses, of which 9,342 were registered in the German Trade Register and 24,856 counted as
small business Small businesses are types of corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have a small number of employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation. Businesses are defined as "small" in terms of being ...
es. Hence, more than half of the metropolitan area's businesses in the German Trade Register are located in Hanover (17,485 total).


Business development

Hannoverimpuls GMBH is a joint business development company from the city and region of Hanover. The company was founded in 2003 and supports the start-up, growth and relocation of businesses in the Hanover Region. The focus is on thirteen sectors, which stand for sustainable economic growth: Automotive, Energy Solutions,
Information and Communications Technology Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computer ...
,
Life Sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, ...
, Optical Technologies,
Creative Industries The creative industries refers to a range of economic activities which are concerned with the generation or exploitation of knowledge and information. They may variously also be referred to as the cultural industries (especially in Europe) or the ...
and
Production Engineering Manufacturing engineering or production engineering is a branch of professional engineering that shares many common concepts and ideas with other fields of engineering such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, and industrial engineering. Manufac ...
. A range of programmes supports companies from the key industries in their expansion plans in Hanover or abroad. Three regional centres specifically promote international economic relations with Russia, India and Turkey. The
Institut für Integrierte Produktion Hannover Institut für Integrierte Produktion Hannover (IPH), which literally translates as "Hanover institute of integrated production", is a non-profit limited company providing research and development, consulting, and training in industrial engineerin ...
is a spin-off from Leibniz University Hanover in the field of production technology that promotes transfer of scientific knowledge to business.


Education

The
Leibniz University Hanover Leibniz University Hannover (), also known as the University of Hannover, is a public research university located in Hanover, Germany. Founded on 2 May 1831 as Higher Vocational School, the university has undergone six periods of renaming, its ...
is the largest funded institution in Hanover for providing higher education to students from around the world. Below are the names of the universities and some of the important schools, including newly opened Hannover Medical Research School in 2003 for attracting the students from biology background from around the world. There are several universities in Hanover: *
Leibniz University Hannover Leibniz University Hannover (), also known as the University of Hannover, is a public university, public research university located in Hanover, Germany. Founded on 2 May 1831 as Higher Vocational School, the university has undergone six period ...
, host institution to the
Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) is a Max Planck Institute whose research is aimed at investigating Einstein's theory of relativity and beyond: Mathematics, quantum gravity, astrophysical relativity ...
*
Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media (, abbreviated to HMTMH) is a university of performing arts and media in Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. Dating to , it has reorganised and changed names as it developed over the years, ...
*
Hannover Medical School The Hannover Medical School (, abbreviated to MHH) is a university medical centre founded in 1965 in Hanover, Germany. MHH is part of a regional medical network. History In June 1961, the German Science and Humanities Council recommended that ...
* School of Veterinary Medicine Hanover (''Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover'') * GISMA Business School, part of the for-profit education company
Global University Systems Global University Systems B.V. (GUS) is a for-profit private limited company registered in the Netherlands. As a corporate group, it owns and operates several private for-profit colleges and universities in the UK, Canada, Israel and Europe, as w ...
. There is one University of Applied Science and Arts in Hanover: *
Hochschule Hannover The Hochschule Hannover - University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HsH) is a public Fachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences and Arts) in Hanover. It's the second largest university in Hanover with approximately 10,000 enrolled students in ...
(the former
Fachhochschule A (; plural ), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a Hochschule, German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts, such as engineering, te ...
) The ''Schulbiologiezentrum Hannover'' maintains practical biology schools in four locations (
Botanischer Schulgarten Burg The Botanischer Schulgarten Burg (7.5 hectares) is a botanical garden for students maintained by the municipal ''Schulbiologiezentrum Hannover'' organization. It is located at Vinnhorster Weg 2, Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany, and open weekdays. ...
, Freiluftschule Burg, Zooschule Hannover, and Botanischer Schulgarten Linden). The
University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover The University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (, TiHo) is a university in Hanover and one of the five facilities for veterinary medicine in Germany, and the only one that remains independent. It is often referred to as TiHo by its staff and stu ...
also maintains its own
botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...
specializing in medicinal and poisonous plants, the
Heil- und Giftpflanzengarten der Tierärztlichen Hochschule Hannover The Heil- und Giftpflanzengarten der Tierärztlichen Hochschule Hannover (5000 m2) is a botanical garden specializing in medicinal and poisonous plants. It is maintained by the ''Tierärztlichen Hochschule Hannover'' ( University of Veterinary Medi ...
. Hannover has several vocational schools like Berufsbildende Schulen (BBS) ME - Metalltechnik und Elektrotechnik, which specializes in metal and electrical engineering, and BBS Cora Berliner, which specializes in business administration as well as the leisure and trading industries.


In popular culture

* In the "
Problem Dog "Problem Dog" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series ''Breaking Bad'', and the 40th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on August 28, 2011. Plo ...
" episode of American crime drama
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White (Bryan Cran ...
, viewers learn that Madrigall Electromotive GmbH, the parent company of Los Pollos Hermanos, is located in Hanover.


Notable people

* Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), American political theorist * Erdoğan Atalay (born 1966), actor * Rudolf Augstein (1923–2002), journalist, founder of the weekly journal Der Spiegel * Moritz Baier-Lentz (born 1986), German-American venture capitalist * Hermann Bahlsen (1859–1919), businessman, founder of the biscuit company Bahlsen and inventor of the Leibniz-Keks * Marc Bator (born 1972), journalist * Rudolf von Bennigsen (1824–1902), liberal politician * Klaus Bernbacher (born 1931), conductor, music event manager, broadcasting manager and academic teacher * Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff (1712–1772) a German-Danish statesman * Andreas Peter Bernstorff (1735–1797), Danish diplomat and Foreign Minister * Gero von Boehm (born 1954), director, journalist and television presenter * Emil Berliner (1851–1929), inventor of the phonograph * Anke Blume (born 1969), engineering technology professor, works on silica and silane chemistry. * Walter Bruch (1908–1990), inventor of the PAL color television system * Wilhelm Busch (1832–1908), caricaturist, painter and poet * Laurent Chappuzeau, (ca.1652-??), clockmaker to the Elector of Hanover 1689–1701 * Frederick Dielman (1847–1935), German-American portrait and figure painter * Albert Christoph Dies (1755–1822), German painter, engraver and biographer * Champion Jack Dupree (1910–1992), American Born Blues Musician * Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707–1751), eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain * Gustav Fröhlich (1902–1987), actor and film director * Oskar Garvens (1874–1951), sculptor and caricaturist * George I of Great Britain, George I, (1660–1727), King of Great Britain and Ireland, prince elector of Hanover * George II of Great Britain, George II, (1683–1760), King of Great Britain and Ireland, prince elector of Hanover * George III, (1738–1820), King of Great Britain and Ireland, prince elector of Hanover * Duke of Cambridge#Fourth creation, 1801, George William Frederick Charles, duke of Cambridge (1819–1904), Prince George * Gerhard Glogowski (born 1943), politician (SPD) * Georg Friedrich Grotefend (1775–1853), epigraphist and philologist * Robin E. Haak (born 1986), political scientist. * Fritz Haarmann (1870–1925), prolific serial killer and rapist * Julia Hamburg (born 1986), politician * Conrad Wilhelm Hase, (1818–1902), architect, founder of the Hanover school of architecture * Johann Friedrich Ludwig Hausmann (1782–1859) German mineralogist * William Herschel (1738–1822), astronomer and discoverer of the planet Uranus, and his sister Caroline Herschel (1750–1848), also an astronomer * Wyn Hoop (born 1936), singer * Alfred Hugenberg (1865–1951), businessman and politician (DNVP) * August Wilhelm Iffland (1759–1814), German actor and dramatic author * Manfred Kohrs (born 1957), tattooist, conceptual artist and Master of Economics * Dr. Gindi (born 1965), contemporary sculptor * Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves (1788–1864), architect * Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716), philosopher, mathematician, developed differential and integral calculus * Klaus Meine (born 1948), rock musician, vocalist of the rock band
Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
* Georg Meissner (1829–1905), anatomist and physiologist * Otto Fritz Meyerhof (1884–1951), recipient of the Nobel prize in medicine, 1922 * Lena Meyer-Landrut (born 1991), winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 * Reiner E. Moritz (born 1938), film director and producer * Georg Heinrich Pertz (1795–1876), German historian. * Oliver Pocher (born 1978), comedian and television presenter * Rudolf Erich Raspe (1736–1794), German librarian, writer and scientist * Else Raydt (1883–1931), fashion designer * Waldemar R. Röhrbein (1935–2014), historian, director of Historisches Museum Hannover * Wilhelm Georg Friedrich Roscher (1817–1894), German economist * Dirk Rossmann (born 1946), businessman * Dieter Roth (1930–1998), artist, print-maker, author, poet and world renowned composer *
Niki de Saint Phalle Niki de Saint Phalle (; born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle; 29 October 193021 May 2002) was a French sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author of colorful hand-illustrated books. Widely noted as one of the few female monumental sculp ...
(1930–2002), sculptor, painter and film maker * Friedrich Schlegel (1772–1829), poet, literary critic, philosopher and Indologist * Gerhard Schröder (born 1944), politician (SPD) (former Chancellor of Germany) * Helga Schuchardt (born 1939), politician and engineer * Kurt Schumacher (1895–1952), politician, re-organiser of the SPD after World War II * Kurt Schwitters (1887–1948), artist * Alexander Moritz Simon (1837–1905), Jewish philanthropist, banker and American vice consul * Uli Stein (artist), Uli Stein (1954–2020), artist, cartoonist * Charles Wachsmuth (1829–1896), German-American paleontologist and businessman * Gustav Wagemann (1885–1933), German lawyer, judge and civil servant * Hans Wehrmann (born 1964), entrepreneur, economist, inventor, author and racing driver * Phylicia Whitney (born 1950), journalist and public speaker * Christian Wulff (born 1959), politician (CDU), former President of Germany * Shlomo Zev Zweigenhaft (1915–2005), Chief Rabbi of Hanover and Lower Saxony


Sport

* Husseyn Chakroun (born 2004), footballer * Johannes Dietwald (born 1985), footballer * Hilal El-Helwe (born 1994), German-Lebanese football player * Niclas Füllkrug (born 1993), footballer * Stina Johannes (born 2000), footballer, goalkeeper for the Germany women's national football team * Niklas Mackschin (born 1994), racing driver * Jan Martín (born 1984), German-Israeli-Spanish basketball player * Arnd Meier (born 1973), racing driver * Per Mertesacker (born 1984), footballer * Daniel Reiss (born 1982), professional ice hockey player * Dirk Werner (born 1981), racing driver


Twin towns – sister cities

Hanover is Sister city, twinned with: * Blantyre, Malawi (1968) * Bristol, England, United Kingdom (1947) * Hiroshima, Japan (1983) * Leipzig, Germany (1987) * Perpignan, France (1960) * Poznań, Poland (1979) * Rouen, France (1966) Hanover also cooperates with: * Mykolaiv, Ukraine (2022)


See also

*
CeBIT CeBIT was a computer expo which, at its peak, was the largest and most internationally representative. The trade fair was held each year on the Hanover fairground, the world's largest fairground, in Hanover, Germany. In its day, it was c ...
(CeBIT Computer Messe) *
Expo 2000 Expo 2000 was a World Expo held in Hanover, Germany from 1 June to 31 October 2000. It was located on the Hanover Fairground (Messegelände Hannover), which is the largest exhibition ground in the world. Initially, some 40 million people were ...
* Hanover Fair (Hannover Messe) * History of the Jews in Hannover, History of the Jews in Hanover * Hannover–Braunschweig–Göttingen–Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region, Metropolitan region Hanover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg * Schützenfest Hanover


Notes


References


Bibliography


External links

*
Official website for tourism, holiday and leisure in Lower Saxony and Hanover
{{Authority control Hanover, Cities in Lower Saxony German state capitals Hanover Region Members of the Hanseatic League Holocaust locations in Germany