The real reason why I wanted to go to Hannover was to see the Waterloo Column. Why does Hannover have a column to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon? In fact, the Kingdom of Hannover actually used to be in a personal union with the monarch of the United Kingdom until the accession of Queen Victoria, when a female heir was not allowed to inherit the kingdom.
Hannover was also the first and only time I missed a train of all the trips I took in Germany. I must’ve traveled by ICE about 70 times that year and only missed the one train. From what I remember, I got up late and sped down Karl-Marx Allee as fast as I could on my four-stroke and still missed the train.
Streets lined with brick buildings around the Market Church are tell-tale signs that Hannover is a major player in the Hanseatic League. The pedestrian-only streets are also a great venue for a classic-looking wooden stalls in the Christmas market with the Hanseatic architecture in the background.
Agidienkirche is a bombed out church now designated as a memorial like St. Nicholas Church in Hamburg and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin. To anyone staring at its empty walls and shelled out interior, it’s a chilling reminder of the horrors of war.
In terms of buildings that are still around, the Gehry Tower designed by Frank Gehry is hated by some and loved by fans of postmodern architecture. The 19th century opera house has an oddly-shaped square in front of it near an upscale shopping area and outdoor restaurants.
The so-called “New Town Hall” was built in the early 20th century so it’s not very new by modern standards. The interior is ornate and the lobby rhymes with the German fascination for detailed miniature models. Right across from the lake in Maschpark is the Landesmuseum Hannover and the world-famous Sprengel Museum of modern art.
As expected, the Landesmuseum Hannover has a selection of detailed models of the town and its buildings on display. It also has a bunch of horse-drawn carriages on display from yesteryear. The Sprengel Museum’s star exhibit is the skull by Niki de Saint Phalle. Speaking of her, she also designed the Grotto on the grounds of the Herrnhausen Palace.
