© Lonely Planet Publications 592 lonelyplanet.com LOWER SAXONY •• Hanover 593 HANOVER city centre. The centre contains one of the %0511 / pop 515,800 largest pedestrianised areas in Germany, Lower Saxony Hanover gets a bad rap. Local comedians focusing on Georgstrasse and Bahnhof- dismiss it as ‘the Autobahn exit between strasse. Bahnhofstrasse heads southwest Göttingen and Walsrode’. News magazine from the Hauptbahnhof, and Georgstrasse Der Spiegel has written it off as having ‘the runs west–east from Steintor via the Kröpcke most boring parties’, and the rest of the world square to Georgsplatz. There’s a subterra- knows it as the host of the not particularly nean shopping strip running below Bahn- Confusingly, Lower Saxony lies in the north and evinces the sort of character opinion pollsters sexy CeBit communications trade show. hofstrasse, from the Hauptbahnhof to just would describe as ‘Middle Germany’. Yes, Niedersachsen, as it’s called in German, lacks the However, things aren’t really so grim up south of Kröpcke, called the Niki de Saint big set-piece or bold image of some fellow states, but that doesn’t make it uninteresting. north in Lower Saxony’s state capital. The Phalle Promenade. Instead, it presents a mosaic, a panoply, a potpourri. With an array of wildly different attrac- city also boasts acres of greenery. Its ba- The Herrenhäuser Gärten are situated LOWER SAXONY tions, visitors can certainly mix it up in Germany’s second biggest state: steer a Volkswagen roque Herrenhäuser Gärten (gardens) are about 4km northwest of the city centre. The a mini-Versailles, featuring a sparkly Niki Messegelände, the main trade fairgrounds, over an obstacle course in Wolfsburg’s Autostadt theme park, smell the roses in Hanover’s de Saint Phalle Grotto. The compact centre, are in the city’s southeast (see boxed text, Herrenhäuser Gardens, or even pay a sobering visit to Bergen-Belsen. only partially reconstructed in a medieval p596 ). The capital, Hanover, has a workaholic reputation as a host of trade fairs, especially the style after WWII bombing, is adjoined to LOWER SAXONY enormous communications show, CeBit. But cute medieval towns, cutting-edge science the east by the Eilenreide forest, and you Information can enjoy a few museums en route to the DISCOUNT CARDS centre Phaeno, and a park of life-size dinosaur models make it a perfect state for relaxation southern Maschsee (lake). HannoverCard (per 1/3 days €9/15) Available from the and families. Cycling the Fairy-Tale Road to Hamelin’s engaging Renaissance museum or visit- tourist office, this card offers unlimited public transport ing the archaeological site of a Roman defeat at Osnabrück’s ‘Varusschlacht’ will appeal to History and discounted or free admission to museums etc. Group young and old. Hanover was established around 1100 and tickets for five available, too. Culture vultures will be kept happy, with an early example of Daniel Libeskind’s striking became the residence of Heinrich der Löwe (see boxed text, p619 ) later that century. EMERGENCY architecture in Osnabrück’s Felix-Nussbaum-Haus. Plus, beautiful Celle is so keen about its art An early Hanseatic city, it developed into a Medical emergency service (%314 044) it’s launched the ‘world’s first 24-hour museum’ (of sorts). prosperous seat of royalty and a major power Police (%110; Raschplatz) Beneath the overpass on the With a varied landscape of coast, river plains, moor and heath, there’s also plenty of stuff for by the Reformation. north side of the Hauptbahnhof. nature lovers. In how many places can you say that you’ve walked to an island? Head north to It has links with Britain through a series of marriages. In 1714 the eldest son of Elec- INTERNET ACCESS where Deutschland meets the North Sea, and Lower Saxony offers that opportunity too. tress Sophie of Hanover, a granddaughter of Teleklick Hannover (Schillerstrasse 23; per hr €3; James I of England (James VI of Scotland), h10am-11pm Mon-Sat, noon-10pm Sun) ascended the British throne as George I while simultaneously ruling Hanover. This British– LAUNDRY HIGHLIGHTS German union lasted until 1837. Waschsalon (cnr Friesenstrasse & Eichstrasse; per wash In 1943, up to 80% of the centre and 50% €3.50; h6am-11pm) Adrenaline Rush Test your driving skills at of the entire city was destroyed by Allied Volkswagen’s Autostadt theme park ( p622 ) East Frisian Islands bombing. The rebuilding plan included cre- MEDICAL SERVICES in Wolfsburg ating sections of reconstructed half-timbered Hospital (%304 31; Marienstrasse 37) Quirky Old Town Fall head over heels for houses and painstakingly rebuilding the the wobbly city of Lüneburg ( p611 ) Lüneburg city’s prewar gems, such as the Opernhaus MONEY (Opera House), the Marktkirche and the There are several ATMs and a late-opening Living History Travel back in time to the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall). Reisebank in the Hauptbahnhof. Renaissance, in the Pied Piper’s town of Bergen-Belsen A few years ago, Hanover was hoping to Hamelin ( p603 ) Hanover Wolfsburg be at the centre of world attention as the host POST Pilgrimage Pay your respects to Anne Frank at of Expo 2000. However, only 18 million visi- Main post office (Kurt-Schumacher-Strasse 4; h9am- the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp ( p610 ) Hamelin tors turned up – less than half the number 8pm Mon-Fri, to 4pm Sat) Green Haven Admire the Niki de Saint expected. Having been one of the 12 German Phalle grotto at Hanover’s Herrenhäuser host cities for the FIFA Football World Cup TOURIST INFORMATION Gärten ( p595 ) in 2006 at least gives the city something new Tourist brochures are also available from the to boast about. Neues Rathaus (see p594 ). Off-beat Experience Walk to an East Frisian Hannover Tourismus (%information 1234 5111, island across the seabed at low tide ( p637 ) Orientation room reservations 1234 555; www.hannover.de, www The Hauptbahnhof (central train station) .hannover-tourism.de; Ernst-August-Platz 8; h9am-6pm POPULATION: 10.7 MILLION AREA: 47,613 SQ KM is located on the northeastern edge of the Mon-Fri, to 2pm Sat) 594 LOWER SAXONY •• Hanover lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com LOWER SAXONY •• Hanover 595 0 50 km LOWER SAXONY 0 30 miles and coloured tile walls of the Niki de Saint Phalle Grotto (opened after her death in 2002) East Frisian Islands Spiekeroog Neuwerk Wismar Cuxhaven B105 Baltrum Wangerooge A23 SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN Lübeck provide a magical showcase of the artist’s North Sea Langeoog A20 Norderney Mellum B192 work that could one day outshine Die Nanas Juist Neuharlingersiel Elbe A7 MECKLENBURG- Nessmersiel Lower Saxony WESTERN (see below ). River Borkum Bensersiel Esens Harlesiel Wadden Sea Norddeich National Park A27 A1 POMERANIA Norden Jever Stade Schwerin With its fountains, neat flowerbeds, Wittmund Wilhelmshaven Bremerhaven Hamburg trimmed hedges and shaped lawns, the 300- Sande Bremervörde A24 year-old Grosser Garten (admission €3, combined Weser Varel Buxtehude Emden Wiesmoor admission with Berggarten €4, child free Apr-early Oct, free A31 Winsen A29 River A1 Lauenburg mid-Oct–Mar) is the centrepiece of the experience. Westerstede Zeven Groningen Leer A28 Tostedt Rastede Worpswede Lüneburg There’s a maze near the northern entrance, A7 Naturpark Neu Darchau while the Grosse Fontäne (Big Fountain; the LOWER SAXONY Weener Oldenburg Lüneburger Heide Elbufer A28 Bremen Drawehn Papenburg A7 tallest in Europe) at the southern end jets Rotenburg Friesoythe water up to 80m high. In summer, there are A27 Munster Soltau A29 Weyhe Wasserspiele (Water games; h11am-noon & 3-5pm Mon- Verden Uelzen A31 Syke Fallingbostel Emmen Cloppenburg Wildeshausen Fri, 11am-noon & 2-5pm Sat & Sun Apr-early Oct) when Bassum Walsrode Twistringen Bergen all fountains are synchronised. During the Belsen LOWER SAXONY Meppen Wittingen A1 Vechta River SAXONY-ANHALT Illuminations (adult/concession €4/3; happroximately Haselünne Sulingen Bergen-Belsen Nienburg Memorial 10pm Thu-Tue Jun-Aug, call for exact times) the gardens Celle Diepholz Wienhausen Lingen and fountains are atmospherically lit at night. Neustadt Nordhorn Wesser Hanover Meanwhile there are summer concerts, Shakes- N E T H E R L A N D S Airport Kalkriese Almelo Dino Park pearean dramas and more. Call or check the Bad Münchehagen A2 A50 Bentheim Wolfsburg Stadthagen Hanover Herrenhäuser website for details. A30 Minden A2 A1 Osnabrück Bückeburg North of the Grosser Garten lies the Berg- Enschede Pattensen Münster- Löhne Hessisch- Braunschweig garten (admission €2, combined admission with Grosser Osnabrück A33 Melle A30 Rinteln Oldendorf Airport Schloss Salzgitter Wolfenbüttel A1 Herford Marienburg Hildesheim Garten €4, child free Apr-early Oct), with its great as- NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA Hamelin Schöningen Arnhem Magdeburg Bielefeld A395 sortment of flora from around the world. A31 Bodenwerder Bockenem Nijmegen Münster Also here is the Regenwaldhaus (Tropical Rainforest Bocholt Bad Bad B81 A43 Gandersheim Goslar Harzburg House; %126 0420; www.regenwaldhaus.de; Herrenhäuser A33 Holzminden Harz NP Ahlen A2 Einbeck Strasse 4a; adult/concession €4.50/1.50; h9am-7pm, later Harz MountainsB4 Hochharz Wesel Paderborn on weekends in summer). Inside there’s a fairly gim- Ottbergen Northeim NP Hamm Lippstadt Osterode A57 B243 micky and contrived virtual ‘journey’ to the A2 Bad Karlshafen Bad Bottrop Gelsenkirchen A7 Lauterberg Amazon. Things are much more pleasant in A40 Bochum Oberhausen Dortmund A44 B27 the attached tropical greenhouse. Duisburg Witten Göttingen Duderstadt Essen HESSE Venlo A3 Menden Amid the lake-dotted Georgengarten (ad- Münden Krefeld A1 mission free), you’ll find the Wilhelm-Busch- Düsseldorf THURINGIA Museum (%1699 9916; www.wilhelm-busch-museum .de; adult/concession €4.50/2.50; h10am-5pm Tue-Fri, to Dangers & Annoyances for a quick 4.2km, do-it-yourself tour of the to today. Comparing the models from 1939 6pm Sat & Sun) containing a wealth of caricature, The area around the Hauptbahnhof feels a city’s main highlights.