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82-630: The Stadthalle Hannover (Municipal hall) is a concert hall and event venue in Hanover , the capital of Lower Saxony , Germany. The large hall is called Kuppelsaal , after its dome. The hall was opened in 1914. It is the largest hall for classical music in Germany, seating 3,600. Severely damaged during World War II, it was restored slightly altered. The hall is now part of the Hannover Congress Centrum  [ de ] . The listed historic building

164-516: A competition in 1910. It was built from 1912 to 1914. The domed hall in neoclassical style was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. It was conceived as a multi-functional municipal hall for concerts, congresses and conventions, with a rising podium for 80 players and 400 to 600 singers. Seating an audience of 3,600, it is the largest hall for classical music in Germany by capacity. The hall was opened in 1914 with

246-720: A countermove in order to further reduce the power of the Bishop of Hildesheim in the Hanover area. Administratively, this area was initially still called the Vogtei of Lauenrode, after Lauenrode Castle on the outskirts of Hanover, from where, the Welfs ruled the territory. With the extinction of the Lüneburg line of the Welfs, the Lüneburg War of Succession , broke out (1371–88) during which Lauenrode Castle

328-559: A fortified town and built Landestrost Castle within its walls as a Renaissance chateau, integrated into a bastion fortress based on the Italian model. In 1582 when the counts of Hoya died out, the larger part of the county went to Calenberg. In 1584 Calenberg also acquired the Diepholz . After Eric's death in 1584 Calenberg-Göttingen was again ruled by the Wolfenbüttel line of the Welfs. In

410-589: A fortress. He had the former Franciscan friary , built around 1300, converted into the Leineschloss , which from then on served as a residence for the sovereigns of the principality. After his death in 1641 a separate peace was hastily concluded with the emperor, which had to be paid for by the return of the land acquired during the Hildesheim Diocesan Feud . George's sons, Christian Louis , George William , John Frederick and Ernest Augustus then ruled

492-571: 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 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 St. Georgii et Jacobi , preaching venue of the bishop of

574-507: A large Musikfest. It proved an impressive space ( beeindruckendes Raumerlebnis ), but had problematic acoustics. The hall was severely damaged by bombing in World War II . It was restored slightly altered, supervised by the original architect Bonatz. Changes were made to the roof and the tholobate . After the founding of Lower Saxony in 1946, with the city to be the state capital, the state parliament met there temporarily from 1947 until

656-445: A population of about 3,850,000 and is the 8th largest metropolitan area 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 state and it grew rapidly in 1950s and 60s due to West German Wirtschaftswunder . This also saw the growth of a large migrant population, drawn largely from Turkey , Greece and Italy . Hanover has also one of

738-492: A population of about 540,000. It is the largest city in Lower Saxony and is the 13th largest city in Germany. The Hanover Region , a district that surrounds the city of Hanover and cities like Langenhagen , Garbsen and Laatzen 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 , Hildesheim and Göttingen , has

820-677: A pretext to stage a nationwide pogrom known as Kristallnacht (9 November 1938). On that day, the synagogue of Hanover, designed in 1870 by Edwin Oppler in neo-romantic style, was burnt by the Nazis. In September 1941, through the "Action Lauterbacher" plan, a ghettoisation 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 . A total of 2,400 people were deported, and very few survived. During

902-548: A reminder of the persecution of the Jews in Hanover. After the war a large group of Orthodox Jewish survivors of the nearby Bergen-Belsen concentration camp settled in Hanover. There was also a camp for Sinti and Romani people (see Romani Holocaust ), and dozens of forced labour subcamps of the Stalag XI-B prisoner-of-war camp for Allied POWs. As an important railway and road junction and production centre, Hanover

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984-513: A successful general in the Thirty Years War , chose the city as his Residenz in 1636 could Hanover also be viewed as part of the Principality of Calenberg. Calenberg Castle was demolished and slighted between 1692 and 1694. Because of the link that had existed since 1463 between the principalities of Calenberg and Göttingen , the latter was also sometimes referred to as Calenberg. Today

1066-536: Is a forest originally used for deer and other game for the king's table. The 282-metre-high (925 ft) 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

1148-510: Is a forum for contemporary art. It features mostly exhibitions and projects of artists from Hanover. Principality of Calenberg When Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg chose the Principality of Calenberg as his part of the inheritance in 1495, he described it as "the land between the River Leine and the Deister ". This geographical description, however, was never totally correct. In fact,

1230-661: Is a landmark of the city. The Stadthalle is located in the district Zoo , near the Eilenriede and the Eilenriedestadion , right next to the Stadtpark Hannover  [ de ] with a Japanese tea garden and a rose garden. It is connected to the highway system by Messeschnellweg , and can be reached by bus. The Stadthalle was designed by architects Paul Bonatz , a young architect from Stuttgart , and his partner Friedrich Eugen Scholer  [ de ] , who won

1312-465: Is a vice-president city of Mayors for Peace , an international mayoral organisation mobilising cities and citizens worldwide to abolish and eliminate nuclear weapons by 2020. Hanover has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ) independent of the isotherm. Although the city is not on a coastal location, the predominant air masses are still from the ocean, unlike other places further east or south-central Germany. The Hanover weather station has recorded

1394-474: 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 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 city of Bremen by

1476-814: Is headquarters for several Protestant organizations, including the World Communion of Reformed Churches , the Protestant Church in Germany , the Reformed Alliance , the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany , and the Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church . In 2015, 31.1% of the population were Protestant and 13.4% were Roman Catholic . The majority 55.5% were irreligious or other religion. The Historisches Museum Hanover (Historic museum) describes

1558-465: 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 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

1640-550: Is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony . Its 535,932 (2021) population makes it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in northern Germany after Berlin , Hamburg and Bremen . Hanover's urban area comprises the towns of Garbsen , Langenhagen and Laatzen and has a population of about 791,000 (2018). The Hanover Region has approximately 1.16 million inhabitants (2019) and

1722-790: 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 (1636–1692), the Electorate of Hanover (1692–1814), the Kingdom of Hanover (1814–1866), the Province of Hanover of the Kingdom of Prussia (1868–1918),

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1804-518: The Battle of Waterloo in 1815. In 1814 the electorate became the Kingdom of Hanover . In 1837, the personal union of the United Kingdom and Hanover ended because William IV 's heir in the United Kingdom was female ( Queen Victoria ). 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

1886-584: The Hanover Medical School ( Medizinische Hochschule Hannover ), one of Germany's leading medical schools , with its university hospital Klinikum der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover , and the Leibniz University Hanover . The city is also home to International Neuroscience Institute . The Hanover Fairground , owing to numerous extensions, especially for the Expo 2000 , is the largest in

1968-732: The Hanoverian Army . However, George III 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 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 and

2050-616: The Holy Roman Emperor to the rank of Prince-Elector in 1692, which was confirmed by the Imperial Diet in 1708. Thus, the principality was upgraded to the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , colloquially known as the Electorate of Hanover after Calenberg's capital (see also House of Hanover ). Its electors later became monarchs of Great Britain (and from 1801 of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ). The first of them

2132-656: The Horse Tower . The 36 most significant sights of the city centre are connected by a 4.2-kilometre-long (3 mi) 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. Hanover has

2214-623: The Ihme , in the south of the North German Plain . The city is a major crossing point of railway lines and motorways ( Autobahnen ), connecting European main lines in both the east–west ( Berlin – Ruhr area / Düsseldorf / Cologne ) and north–south (Hamburg– Frankfurt / Stuttgart / Munich ) directions. Hanover Airport lies north of the city, in Langenhagen , and is Germany's ninth-busiest airport. The city's most notable institutes of higher education are

2296-1253: 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 lake and

2378-622: The Low Countries and Saxony or Thuringia . In the 14th century, the main churches of Hanover were built, as well as a city wall with three city gates. The beginning of industrialization in Germany led to trade in iron and silver from the northern Harz Mountains , which increased the city's importance. In 1636 George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg , ruler of the Brunswick-Lüneburg principality of Calenberg , moved his residence to Hanover. The Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg were elevated by

2460-657: The Paradies and the Prairie Garden . The Georgengarten 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 ( Neues Rathaus ). 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

2542-687: The Province of Hanover of the Free State of Prussia (1918–1947) and of the State of Hanover (1946). From 1714 to 1837 Hanover was by personal union 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 city lies at the confluence of the River Leine and its tributary

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2624-687: The Prussia during the Austro-Prussian war . 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 and destroyed the Hanoverian Army. Thereafter the city of Hanover became the capital of the Prussian Province of Hanover . In 1872, the first horse railway was inaugurated, and in 1893, an electric tram

2706-505: The Seven Years' War , the Battle of Hastenbeck 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 , the following year. After Napoleon imposed the Convention of Artlenburg (treaty of the Elbe) on 5 July 1803, about 35,000 French soldiers occupied Hanover. The convention also required disbanding

2788-463: The Thirty Years' War the brother of Duke Frederick Ulrich , "mad" Christian , brought the war to the state. After Danish troops under King Christian IV , who was then commander of the Lower Saxon Circle , was defeated by the general of the Catholic League , Tilly in the Battle of Lutter , Tilly occupied the whole principality in 1626. Only the cities of Brunswick and Hanover could not be captured. When Duke Frederick Ulrich died childless in 1634

2870-453: The Calenbergs also inherited Saxe-Lauenburg . Ernest Augustus switched to the side of the emperor and introduced primogeniture , contrary to the direction of his father. In 1692 for his services to the emperor, Ernest Augustus was rewarded after a long struggle with the title of the ninth electorate . Officially he was now the Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg and his government was called the "Electoral Brunswick-Lüneburg Government". In 1705 it

2952-467: The German (am) hohen Ufer , literally 'on the high (river) bank'. Traditionally, the English spelling is ⟨ Hanover ⟩ . However, ⟨ Hannover ⟩ , the German spelling with a double- ⟨n⟩ , has become more popular in English. Recent editions of Encyclopædia Britannica prefer the German spelling, and the local government uses the German spelling on their English webpages. The English pronunciation, with stress on

3034-413: The Leine River and was situated near the southern edge of the wide North German Plain and northwest of the Harz mountains, so east–west traffic such as mule trains passed through it. Hanover was thus a gateway to the Rhine , Ruhr and Saar 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

3116-404: 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

3198-418: The Old Town are the Market Hall , the Leine Palace , 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 are there. They are part of the Sculpture Mile , which starts at Trammplatz , runs along the river bank, crosses Königsworther Square , and ends at

3280-421: The Principality of Calenberg-Göttingen in succession. In 1665 the Principality of Grubenhagen , whose line had died out in 1596 and over which the lines of Lüneburg and Wolfenbüttel had long fought in the Imperial Chamber Court , was also finally added to the Calenberg dynasty. George's youngest son, Ernest Augustus , who ruled from 1679, carried on the successful policies of his father and his brothers. In 1689

3362-413: The Principality of Wolfenbüttel from his brother Henry who had left no heirs, he ceded sovereignty over Calenberg to his sons William the Younger and Frederick III , known as "the Restless" or "Turbulentus". After the death of William the Victorious in 1482 both sons shared the regency. In an agreement dated 1 August 1483, however, they split the rights of use ( Mutschierung ). The younger son, Frederick

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3444-468: The Restless, was awarded the rights of use over Calenberg and Göttingen, and his brother William the Younger was awarded the rule over Wolfenbüttel. Nevertheless, in 1484/85 William deposed his brother Frederick and declared him insane. The reasons for his removal are debated; perhaps by his participation in many armed conflicts, Frederick was seen to pose a threat to Welf rule in Calenberg and Göttingen. So William succeeded - albeit only briefly - in re-uniting

3526-424: 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 in 1821. From 1816 to 1837, Viceroy Adolphus represented the monarch in Hanover. During

3608-446: The Welf princes all carried the ducal title and the territories they ruled were principalities within the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , their dominions were named after the main castle or town. William spent most of his time at Calenberg Castle from where he administered the territory. As a result, it is probable that the name of the Principality of Calenberg emerged during this time. Between 1442 and 1463 William succeeded in taking over

3690-406: The Wolfenbüttel lands, William was compensated with the newly created Principality of Calenberg. At that time, the lordship given to William had no name. It consisted of the rights formerly owned by the Principality of Lüneburg between the Deister range and the Leine river, as well as the former County of Wölpe , the lordship of Hallermund near Springe and the Homburg and Everstein dominions. As

3772-524: The Wolfenbüttel line of the Middle House of Brunswick ended with him. In 1635 Duke Augustus the Elder from the Middle House of Lüneburg received the Principality of Calenberg-Göttingen. After his death in 1636 his younger brother George became its ruler. He was successful as a general on the Swedish side and he also succeeded in 1637 in recovering the country and especially the towns for the Welfs. He initially ruled out of occupied Hildesheim, but then moved his residence to Hanover , which he also had built as

3854-402: The border with thousands of other Polish-Jewish deportees, fed only intermittently by the Polish Red Cross and Jewish welfare organisations. The Grynszpans' son Herschel Grynszpan 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 , who died shortly afterwards. The Nazis took this act as

3936-414: The city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 12 September 2021, and the results were as follows: 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 palace itself was largely destroyed by Allied bombing, but

4018-414: The city forest Eilenriede , 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 Library , have been on UNESCO 's Memory of the World Register since 2007. Outside the city centre is the Hanover Fairground , which

4100-415: The city on 10 April 1945. Hanover was in the British zone of occupation of Germany and became part of the new state (Land) of Lower Saxony in 1946. In 1947, Hanover established its relationship with Bristol, England in exchanges of goods, students and music. This would link the two cities to Sister Cities International as one of the models for establishing these types of programs. Today Hanover

4182-428: The county of Everstein and the lordship of Homburg after the extinction of their reigning families. These were added to the Vogtei of Calenberg. In a further Welf inheritance in 1432 - the ninth according to Gudrun Pischke - the area was divided again by the Welf dukes William the Victorious and Henry the Peaceful who had hitherto ruled jointly in the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel . While Henry retained

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4264-404: The entire territory of the principalities of Calenberg, Brunswick-Göttingen and Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel . After Frederick's death in 1495, however, William again divided his territories and left the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel to his elder son Henry V . The younger son, Eric I received Calenberg and Göttingen and thus founded the Calenberg line of the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg . In

4346-421: 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  [ de ] , the Laves House , the Wangenheim Palace , the Lower Saxony State Archives , the Hanover Playhouse ,

4428-404: The fairground are the Hermes Tower (88.8 metres or 291 feet 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

4510-455: 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 . Hanover was founded in medieval times on the east bank of the Leine River. Its original name Honovere may mean 'high river bank', but that

4592-425: The following extreme values: The city of Hanover is divided into 13 boroughs ( Stadtbezirke ) and 53 quarters ( Stadtteile ). A selection of the 53 quarters: The current mayor of Hanover is Belit Onay of Alliance 90/The Greens , 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: The Hanover city council governs

4674-406: 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 is the largest art society in Germany. The museum hosts exhibitions from classical modernist art to contemporary art. Emphasis

4756-463: The largest Vietnamese communities in former West Germany due to its proximity to former East Germany . The Viên Giác pagoda 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 dialect area after Hamburg, Dortmund , Essen and Bremen. Hanover

4838-414: 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

4920-404: The new building in the Leineschloss was completed in 1961. The Kuppelsaal was restored again from 2015 to January 2016, including technical modernisation, more comfortable seating and improved acoustics . Hanover Hanover ( / ˈ h æ n oʊ v ər , - n ə v -/ , HAN -oh-vər, HAN -ə-vər ; German : Hannover [haˈnoːfɐ] ; Low German : Hannober )

5002-606: The new territory so formed, the name Calenberg was increasingly used for both parts of the state. For the period under Eric I and his son, Eric II , however, the name "Principality of Calenberg-Göttingen" was also used a lot. The principality had separate parliamentary Estates and separate councils for each part. The chancellery for Unterwald was established in Neustadt on Rübenberge and that for Oberwald in Münden. There were also separate residences, lordly castles or manor houses and palaces in each town as well as separate repositories for their records. Under Eric I, Calenberg Castle

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5084-456: The principality extended west of the Leine from Schulenburg as far as Neustadt am Rübenberge in the north and thus much further north than the foothills of the Deister. To the south-west the territory stretched as far as Hamelin on the Weser , well beyond the Deister. The city of Hanover was largely independent of Welf territorial lordship, even though it was not formally a free imperial city . Not until George of Calenberg , who had been

5166-417: The reconciliation between the Houses of Hohenstaufen and Welf and was given the allodial estates of the family claimed by them in the area between Lüneburg and Brunswick as the new and independent Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg . In the region west of Hanover, the Welfs had but few allodial possessions and so that area was disputed between the House of Welf and the bishops of Hildesheim and Minden . It

5248-402: The reign of George of Calenberg in 1636, the principality had experienced 140 years of almost continuously poor government that cared little about the state. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance the cultural centres lay outside Calenberg in the towns of Brunswick , Hildesheim and Lüneburg . New centres were created at the residences of Wolfenbüttel and Celle . Even the city of Hanover

5330-465: The rule over the Brunswick Principality of Göttingen . Although unification with Calenberg initially came about purely by chance, it lasted nonetheless. In order to distinguish the two areas which were physically separated by the foothills of the uplands in the Leine valley, Calenberg in the north was usually referred to as Unterwald ("Lower Forest"), whilst the Göttingen region was called the Oberwald ("Upper Forest"). When in 1473 William also inherited

5412-543: 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

5494-401: The term Calenberg Land is usually only used for the region between Hanover and the Deister. Originally the territory belonged to the Duchy of Saxony but in 1180, after the imperial ban had been imposed on the Welf prince, Henry the Lion , he lost his ducal lands in Saxony and Bavaria. However, in 1235, Henry's grandson, Otto the Child , was promoted to the rank of prince as a result of

5576-400: The war seven concentration camps were constructed in Hanover, in which many Jews were confined, but also Polish , French and Russian 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

5658-404: The world. The Hanover Zoo 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,

5740-451: The world. It provides 496,000 square metres (5.34 million square feet) of covered indoor space, 58,000 square metres (620 thousand square feet) 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

5822-413: The world. Hanover hosts annual commercial trade fairs such as the Hanover Fair and up to 2018 the CeBIT . The IAA Commercial Vehicles show takes place every two years. It is 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 . The name of the city may derive from

5904-571: Was George I Louis , who acceded to the British throne in 1714. The last British monarch who reigned in Hanover was William IV . Semi-Salic law , which required succession by the male line if possible, forbade the accession of Queen Victoria 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 . Three kings of Great Britain, or

5986-820: Was a major target for strategic bombing during World War II , including the Oil Campaign . Targets included the AFA ( Stöcken ), the Deurag-Nerag refinery ( Misburg ), the Continental plants ( Vahrenwald and Limmer ), the United light metal works (VLW) in Ricklingen and Laatzen (today Hanover fairground ), the Hanover/Limmer rubber reclamation plant , the Hanomag factory ( Linden ) and

6068-411: Was enhanced further by the inheritance of the Principality of Lüneburg , whereby all the estates of the Welfs, apart from the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, became united under the line also known as the House of Hanover from which the British royal throne are descended. The Principality of Calenberg was initially a rather insignificant territory and Welf lordship developed here quite late. By

6150-610: Was expanded into a strong fortress. Another heavily fortified castle, which he had built, was the Erichsburg near Dassel on which construction began in 1527. In the Hildesheim Diocesan Feud in 1519 he was initially defeated militarily in the Battle of Soltau . Diplomatically, however, he was able to win a ruling from the Emperor Charles V that saw a large part of the Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim added to his domain. Eric I

6232-572: Was hostile to the emerging Protestant Reformation . His second wife, Elisabeth of Brandenburg , however, whom he married in 1525, switched over to the new doctrine in 1535 and promoted it at the court, which then resided at Münden . After Eric's death in 1540 she took over the government for their underage son, Eric II, and implemented the Reformation in the principality with the state superintendent Antonius Corvinus she had appointed. Eric II, however, converted to Roman Catholicism in 1547 even though he

6314-604: Was installed. A local newspaper, the Hanoverscher Kurier , was published in Hanover at this time. After 1937 the lord mayor and the state commissioners of Hanover were members of the NSDAP (Nazi party). A large Jewish population 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

6396-585: Was largely ruled by comital dynasties, such as the counts of Wölpe in the northwest, the counts of Hallermund in the southwest and the counts of Rhoden in the west and in Hanover. In 1292 Duke Otto the Strict from the Lüneburg line of the Welfs subjugated the region. Earlier, he had yielded to the Bishop of Hildesheim and accepted the city of Hanover as his fief. However, he shook off his allegiance and founded Calenberg Castle , just 13 km west of Hildesheim , in

6478-415: Was raised as an Evangelical by his mother. He was not able to reverse the Reformation in the principality however. His power in the principality was already very weak. He spent most of his time as a mercenary leader abroad, and was financially dependent on the towns. In 1553 he had to secure the financial aid of his towns by approving evangelical preaching. From 1574 he had Neustadt am Rübenberge developed as

6560-568: 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 . 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

6642-451: Was stormed by the citizens of Hanover and destroyed. The Vogtei was then moved to Calenberg Castle. The Welf dukes did not inherit their land by primogeniture and this resulted in the late Middle Ages in numerous Welf estates and a great fragmentation of Welf territory. In 1400 the Vogtei of Calenberg went to the Wolfenbüttel line of the Welfs. In 1408 and 1409 they were able to purchase

6724-770: Was the site of EXPO 2000 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

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