Events of the Day; Hanover (2)

[altmariusgeo]

Geography

[edit] Climate

Hanover experiences a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb).

[hide]Climate data for Hanover
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	3 (37.4)	4.11 (39.4)	7.89 (46.2)	12.72 (54.9)	17.72 (63.9)	20.89 (69.6)	22.22 (72.0)	22.28 (72.1)	18.61 (65.5)	13.78 (56.8)	7.72 (45.9)	4.11 (39.4)	12.94 (55.3)
Average low °C (°F)	-2.22 (28.0)	-2 (28.4)	0.28 (32.5)	2.89 (37.2)	7 (44.6)	10.28 (50.5)	12 (53.6)	11.72 (53.1)	9.39 (48.9)	6 (42.8)	2.28 (36.1)	-0.72 (30.7)	4.72 (40.5)
Precipitation mm (inches)	53 (2.1)	38 (1.5)	48 (1.9)	51 (2.0)	61 (2.4)	74 (2.9)	61 (2.4)	64 (2.5)	53 (2.1)	43 (1.7)	53 (2.1)	61 (2.4)	660 (26.0)
Source: Intellicast[7] 2009-09-19

[edit] Subdivisions

[edit] Districts

Boroughs of Hanover

Hanover Region

1. Mitte
2. Vahrenwald-List
3. Bothfeld-Vahrenheide
4. Buchholz-Kleefeld
5. Misburg-Anderten
6. Kirchrode-Bemerode-Wülferode
7. Südstadt-Bult
8. Döhren-Wülfel
9. Ricklingen
10. Linden-Limmer
11. Ahlem-Badenstedt-Davenstedt
12. Herrenhausen-Stöcken
13. Nord

[edit] Quarters

• Nordstadt
• Südstadt
• Oststadt
• Zoo (for the zoo itself, see Hanover Zoo)
• Herrenhausen

[edit] Main sights

Panoramic view from the viewing platform at the New Town Hall

Ernst August memorial, central railway station

The Staatsoper Hanover ("state opera") is housed in its classical 19th century opera house.

Market Church in Hanover

Old Town Hall

Leine River At Hanover City

Waterloo Column in Hanover

One of the most famous sights is the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen:

The Great Garden is an important European baroque garden. The palace itself, however, was largely destroyed by Allied bombing. Some points of interest are the Grotto (the interior was designed by the French artist Niki de Saint-Phalle), the Gallery Building, the Orangerie and the two pavilions by Remy de la Fosse. The Great Garden consists of several parts. The most popular ones are the Great Ground and the Nouveau Jardin. At the centre of the Nouveau Jardin is Europe's highest garden fountain. The historic Garden Theatre inter alia hosted the musicals of the German rock musician Heinz Rudolf Kunze.

The Berggarten is an important European botanical garden. Some points of interest are the Tropical House, the Cactus House, the Canary House and the Orchid House, which hosts one of the world's biggest collection of orchids, and free-flying birds and butterflies. Near the entrance to the Berggarten is the historic Library Pavillon. The Mausoleum of the Guelphs is also located in the Berggarten. Like the Great Garden, the Berggarten also consists of several parts, for example the Paradies and the Prairie Garden. There is also the Sea Life Centre Hanover, which is the first tropical aquarium in Germany.

The Georgengarten is an English landscape garden. The Leibniz Temple and the Georgen Palace are two points of interest there.

Other gardens are the Guelph Garden with the Guelph Palace and the Prince Garden. Nearby are the Water Art, the Hardenbergsche House and the Prince House.

The landmark of Hanover is the New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus). Inside the building are four scale models of the town and the only working diagonal elevator in Germany, which goes up the large dome.

The Hanover Zoo is one of the most spectacular and best zoos in Europe. The zoo received the Park Scout Award for the third year running in 2008, 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 Alaska-themed area, Yukon Bay, is still under construction.

Another point of interest is the Old Town. At the centre are the huge Market Church and the Old Town Hall. Nearby are the Leibniz House, the Nolte House, and the Beguine Tower. A very nice quarter of the Old Town is the Kreuz-Church-Quarter around the Kreuz Church with many nice little lanes. Nearby is the old theatre, called Ballhofeins. On the edge of 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 you arrive at the bank of the river Leine, where the world-famous Nanas of Niki de Saint-Phalle are located. They are part of the Mile of Sculpture which leads from the Königsworter Square up to the entrance of the Georgengarten. Near the Old Town is the district Calenberger Neustadt where the Catholic Church of St. Clemens, the Reformed Church, and the Protestant Neustädter Church are located.

Some other popular sights are the Waterloo Column, the Laves House, the Wangenheim Palace, 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 Central Station, the Maschsee lake and the city forest Eilenriede, which is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. With its around 40 parks, forests and gardens, a couple of lakes, two rivers and one canal, Hanover offers a large variety of leisure activities.

Since 2007 the historic Leibniz Letters, which can be viewed in the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library, are an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Outside the city centre is the EXPO-Park, the former site of EXPO 2000. Some points of interest are the Planet M., the former German Pavillon, the Yempa Event-Palace, 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 in the world^{[citation needed]}. Two important sights on the fairground are the Hermes Tower (88.8 metres high) and the EXPO Roof, the largest wooden roof in the world^{[citation needed]}.

In the district of Anderten is the European Cheese Centre, the only Cheese Experience Centre in Europe. Another tourist sight in Anderten is the Hindenburg Lock, which was the biggest lock in Europe at the time of construction in 1928. The Animalgarden in the district of Kirchrode is a huge forest and shows the local animals.

In the district of Groß-Buchholz is the Telemax, the tallest building in Lower Saxony and one of the highest television towers in Northern Germany. Some other remarkable towers are the VW-Tower and the old towers of the former mid-age defence belt: Döhrener Tower, Lister Tower and the Horse Tower.

The 36 most important sights of the city centre are connected with a 4.2 kilometres (3 mi) long red line, which is painted on the pavement. This so-called Red Thread marks out a walk that starts at the Tourist Information Office and ends on the Ernst-August-Square in front of the central station. There is also a guided sightseeing-bus tour through the city.

[edit] Society and culture

[edit] Museums and galleries

The Historic Museum describes the history of Hanover, from the medieval settlement "honovere" to the world-famous Exhibition City of today. The museum focuses on the period from 1714 to 1834 when Hanover had a strong relationship with the British royal house.

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. One big focus is put on film, video, contemporary music and architecture, room installments and big 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 is a forum for contemporary art. It features mostly exhibitions and projects of famous and important 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 7 international monografic and thematic Exhibitions in one year.

The Lower Saxony State Museum is the largest museum in Hanover. The State Gallery shows the European Art from the 11th to the 20th century, the Nature Department shows the zoology, geology, botanic, geology and a Vivarium with fishes, insects, reptiles and amphibians. The Primeval Department shows the primeval history of Lower Saxony and the Folklore Department shows the cultures from all over the world.

The Sprengel Museum 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 the German expressionism, and the French cubism, the cabinet of abstracts, the graphics and the department of photography and media. Furthermore the museum shows the famous 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 is the German museum for caricature and critical graphics. The collection of the works of Wilhelm Busch and the extensive collection of caricatures and critical graphics is this museum 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 Hannover". Carpets and things from the orient can be visited in the Oriental Carpet Museum. The Blind Man Museum is a rarity in Germany, another one is only 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 Home 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 maintopic of the Kunsthalle Faust, the Nord/LB Art Gellery 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 space should visit the Observatory Geschwister Herrschel on the Lindener Mountain or the small planetarium inside of the Bismarck School.

[edit] Theatre, cabaret and musical

Around 40 theatres are located in Hanover. The Opera House, the Schauspielhaus (Play House), the Ballhofeins, the Ballhofzwei and the Cumbarlandsche Galerie belong to the Lower Saxony State Theatre. The Theater am Aegi is Hanovers big theatre for musicals, shows and guest performances. The Neues Theater (New Theatre) is the Boulevard Theatre of Hanover. The Theater für Niedersachsen is another big 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 Choreographs.

Hanovers leading cabaret-stage is the GOP Variety theatre which is located in the Georgs Palace. Some other famous 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

Hanover's own band, the Scorpions

The rock bands Scorpions and Fury in the Slaughterhouse are originally from Hanover. Also, acclaimed DJ Mousse T has his main recording studio in the area.

There are/were two big international competitions for classical music in Hanover:

• Hanover International Violin Competition (since 1991)
• Classica Nova International Music Competition (1997) (Non profit association Classica Nova exists in Hanover with the aim to continue the Classica Nova competition).

Sport

Hannover 96 (nickname Die Roten or 'The Reds') is the local football team that plays in the Bundesliga top division. Home games are played at the AWD-Arena, which hosted matches in the 1974 and 2006 World Cups and the Euro 1988. Their reserve team Hannover 96 II plays in the fourth league and the home games are played in the traditional Eilenriedestadium. Arminia Hannover is another very traditional soccer team in Hanover that has played in the first league for years and plays now in the Niedersachsen-West Liga (Lower Saxony League West). Home matches are played in the Rudolf-Kalweit-Stadium.

Inside the AWD-Arena

Hanover is one of Germany's centres for ice hockey. The Hannover Scorpions play in the top division and their home games are played in the TUI Arena. The Hannover Indians are the second ice hockey team in Hanover. Even though the Hanover Indians are in the second league usually more people come to matches at the "PferdeTurm" than to matches of the "Hannover Scorpions". This is because the Indians are originally from Hanover whereas the Scorpions moved to Hanover to access the larger market.

Hanover is also one of the Rugby union capitals in Germany. The first German Rugby team was founded in Hanover in 1878. Hanover is one of the leading towns in the German Rugby scene. DRC Hannover plays in the first division, and SV Odin von 1905 as well as SG 78/08 Hannover play in the second division.

The first German Fencing Club was founded in Hanover in 1862. Today there are three more Fencing Clubs in Hanover.

Hanover is a centre for Water Sports. Thanks to the lake Maschsee, the rivers Ihme and Leine and to the channel Mittellandkanal Hanover hosts sailing schools, yacht schools, waterski clubs, rowing clubs, canoe clubs and paddle clubs. The water polo team WASPO W98 plays in the first division.

The Hannover Regents play in the third German Baseball division.

Sports

The Hannover Marathon 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 (relay), the Sport-Check Nachtlauf (night-running), the Herrenhäuser Team-Challenge, the Hannoversche Firmenlauf (company running) and the Silvesterlauf (sylvester running).

Hanover hosts also an important international cycle race: The Nacht von Hannover (night of Hanover). The race takes place around the Market Hall.

The lake Maschsee hosts the International Dragon Boat Races and the Canoe-Polo-Tournament. Many regattas take place during the year. Head of the river Leine on the river Leine is one of the biggest rowing regattas in Hanover.

Some other important sport events are the Lower Saxony Beach Volleyball Tournament, the international horse show German Classics and the international ice hockey tournament Nations Cup.

Regular events

CeBIT 2008 conference centre in Hanover

Hanover is one of the leading Exhibition Cities in the world. Each year Hanover hosts more than 60 international and national exhibitions. The most popular ones are the CeBIT, the Hanover Fair, the Domotex, the Ligna, the IAA Nutzfahrzeuge and the Agritechnica. Hanover also hosts a huge number of congresses.

But Hanover is not only one of the most important Exhibition Cities in the world, Hanover is also one of the German capitals for the marksmen. The Schützenfest Hannover is the largest Marksmen's Fun Fair in the world and takes place once a year. It consists of more than 260 rides and inns, five large beer tents and a big entertainment program. The highlight of this fun fair is the 12 kilometres (7 mi) long Parade of the Marksmen with more than 12.000 participants from all over the world, among them around 5.000 marksmen, 128 bands and more than 70 wagons, carriages and big festival vehicles. It is the longest procession in Europe. Around 2 million people visit this fun fair every year. The landmark of this Fun Fair is the biggest transportable Ferris Wheel in the world (60 m/197 ft high). The origins of this fun fair is located in the year 1529.

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 Hannover 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 Lake. Each year around 2 million visitors want 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 lots of music and cabaret.

The Carnival Procession is around 3 kilometres (2 mi) long and consists of 3.000 participants, around 30 festival vehicles and around 20 bands and takes place every year.

Some more festivals are for example 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 Festivals, for example the Wine Festival and the Gourmet Festival.

Furthermore Hanover hosts some special markets. The Old Town Flea Market is the oldest flea market in Germany ^{[citation needed]}and the Market for Art and Trade has a high reputation. Some other big market is of course the Christmas Market Hanover in the Old Town.

Transport

Hannover Hauptbahnhof

Citaro G natural gas bus designed by James Irvine

TW 2000 tram designed by Herbert Lindinger and Jasper Morrison

Rail

The city's central station, Hannover Hauptbahnhof, is a hub of the German high-speed ICE network. It is the starting point of the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line and also the central hub for the Hanover S-Bahn. It offers many international and national connections. Air

Hanover and its area is served by Hanover/Langenhagen International Airport (HAJ) Road

Hanover is also an important hub of Germany's Autobahn network; the junction of two major autobahns, the A2 and A7 is at Kreuz Hannover-Ost, at the northeastern edge of the city. Local autobahns are A 352 (a short cut between A7 (north) and A2 (west), also known as the airport autobahn because it passes Hanover Airport) and the A 37. The Schnellweg (en: expressway) system, a number of Bundesstraße roads, forms a structure loosely resembling a large ring road 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 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

Main article: Hanover Stadtbahn

Hanover has an extensive Stadtbahn system, operated by üstra. The city is famous for its designer buses and tramways, the TW 6000 and TW 2000 trams being the most well-known examples.

Economy

TUI AG headquarters in Hanover

The Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Transporter (VWN) factory at Hannover-Stöcken is the biggest employer in the region and operates a huge plant at the northern edge of town adjoining the Mittellandkanal and Motorway A2. Jointly with a factory of German tire and automobile parts manufacturer Continental AG, they have a coal-burning power plant. Continental AG, founded in Hanover in 1871, is one of the city's major companies, although a takeover is in progress: the Schaeffler Group from Herzogenaurach (Bavaria) holds the majority of the stock but were required due to the financial crisis to deposit the options as securities at banks.^[8] TUI AG has its HQ in Hanover.^[9] Hanover is home to many insurance companies, many of which operate only in Germany. One major global reinsurance company is Hannover Re, whose headquarters are east of the city centre.

Education

The Leibniz University Hannover is the largest funded institution in Hanover for providing higher education to the 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
• Hanover State University of Music and Drama [1]
• Hannover Medical School [2]
• School of Veterinary Medicine Hanover (Tierärztlichen Hochschule Hannover)

There is one University of Applied Science and Arts in Hanover:

• Fachhochschule Hannover [3]

The Schulbiologiezentrum Hannover maintains practical biology schools in four locations (Botanischer Schulgarten Burg, Freiluftschule Burg, Zooschule Hannover, and Botanischer Schulgarten Linden). The University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover also maintains its own botanical garden specializing in medicinal and poisonous plants, the Heil- und Giftpflanzengarten der Tierärztlichen Hochschule Hannover.

Towns named Hanover

• Hanover, Ontario, Canada
• Hanover, Northern Cape, South Africa
• Hanover, Brighton, UK
• New Hanover, Illinois, U.S.
• Hanover Park ,Illinois,U.S.
• Hanover, Kansas, U.S.
• Hanover, Maine, U.S.
• Hanover, Maryland, U.S.
• Hanover, Massachusetts, U.S.
• Hanover, Minnesota, U.S.
• Hanover, New Hampshire, U.S.
• Hanover, New Mexico, U.S.
• Hanover, Pennsylvania, U.S.
• Hanover, Virginia, U.S.

Also, Hanover County, Virginia and New Hanover County, North Carolina, U.S. are named after the city.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Hanover is twinned with:^[10]

• Bristol, United Kingdom^[11]
• Perpignan, France
• Rouen, France
• Blantyre, Malawi
• Poznań, Poland^[12]
• Hiroshima, Japan^[13]
• Leipzig, Germany^[14]