GERMANY HANOVER DESTINATIONS
to miss the brightly coloured sculptures on the banks. These are some of Hanover’s most famous daughters, the Nanas. The word means ‘girls’, and the joyfully dancing figures are the work of sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle. Although French, the artist had a strong connection to Hanover, and was made an honorary citizen in 2000. 12.00: Having seen evidence of the extensive wartime bombing, the Old Town with its 16th and 17th-century half-timbered buildings may seem confusing. In fact, they were collected from all over the city and rebuilt in this location. Look out for the imposing Market Church, a red-brick Gothic monolith with a peculiarly short tower – the money ran out before the original taller version was finished.
A red line painted on the city streets will tour you around the highlights with no risk of getting lost
13.00: Walk back through the shopping streets of the centre to Kröpcke – the name of the square, the clock standing in it, the metro station under it and the cafe. The cafe came first – in 1869 – and the name comes from one of its most famous proprietors, Wilhelm Kröpcke. Now managed by Mövenpick, it is a convenient spot for lunch. 14.00: Head underground and
take the metro (direct on lines 4/5) to the jewel in Hanover’s crown, the Herrenhausen Gardens, where entry is €8. The extensive and formal Baroque Grosser Garten – think trimmed yew hedges, phalanxes of statues and tinkling fountains – were the brainchild of Electress Sophia, the mother of George I, and are a lovely spot for a wander. Most of it is meticulously preserved and historically accurate, but don’t miss the one modern touch, the Grotto, a gorgeous hideaway lined with mosaics and mirrors, designed by Niki de Saint Phalle of the Nanas fame. The original palace was destroyed in the Second World War, but an accurate replica has been rebuilt and just opened as a conference centre. Below this is the Museum Schloss Herrenhausen, which
gives not only great background to the gardens themselves, but also the Hanoverian royal line and life in that era. 16.30: Keen plant enthusiasts will want to use their combined ticket to visit the Berggarten across the road, a botanical garden with a vast variety of plants including a world-famous collection of orchids. Others might rather stop at the cafe, set in what would have been the palace kitchens, before taking the metro back to the city centre to freshen up before dinner. 19.30: German food is hearty and frequently meat-heavy, so tell clients to go out with an appetite. Recommend Broyhan Haus on Kramerstrasse for traditional dishes – beer soup, schnitzels, sauerkraut, roast suckling pig – in a fittingly old-world setting.
10 September 2015
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