Hanover, Germany

Last weekend we decided to drive up to Hanover. Hanover is the capital of Lower Saxony, the state we live in. Hanover and England shared the same ruler from 1714-1837. There is still a royal family, although it is only an ornamental title without any actual power. Hanover is only about 40 kilometers north of Hildesheim and takes only about a half hour to get there. We flew into Hanover when we moved here. It has been really cold, so we bundled up and headed up there. We drove to the center of town, found a place to park and walked around to see a few sights.

First we went to the Marktkirche. It is one of the oldest churches in Hanover. It was built in the 12th century and named St. Georg's Kirche. It was rebuilt in the 14th century and renamed "Kerk Sinte Jakobs und Jurgens." After the reformation in 1533, it was converted to a Lutheran church. Now it is called the "Church of St. George and St. Jacob." It was destroyed by bomb raids in World War II but was rebuilt as authentic as possible. It features a 14th century style nave and characteristic four pinnacled tower. The most valuable object is the Gothic altar built in 1480 in linden-wood. It has scenes of Jesus' way to the cross, the Crucifixion, and the triumph over death. It was based on copper engravings by artist Martin Schongauer. There are two fonts n the Marktkirche. In 1450 Hildesheimer plaster casters are thought to have cast the 141 individual pieces of which this brass font consists. Only 2% of the leaded glazing from the period around 1400 has survived the centuries.




After walking around the Marktplatz, we walked a few blocks to the Opernhaus. This opera house was built in 1845-47 by George Ludwig Friedrich laves, Hanovers most important architect. It is a Neo-Classical design with charming portico columns and facade.

Next we walked to this bombed out church. It was destroyed in World War II and has never been rebuilt. It's shell is a reminder of the horrible destruction all German cities experienced during the war. We've learned that almost every historical building in Germany has had to be rebuilt after the war.



The last stop we made was the Neues Rathaus, or "New Town Hall." This is a gorgeous building. It was built in 1901-13 on more than 6,000 beech pillars modeled after a Baroque palace with a central dome. There is a unique elevator that travels sidewards to carry you up to the top of the dome to see a beautiful view of the city. It was closed the day we went so we plan to come back in the spring to see it.

While we were in Hanover, we saw two different Mexican restaurants. We wonder what Germans think is traditional Mexican food so we hope to check them out sometime in the future. We are already craving mexican food and its only been three weeks! It is going to be a long six months:)