View source for Hanover

{{Short description|Capital of Lower Saxony, Germany}}
{{Use dmy dates |date=July 2024}}
{{Redirect|Hannover||Hanover (disambiguation)|and|Hannover (disambiguation)}}
{{Refimprove|date=May 2024}}<!-- See talk page before removing. -->
{{Infobox German place
|name               = Hanover
|German_name        = {{native name|de|Hannover}} <br>
{{native name|nds|Hannober}}
|type               = City
|image_photo        = {{multiple image
| total_width            = 280
| border                 = infobox
| perrow                 = 1/2/2/2
| caption_align          = center
| image1 = Hannover Blick Neues Rathaus 01.jpg
| caption1 = View over the city centre from the [[New Town Hall (Hanover)|New Town Hall]]
| image2 = Hannover_old_townhall_Karmarschstrasse_Mitte_Hannover_Germany_01.jpg
| caption2 = [[Altes Rathaus, Hannover|Old Town Hall]]
| image3 = Marktkirche_St_Georgii_et_Jacobi_Mitte_Hannover_Germany.jpg
| caption3 = [[Marktkirche St. Georgii et Jacobi|Marktkirche]]
| image4 = Herrenhäuser gärten 2.jpg
| caption4 = [[Herrenhausen Gardens]]
| image5 = Neues Rathaus bei Nacht.jpg
| caption5 = [[New Town Hall (Hannover)|New Town Hall]]
| image6 = Universität Hannover - Hauptgebäude - B02.jpg
| caption6 = [[University of Hannover]]
}}
|image_caption = 
|image_flag         = Flagge Hannover.svg
|image_coa          = Coat of arms of Hannover.svg
|coordinates        = {{Coord|52|22|N|9|43|E|format=dms|type:city(545,000)_region:DE-NI|display=it}}
|image_plan         = Hannover in H.svg
|state              = Lower Saxony
|district           = [[Hanover Region]]
|elevation          = 55
|area               = 204.01
|area_metro         = <!-- Metropolitan area, in km². XXX.XX (no commas or other text) -->
<!--
|population         = 518386, filled via Gemeindeschlüssel 
|pop_date           = 31 December 2013
|pop_ref            = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statistik.niedersachsen.de/portal/live.php?navigation_id=25688&article_id=87673&_psmand=40|title=Themenbereich: Bevölkerung - Tabellen |access-date=3 April 2014 |language=de}}</ref>
-->
|pop_metro          = 1119032
|postal_code        = 30001–30669
|area_code          = 0511
|licence            = H
|Gemeindeschlüssel  = 03 2 41 001
|divisions          = 13 districts
|website            = {{official URL}}
|mayor              = [[Belit Onay]]<ref name=mayor>[https://wahl.hannover-stadt.de/wahlen.php?site=left/gebiete&wahl=5211#index.php?site=right/ergebnis&wahl=5211&gebiet=1&typ=3&stimme=1 Stichwahl zur Oberbürgermeisterin oder zum Oberbürgermeister 2019 Landeshauptstadt Hannover (10.11.2019)] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319075037/https://wahl.hannover-stadt.de/wahlen.php?site=left%2Fgebiete&wahl=5211#index.php?site=right/ergebnis&wahl=5211&gebiet=1&typ=3&stimme=1 |date=2022-03-19 }}), Region Hannover, accessed 3 August 2021.</ref>
|leader_term        = 2019&ndash;27
|Bürgermeistertitel = Oberbürgermeister
|party              = Greens
|ruling_party1      = SPD
|ruling_party2      = Greens
}}
'''Hanover''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|æ|n|oʊ|v|ər|,_|-|n|ə|v|-}} {{respell|HAN|oh|vər|,_|HAN|ə|vər}}; {{langx|de|Hannover}} {{IPA|de|haˈnoːfɐ||De-Hannover.ogg}}; {{langx|nds|Hannober}}) is the capital and largest city of the [[States of Germany|German state]] of [[Lower Saxony]]. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the [[List of cities in Germany by population|13th-largest city]] in [[Germany]] as well as the fourth-largest 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).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://citypopulation.de/en/germany/urbanareas/ |title=Germany: Urban Areas |website=citypopulation.de |access-date=2 July 2020 |archive-date=3 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603133151/https://citypopulation.de/en/germany/urbanareas/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Hanover Region]] has approximately 1.16 million inhabitants (2019)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/374885/umfrage/entwicklung-der-gesamtbevoelkerung-der-region-hannover/ |title=Entwicklung der Einwohnerzahl in der Region Hannover (Landkreis) von 1995 bis 2019 |website=Statista |language=de |access-date=2 July 2020 |archive-date=2 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702020447/https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/374885/umfrage/entwicklung-der-gesamtbevoelkerung-der-region-hannover/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and is the largest in the [[Hannover–Braunschweig–Göttingen–Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region|Hanover–Braunschweig–Göttingen–Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region]], the [[List of EU metropolitan areas by GDP|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 Hannover|Province of Hanover]] of the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] (1868–1918), the [[Province of Hannover|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 [[House of Hanover|Hanoverian Kings of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]], under their title of the dukes of [[Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Brunswick-Lüneburg]] (later described as the [[Electorate of Hanover|Elector of Hanover]]).

The city lies at the [[confluence]] of the [[River Leine]] and its [[tributary]] the [[Ihme]], in the south of the [[North German Plain]]. The city is a major crossing point of railway lines and motorways ([[Autobahn]]en), connecting European main lines in both the east–west ([[Berlin]]–[[Ruhr|Ruhr area]]/[[Düsseldorf]]/[[Cologne]]) and north–south (Hamburg–[[Frankfurt]]/[[Stuttgart]]/[[Munich]]) directions. [[Hannover Airport|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 the [[Hannover Medical School|Hanover Medical School]] ({{langx|de|Medizinische Hochschule Hannover|label=none}}), one of Germany's leading [[medical school]]s, with its university hospital {{langx|de|Klinikum der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover|label=none}}, and the [[Leibniz University Hannover|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 the world. Hanover hosts annual commercial [[World's fair|trade fairs]] such as the [[Hannover Fair|Hanover Fair]] and up to 2018 the [[CeBIT]]. It also hosts the biannual IAA Commercial Vehicles show, the world's leading trade show for transport, logistics and mobility. Every year Hanover hosts the [[Schützenfest Hannover|Schützenfest Hanover]], the world's largest marksmen's festival, and the [[Oktoberfest celebrations#Hannover|Oktoberfest Hanover]].

== Etymology ==
The name of the city may derive from the German {{lang|de|(am) hohen Ufer}}, literally 'on the high (river) bank'.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Meichler |first1=Jelena |last2=Großkreutz |first2=Jan-Eric |date=2014 |title=Übersicht über alle Artikel in den Hannoverschen Geschichtsblättern 1898-2013 |url=http://freundeskreis-stadtarchiv-hannover.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Hannoversche-Geschichtsbl%C3%A4tter-1898%E2%80%902013.pdf |website=City Archives, Hannover, Germany |access-date=2024-03-10 |archive-date=2023-11-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118090304/http://freundeskreis-stadtarchiv-hannover.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Hannoversche-Geschichtsbl%C3%A4tter-1898%E2%80%902013.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Traditionally, the English spelling is {{angbr|''Hanover''}}. However, {{angbr|''Hannover''}}, the German spelling with a double-{{angbr|n}}, has become more popular in English. Recent editions of [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] prefer the German spelling,{{efn |text=In 2015 Encyclopædia Britannica said {{angbr|Hanover}} is the English spelling and an alternate title for their entry, but used {{angbr|Hannover}}, with a double-{{angbr|n}}, as the title for their entry and in its text (that is written in English) except when referring to the historical kingdom and the province.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/254472/Hannover |title=Hannover |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica |url-status=deviated |year=2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426143852/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/254472/Hannover |archive-date=2015-04-26 |access-date=2024-07-11}}</ref> In 2024 it used {{angbr|Hannover}} in the title and in the text, and {{angbr|Hanover}} as an alternative spelling and when referring to the historical kingdom and the province.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Hannover |date=2024-05-01 |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Hannover-Germany |access-date=2024-07-11 |archive-date=16 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516060643/https://www.britannica.com/place/Hannover-Germany |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>}} and the local government uses the German spelling on their English webpages.<ref>{{cite web |date=27 October 2009 |title=Official Website of the City and Region of Hannover |url=http://www.hannover.de/english/ |access-date=7 April 2011 |publisher=Hannover.de |archive-date=17 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517140950/http://www.hannover.de/english/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The English pronunciation, with [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] on 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]].

==History==
{{For timeline}}
{{see also|History of Hanover (region)}}

=== Early history ===
[[File:Leine at Hannover City.JPG|thumb|[[Leine]] river in Hanover, seen right of (1) the Beguine Tower and remnants of the city's medieval city wall that have been integrated into the [[Historisches Museum Hannover|Hanover Historical Museum]] and (2) the [[Leineschloss|Leine Palace]]]]
[[File:1641 erstmals veröffentlichter Kupferstich Hannover vom Nordosten, Matthäus Merian.jpg|thumb|right|upright=2|Illustration of Hanover by [[Matthäus Merian]],<ref>{{cite Q |Q127276178 |pages=1297–1298 |mode=cs1}}</ref> first issued 1641]]
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 is debated.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2000-01-01 |title=Hanover Surname History |url=https://www.houseofnames.com/hanover-history |access-date=2025-09-20 |website=HouseOfNames |language=EN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Discoveries |first=Name |title=Hanover - Name Meaning and Origin |url=https://namediscoveries.com/surnames/hanover |access-date=2025-09-20 |website=namediscoveries.com |language=en}}</ref> 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 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 (river)|Ruhr]] and [[Saar (river)|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 the [[Low Countries]] and [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]] or [[Thuringia]].

In the 14th century, the main [[church (building)|churches]] of Hanover were built, as well as a [[defensive wall|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 the [[Holy Roman Emperor]] to the rank of [[Prince-Elector]] in 1692, which was confirmed by the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|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 was [[George I of Great Britain|George I Louis]], who acceded to the British throne in 1714. The last British monarch who reigned in Hanover was [[William IV of the United Kingdom|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 the United Kingdom, were concurrently also [[prince-elector|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 of the United Kingdom|George IV]] in 1821. From 1816 to 1837, [[Viceroy]] [[Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge|Adolphus]] represented the monarch in Hanover.

During 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 (1757)|Invasion of Hanover]]. It was recaptured by Anglo-German forces, led by [[Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick|Ferdinand of Brunswick]], the following year.

===19th century===
[[File:Hannover Georgstraße mit Theater (um 1895).jpg|thumb|Am [[Kröpcke]], 1895]]
[[File:Hannover Schloss zu Herrenhausen (um 1895).jpg|thumb|right|Schloss [[Herrenhausen Gardens|Herrenhausen]], 1895]]
After [[Napoleon I|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 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 [[Black Brunswickers|Brunswick]] who consistently opposed France throughout the Napoleonic Wars. The Legion later played an important role in the [[Peninsular War]] and the [[Battle of Waterloo]] in 1815. In 1814 the electorate became the [[Kingdom of Hanover]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://history.state.gov/countries/hanover|title=A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Hanover|publisher=Office of the Historian: US Government|access-date=10 January 2022|archive-date=14 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114211056/https://history.state.gov/countries/hanover|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1837, the [[personal union]] of the United Kingdom and Hanover ended because [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William IV]]'s heir in the United Kingdom was female ([[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]]). Hanover could be inherited only by male heirs. Thus, Hanover passed to William IV's brother, [[Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover|Ernest Augustus]], and remained a kingdom until 1866, when it was annexed by the [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] during the [[Austro-Prussian War|Austro-Prussian war]]. Though Hanover was expected to defeat Prussia at the [[Battle of Langensalza (1866)|Battle of Langensalza]] in 1866, Prussia employed [[Prussian Army#Moltke the Elder|Moltke the Elder's Kesselschlacht order of battle]] to destroy the Hanoverian Army. Thereafter the city of Hanover became the capital of the Prussian [[Province of Hanover]].<ref>[[Heinrich Friedjung]], ''The Struggle for Supremacy in Germany 1859-1866'' (New York: Russell & Russell, 1897), p. 207</ref>

In 1872, the first [[Horsecar|horse railway]] was inaugurated, and in 1893, an electric [[tram]] was installed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Historic B&W photos of Hanover, Germany (19th century) |url=https://monovisions.com/hanover-germany-circa-1890s-19th-century-vintage-historic-photos/ |website=monovisions.com |publisher=MonoVisions Black & White Photography Magazine |access-date=2024-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521235746/https://monovisions.com/hanover-germany-circa-1890s-19th-century-vintage-historic-photos/ |archive-date=2024-05-21 |date=2016-04-21 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Better source|date=August 2024}}

A local newspaper, the ''Hannoverscher Kurier'', was published in Hanover at this time.

===Nazi era===
[[File:Hannover Synagogenmahnmal.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Synagogue site]]
After 1937 the [[Oberbürgermeister|lord mayor]] and the state commissioners of Hanover were members of the [[Nazi Party|NSDAP]] (Nazi party). A large [[German Jews|Jewish population]] then existed in Hanover. In October 1938, 484 Hanoverian Jews of Polish origin were expelled to Poland, including the [[Herschel Grynszpan|Grynszpan family]]. However, Poland refused to accept them, leaving them stranded at the border with thousands of other Polish-Jewish deportees, fed only intermittently by the Polish [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|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.<ref name=book-on-grynszpan>{{cite book|last=Schwab|first=Gerald|title=The Day the Holocaust Began: The Odyssey of Herschel Grynszpan|year=1990|publisher=Praeger|page=14}}</ref>

The Nazis took this act as a pretext to stage a nationwide pogrom known as [[Kristallnacht]] (9 November 1938).<ref name="kristal">{{cite encyclopedia | url=http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005201 | title=Kristallnacht: A Nationwide Pogrom, November 9–10, 1938 | publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | encyclopedia=Holocaust Encyclopedia | access-date=30 June 2015 | archive-date=15 September 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915232439/http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005201 | url-status=live }}</ref> On that day, the [[synagogue]] of Hanover, designed in 1870 by [[Edwin Oppler]] in [[Neo-romanticism|neo-romantic]] style, was burnt by the Nazis.

====World War II====
In September 1941, through the "Action Lauterbacher" plan, a [[ghetto]]isation 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]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Deutsch-jüdische Geschichte der Neuzeit. Band IV |publisher=C.H. Beck |author=Meyer, Michael |year=2000 |location=Munich |isbn=3-406-39705-0 |language=de}}</ref> A total of 2,400 people were deported, and very few survived. During the war seven [[concentration camps]] were constructed in Hanover, in which many Jews were confined,<ref>{{cite book |title=Konzentrationslager in Hannover - KZ-Arbeit und Rüstungsindustrie in der Spätphase des Zweiten Weltkriegs |publisher=August Lax |author=Fröbe, Rainer |year=1989 |location=Hildesheim |isbn=3-7848-2422-6}}</ref> but also [[Polish people|Polish]], [[French people|French]] and [[Russians|Russian]] women.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-neuengamme.de/en/history/satellite-camps/satellite-camps/hannover-langenhagen/|title=Hannover-Langenhagen|website=KZ-Gedenkstätte Neuengamme|access-date=24 October 2023|archive-date=28 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028232120/https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-neuengamme.de/en/history/satellite-camps/satellite-camps/hannover-langenhagen/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-neuengamme.de/en/history/satellite-camps/satellite-camps/hannover-limmer/|title=Hannover-Limmer|website=KZ-Gedenkstätte Neuengamme|access-date=24 October 2023|archive-date=3 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303142044/https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-neuengamme.de/en/history/satellite-camps/satellite-camps/hannover-limmer/|url-status=live}}</ref> Of the approximately 2271 Jews who had lived in Hanover in 1939, 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hanover, Germany |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/hanover |access-date=2025-09-20 |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=10 April 1945 |url=https://www.historyofwar.org/secondworldwar/date/1945_04_10.html |access-date=2025-09-20 |website=www.historyofwar.org}}</ref> Today, a memorial at the Opera Square is a reminder of the persecution of the Jews in Hanover. 
After the war a large group of [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jewish]] survivors of the nearby [[Bergen-Belsen concentration camp]] settled in Hanover.<ref name="lexikon">{{cite book |title='Stadtlexikon Hannover: Von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart' |publisher=Schlütersche |author=Mlynek, Klaus |year=2009 |location=Hannover |pages=17 |language=de}}</ref>

There was also a camp for [[Sinti]] and [[Romani people]] (see ''[[Romani Holocaust]]''),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1776|title=Lager für Sinti und Roma Hannover|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=24 October 2023|language=de|archive-date=28 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028232116/https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1776|url-status=live}}</ref> and dozens of [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] subcamps of the [[Stalag XI-B]] [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|prisoner-of-war camp]] for [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] POWs.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Megargee|first1=Geoffrey P.|last2=Overmans|first2=Rüdiger|last3=Vogt|first3=Wolfgang|year=2022|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|page=465|isbn=978-0-253-06089-1}}</ref>

[[File:Aegidienkirche Hannover.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Aegidienkirche, Hanover|Aegidienkirche]] was not rebuilt and its ruins were kept as a WWII memorial.]]

{{Main|Bombing of Hanover in World War II}}
[[File:1943 WWII map of Hannover, Germany.jpg|thumb|right|WWII map of Hanover in 1943]]
As an important railway and [[Junction (road)|road junction]] and production centre, Hanover was a major target for [[strategic bombing during World War II]], including the [[Oil Campaign of World War II|Oil Campaign]]. Targets included the [[VARTA|AFA]] ([[Herrenhausen|Stöcken]]), the [[Oil Campaign of World War II|Deurag-Nerag]] refinery ([[Misburg]]), the [[Continental AG|Continental]] plants ([[Vahrenwald]] and [[Linden-Limmer|Limmer]]), the United light metal works (VLW) in [[Ricklingen]] and [[Laatzen]] (today [[Hanover fairground]]), [[Oil Campaign of World War II#References|the Hanover/Limmer rubber reclamation plant]], the [[Hanomag]] factory ([[Linden-Limmer|Linden]]) and 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hannover.de/de/kultur_freizeit/geschichte/geschichte_/Stadt_Hannover/gesch_zah/gesch_za3.html |title=History of Hanover 1866-1945, official web site of the city |language=de |publisher=Hannover.de |access-date=7 April 2011 |archive-date=15 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615131140/http://www.hannover.de/de/kultur_freizeit/geschichte/geschichte_/Stadt_Hannover/gesch_zah/gesch_za3.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> After the war, the [[Aegidienkirche, Hanover|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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://zensus2011.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Publikationen/Aufsaetze_Archiv/2015_12_NI_GWZ_endgueltig.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=4 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2024-06-05 |archive-date=2024-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329165923/https://zensus2011.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Publikationen/Aufsaetze_Archiv/2015_12_NI_GWZ_endgueltig.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=4 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Hanover in April 1945.<ref>{{cite video |year=1945|title=Video: Allies Overrun Germany Etc. (1945) |url=https://archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.39165 |publisher=[[Universal Newsreel]] |access-date=21 February 2012}}</ref> The US [[84th Infantry Division (United States)|84th Infantry Division]] captured the city on 10 April 1945.<ref>Stanton, Shelby, ''World War II Order of Battle: An Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from Battalion through Division, 1939-1946'' (Revised Edition, 2006), [[Stackpole Books]], p. 156.</ref><ref>{{cite Q |Q131294498 |page=775 |mode=cs1}}</ref>

===Post-war===
Hanover was in the British zone of occupation of Germany and became part of the new [[States of Germany|state (Land)]] of [[Lower Saxony]] in 1946. In 1947, Hanover established its relationship with [[Bristol|Bristol, England]] in exchanges of goods, students and music. This would link the two cities as models for establishing programs and organizations like [[Sister Cities International]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cremer |first1=Rolf D. |last2=De Bruin |first2=Anne |last3=Dupuis |first3=Ann |date=January 2001 |title=International Sister-Cities: Bridging the Global-Local Divide |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1536-7150.00066 |journal=The American Journal of Economics and Sociology |language=en |volume=60 |issue=1 |pages=377–401 |doi=10.1111/1536-7150.00066 |issn=0002-9246}}</ref> 

Today Hanover 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.2020visioncampaign.org |title=Mayors for Peace |publisher=2020visioncampaign.org |access-date=7 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110418083236/http://www.2020visioncampaign.org/ |archive-date=18 April 2011 }}</ref>

==Geography==

===Climate===
Hanover has an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Cfb'') independent of the isotherm. Although the city is not on a coastal location, the predominant [[air mass]]es are still from the ocean, unlike other places further east or south-central Germany.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=83301&cityname=Hannover,+Germany|title=Hannover, Germany Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=Weatherbase|access-date=28 January 2019|archive-date=27 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327101112/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=83301&cityname=Hannover,+Germany|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Hanover weather station has recorded the following extreme values:<ref name=sklima/>
* Its highest temperature was {{convert|39.2|C|F}} on [[2022_European_heatwaves#July_heatwave_2|20 July 2022]].
* Its lowest temperature was {{convert|-24.8|C|F}} on 22 January 1940.
* Its greatest annual precipitation was {{convert|935.4|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1981.
* Its least annual precipitation was {{convert|337.4|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1959.
* The longest annual sunshine was 1,971.6 hours in 1959.
* The shortest annual sunshine was 1,274.3 hours in 1998.

{{Weather box
|location = Hannover (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1936–2023)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 17.0
|Feb record high C = 19.1
|Mar record high C = 24.4
|Apr record high C = 29.7
|May record high C = 32.2
|Jun record high C = 35.7
|Jul record high C = 39.2
|Aug record high C = 38.0
|Sep record high C = 33.0
|Oct record high C = 27.4
|Nov record high C = 20.7
|Dec record high C = 17.0
|year record high C = 39.2
|Jan avg record high C = 11.7
|Feb avg record high C = 12.9
|Mar avg record high C = 17.6
|Apr avg record high C = 22.7
|May avg record high C = 27.1
|Jun avg record high C = 30.4
|Jul avg record high C = 31.7
|Aug avg record high C = 32.1
|Sep avg record high C = 26.5
|Oct avg record high C = 21.0
|Nov avg record high C = 15.4
|Dec avg record high C = 12.1
|year avg record high C = 33.8
|Jan high C = 4.4
|Feb high C = 5.5
|Mar high C = 9.3
|Apr high C = 14.7
|May high C = 18.6
|Jun high C = 21.7
|Jul high C = 23.9
|Aug high C = 23.7
|Sep high C = 19.4
|Oct high C = 14.0
|Nov high C = 8.5
|Dec high C = 5.3
|year high C = 14.1
|Jan mean C = 2.1
|Feb mean C = 2.6
|Mar mean C = 5.3
|Apr mean C = 9.5
|May mean C = 13.5
|Jun mean C = 16.6
|Jul mean C = 18.7
|Aug mean C = 18.4
|Sep mean C = 14.5
|Oct mean C = 10.2
|Nov mean C = 6.0
|Dec mean C = 3.0
|year mean C = 10.0
|Jan low C = -0.5
|Feb low C = -0.5
|Mar low C = 1.3
|Apr low C = 4.2
|May low C = 7.8
|Jun low C = 11.1
|Jul low C = 13.3
|Aug low C = 13.1
|Sep low C = 9.9
|Oct low C = 6.5
|Nov low C = 3.2
|Dec low C = 0.5
|year low C = 5.8
|Jan avg record low C = -9.9
|Feb avg record low C = -8.4
|Mar avg record low C = -5.1
|Apr avg record low C = -2.8
|May avg record low C = 1.3
|Jun avg record low C = 5.7
|Jul avg record low C = 8.5
|Aug avg record low C = 7.8
|Sep avg record low C = 3.9
|Oct avg record low C = -0.7
|Nov avg record low C = -3.7
|Dec avg record low C = -8.0
|year avg record low C = -12.4
|Jan record low C = -24.8
|Feb record low C = -24.3
|Mar record low C = -18.3
|Apr record low C = -7.4
|May record low C = -3.2
|Jun record low C = 0.3
|Jul record low C = 3.3
|Aug record low C = 3.3
|Sep record low C = -1.3
|Oct record low C = -7.9
|Nov record low C = -17.1
|Dec record low C = -20.9
|year record low C = -24.8
| precipitation colour = green	
|Jan precipitation mm = 52.6
|Feb precipitation mm = 40.5
|Mar precipitation mm = 44.8
|Apr precipitation mm = 35.5
|May precipitation mm = 52.0
|Jun precipitation mm = 52.7
|Jul precipitation mm = 68.2
|Aug precipitation mm = 65.3
|Sep precipitation mm = 52.1
|Oct precipitation mm = 56.7
|Nov precipitation mm = 51.6
|Dec precipitation mm = 54.6
|year precipitation mm = 626.7
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm	
|Jan precipitation days = 17.4
|Feb precipitation days = 15.5
|Mar precipitation days = 15.4
|Apr precipitation days = 12.6
|May precipitation days = 13.5
|Jun precipitation days = 14.0
|Jul precipitation days = 15.2
|Aug precipitation days = 15.0
|Sep precipitation days = 13.4
|Oct precipitation days = 15.5
|Nov precipitation days = 17.2
|Dec precipitation days = 18.3
|year precipitation days = 183
|Jan snow depth cm = 4.6
|Feb snow depth cm = 3.4
|Mar snow depth cm = 1.7
|Apr snow depth cm = 0.1
|May snow depth cm = 0
|Jun snow depth cm = 0
|Jul snow depth cm = 0
|Aug snow depth cm = 0
|Sep snow depth cm = 0
|Oct snow depth cm = 0
|Nov snow depth cm = 0.7
|Dec snow depth cm = 4.3
|year snow depth cm = 8.1
|unit snow days = 1.0 cm
|Jan snow days = 5.5
|Feb snow days = 4.9
|Mar snow days = 1.8
|Apr snow days = 0.1
|May snow days = 0
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 0
|Nov snow days = 0.8
|Dec snow days = 3.6
|year snow days = 
|Jan sun = 47.4
|Feb sun = 68.4
|Mar sun = 117.2
|Apr sun = 177.1
|May sun = 212.1
|Jun sun = 211.1
|Jul sun = 213.5
|Aug sun = 198.5
|Sep sun = 151.6
|Oct sun = 106.2
|Nov sun = 51.8
|Dec sun = 39.3
|year sun = 1596.9
|humidity colour = green
|Jan humidity = 84.7
|Feb humidity = 81.4
|Mar humidity = 76.9
|Apr humidity = 70.1
|May humidity = 70.3
|Jun humidity = 70.8
|Jul humidity = 71.0
|Aug humidity = 72.2
|Sep humidity = 78.2
|Oct humidity = 83.0
|Nov humidity = 86.2
|Dec humidity = 86.0
|source 1 = [[World Meteorological Organization]]<ref name=WMO>{{cite web
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231012155627/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Hannover_10338.csv
|archive-date = 12 October 2023
|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Hannover_10338.csv
|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020
|work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020)
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = 12 October 2023}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[Deutscher Wetterdienst|DWD]]<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=_dwdwww_klima_umwelt_klimadaten_deutschland&T82002gsbDocumentPath=Navigation%2FOeffentlichkeit%2FKlima__Umwelt%2FKlimadaten%2Fkldaten__kostenfrei%2Fausgabe__monatswerte__node.html%3F__nnn%3Dtrue
|url-status=dead
|title=Ausgabe der Klimadaten: Monatswerte
|access-date=21 February 2013
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140612043121/http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=_dwdwww_klima_umwelt_klimadaten_deutschland&T82002gsbDocumentPath=Navigation%2FOeffentlichkeit%2FKlima__Umwelt%2FKlimadaten%2Fkldaten__kostenfrei%2Fausgabe__monatswerte__node.html%3F__nnn%3Dtrue
|archive-date=12 June 2014
}}</ref><ref name=sklima>{{cite web 
|url = http://sklima.de/datenbank_auswertung.php?tab=2
|title = Monatsauswertung 
|website = sklima.de 
|publisher = SKlima 
|language = de 
|access-date = 16 October 2024}}</ref>
}}

===Subdivisions===
{|style="float: right;"
|[[File:Hanover from the ISS.jpeg|thumb|left|x418px|Hanover, as seen from the [[International Space Station]]]]
|}
{|style="float: right;"
|[[File:Stadtbezirke in Hannover.svg|thumb|right|Boroughs of Hanover]]
|-
|[[File:Stadtteile in Hannover.svg|thumb|right|Quarters of Hanover]]
|-
|[[File:Hannover_in_H.svg|thumb|right|Hanover in the Hanover Region]]
|}
The city of Hanover is divided into 13 boroughs (''[[Stadtbezirk]]e'') and 53 quarters (''[[Stadtteil]]e'').

====Boroughs====
# [[Hanover-Mitte|Mitte]]
# [[Vahrenwald-List]]
# [[Bothfeld-Vahrenheide]]
# [[Buchholz-Kleefeld]]
# [[Misburg-Anderten]]
# [[Kirchrode-Bemerode-Wülferode]]
# [[Südstadt-Bult]]
# [[Döhren-Wülfel]]
# [[Ricklingen]]
# [[Linden-Limmer]]
# [[Ahlem-Badenstedt-Davenstedt]]
# [[Herrenhausen-Stöcken]]
# [[Hanover-Nord|Nord]]

====Quarters====
A selection of the 53 quarters:
* [[Hannover-Nordstadt|Nordstadt]]
* [[Hannover-Südstadt|Südstadt]]
* [[Hannover-Oststadt|Oststadt]]
* [[Hannover-Zoo|Zoo]] (for the zoo itself, see [[Hanover Zoo]])
* [[Herrenhausen]]
* [[Waldheim (Hanover)|Waldheim]]
{{Clear}}

==Politics==
===Mayor===
[[File:2019 Hanover mayoral election (2nd round).svg|thumb|350px|Results of the second round of the 2019 mayoral election]]
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:

{{election table}}
! rowspan=2 colspan=2| Candidate
! rowspan=2| Party
! colspan=2| First round
! colspan=2| Second round
|-
! Votes
! %
! Votes
! %
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}| 
| align=left| [[Belit Onay]]
| align=left| [[Alliance 90/The Greens]]
| 60,096
| 32.2
| 92,146
| 52.9
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}| 
| align=left| Eckhard Scholz
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]] ([[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]])
| 60,046
| 32.2
| 82,116
| 47.1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| Marc Hansmann
| align=left| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]]
| 43,727
| 23.5
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}| 
| align=left| Joachim Wundrak
| align=left| [[Alternative for Germany]]
| 8,645
| 4.6
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| Jessica Kaußen
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]]
| 3,628
| 1.9
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Iyabo Kaczmarek
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| 3,593
| 1.9
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Die PARTEI}}| 
| align=left| Catharina Gutwerk
| align=left| [[Die PARTEI]]
| 2,886
| 1.5
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Pirate Party Germany}}| 
| align=left| Bruno Adam Wolf
| align=left| [[Pirate Party Germany|Pirate Party]]
| 2,382
| 1.3
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Ruth Esther Gilmore
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| 841
| 0.5
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Julian Klippert
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| 536
| 0.3
|-
! colspan=3| Valid votes
! 186,380
! 99.7
! 174,262
! 99.6
|-
! colspan=3| Invalid votes
! 647
! 0.3
! 769
! 0.4
|-
! colspan=3| Total
! 187,027
! 100.0
! 175,031
! 100.0
|-
! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout
! 401,847
! 46.5
! 402,129
! 43.5
|-
| colspan=7| Source: City of Hanover ([https://wahl.hannover-stadt.de/wahlen.php?site=left/gebiete&wahl=5110# 1st round] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308161126/https://wahl.hannover-stadt.de/wahlen.php?site=left/gebiete&wahl=5110 |date=2022-03-08 }}, [https://wahl.hannover-stadt.de/wahlen.php?site=left/gebiete&wahl=5211# 2nd round] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319075037/https://wahl.hannover-stadt.de/wahlen.php?site=left%2Fgebiete&wahl=5211 |date=2022-03-19 }})
|}

===City council===
[[File:2021 Hanover City Council election.svg|thumb|350px|Results of the 2021 city council election]]
The Hanover city council governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 12 September 2021, and the results were as follows:

{{election table}}
! colspan=2| Party
! Votes
! %
! +/-
! Seats
! +/-
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}| 
| align=left| [[Alliance 90/The Greens]] (Grüne)
| 165,105
| 27.8
| {{increase}} 11.5
| 18
| {{increase}} 8
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] (SPD)
| 164,431
| 27.7
| {{decrease}} 3.7
| 18
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU)
| 123,181
| 20.7
| {{decrease}} 3.7
| 13
| {{decrease}} 3
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] (FDP)
| 35,917
| 6.0
| {{increase}} 0.9
| 4
| {{increase}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] (Die Linke)
| 33,019
| 5.6
| {{decrease}} 1.4
| 4
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD)
| 25,302
| 4.3
| {{decrease}} 4.3
| 3
| {{decrease}} 3
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Die PARTEI}}| 
| align=left| [[Die PARTEI]] (PARTEI)
| 13,853
| 2.3
| {{increase}} 0.6
| 1
| ±0
|-
| 
| align=left| The Hanoverians (HAN)
| 7,044
| 1.2
| {{decrease}} 1.6
| 1
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Pirate Party Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Pirate Party Germany|Pirate Party]] (Piraten)
| 7,089
| 1.2
| {{decrease}} 0.9
| 1
| ±0
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Volt Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Volt Germany]] (Volt)
| 10,135
| 1.7
| New
| 1
| New
|-
| colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey| 
|-
| 
| align=left| Climate Alliance Hanover
| 4,022
| 0.7
| New
| 0
| New
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Free Voters}}| 
| align=left| [[Free Voters]] (FW)
| 3,126
| 0.5
| New
| 0
| New
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Grassroots Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Grassroots Democratic Party of Germany|Grassroots Democratic Party]] (dieBasis)
| 1,981
| 0.3
| New
| 0
| New
|-
| 
| align=left| Active for a Social Hanover (ASH)
| 260
| 0.0
| New
| 0
| New
|-
! colspan=2| Total
! 594,465
! 100.0
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=2| Valid votes
! 201,998
! 98.8
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=2| Invalid votes
! 2,373
! 1.2
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=2| Total
! 204,371
! 100.0
! 
! 64
! ±0
|-
! colspan=2| Electorate/voter turnout
! 398,328
! 51.3
! {{decrease}} 0.2
! 
! 
|-
| colspan=7| Source: [https://wahlergebnis.hannover-stadt.de/Wahl-2021-09-12/03241001/praesentation/ergebnis.html?wahl_id=17&stimmentyp=0&id=ebene_3_id_1 City of Hanover] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120184516/https://wahlergebnis.hannover-stadt.de/Wahl-2021-09-12/03241001/praesentation/ergebnis.html?wahl_id=17&stimmentyp=0&id=ebene_3_id_1 |date=2021-11-20 }}
|}

==Main sights==
{{Wide image|Hannover_Panorama2.jpg|1500px|Panoramic view from the viewing platform of the [[New Town Hall (Hanover)|New Town Hall]]}}
[[File:Marketchurchhannover.jpg|thumb|[[Marktkirche, Hanover|Market Church in Hanover]]]]
[[File:Hannover old townhall Karmarschstrasse Mitte Hannover Germany 01.jpg|thumb|[[Old Town Hall (Hanover)|Old Town Hall]]]]
[[File:Waterloosäule sst.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Waterloo Column]]'' in Hanover]]
[[File:Anzeiger Dämmerung.jpg|thumb|right|Anzeiger Tower Block]]

There are around 5,500 buildings of major historic value within city limits.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://denkmalpflege.niedersachsen.de/denkmalatlas/listen |title=Denkmal.listen &#124; NDS. Landesamt für Denkmalpflege |access-date=2024-06-05 |archive-date=2024-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605231832/https://denkmalpflege.niedersachsen.de/denkmalatlas/listen |url-status=live }}</ref> One of Hanover's most grandiose sights is the [[Herrenhausen Gardens|Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen]]. Its Great Garden is an important European [[Baroque garden]]. The palace itself was largely destroyed by Allied bombing, but was reconstructed and reopened in 2013.<ref>[https://www.hannover.de/en/Tourism-Culture/Places-of-Interest-City-Tours/Tourist-Highlights/Royal-Gardens-of-Herrenhausen/Herrenhausen-Palace-and-Museum ''Herrenhausen Palace and Museum.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231051445/https://www.hannover.de/en/Tourism-Culture/Places-of-Interest-City-Tours/Tourist-Highlights/Royal-Gardens-of-Herrenhausen/Herrenhausen-Palace-and-Museum |date=31 December 2017 }} In: ''Hannover.de''.</ref> Among its points of interest is the Grotto, with the interior designed by French artist [[Niki de Saint Phalle]].<ref>[https://www.hannover.de/en/Tourism-Culture/Places-of-Interest-City-Tours/Tourist-Highlights/Royal-Gardens-of-Herrenhausen/The-Grotto-by-Niki-de-Saint-Phalle ''The Grotto by Niki de Saint Phalle.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909095255/https://www.hannover.de/en/Tourism-Culture/Places-of-Interest-City-Tours/Tourist-Highlights/Royal-Gardens-of-Herrenhausen/The-Grotto-by-Niki-de-Saint-Phalle |date=2017-09-09 }} In: ''Hannover.de''.</ref> 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]].<ref>Ronald Meyer-Arlt: [http://www.haz.de/Nachrichten/Kultur/Uebersicht/Was-wird-aus-dem-Gartentheater ''Was wird aus dem Gartentheater?''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128132631/http://www.haz.de/Nachrichten/Kultur/Uebersicht/Was-wird-aus-dem-Gartentheater|date=2018-01-28}} In: ''Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung'', 28 August 2017 {{in lang|de}}.</ref>

Also at Herrenhausen, the ''[[Berggarten]]'' is a botanical garden with the most varied collection of orchids in Europe.<ref>[https://www.hannover.de/en/Tourism-Culture/Places-of-Interest-City-Tours/Tourist-Highlights/Royal-Gardens-of-Herrenhausen/The-Herrenhausen-Gardens/Berggarten ''Berggarten.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128132703/https://www.hannover.de/en/Tourism-Culture/Places-of-Interest-City-Tours/Tourist-Highlights/Royal-Gardens-of-Herrenhausen/The-Herrenhausen-Gardens/Berggarten |date=2018-01-28 }} In: ''Hannover.de''.</ref> 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 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.[[File:Maschsee Hannover.jpg|thumb|[[Maschsee]] seen from the viewing platform of the New Town Hall|left]]The landmark of Hanover is the [[New City Hall (Hanover)|New Town Hall]] ({{lang|de|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 the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://storki.wordpress.com/2014/05/09/the-old-new-town-hall-rathaus-in-hannover-germany/|title=The old "New" Town Hall (Rathaus) in Hannover, Germany|date=10 May 2014|access-date=29 June 2017|archive-date=16 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116004517/https://storki.wordpress.com/2014/05/09/the-old-new-town-hall-rathaus-in-hannover-germany/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The ''[[Hanover Zoo]]'' received the Park Scout Award for the fourth year running in 2009–10, placing it among the best zoos in Germany.<ref name="zoo-hannover.de">{{cite web |url=http://www.zoo-hannover.de/unternehmen-zoo/aktuellespresse/aktuelle-nachricht/news/hannover-hat-den-besten-zoo-1.html |title=Hannover hat den "Besten Zoo" Aktuelle Nachricht Erlebnis-Zoo Hannover - Top Freizeitziel und Sehenswürdigkeit Niedersachsen |language=de |publisher=Zoo-hannover.de |access-date=7 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719115745/http://www.zoo-hannover.de/unternehmen-zoo/aktuellespresse/aktuelle-nachricht/news/hannover-hat-den-besten-zoo-1.html |archive-date=19 July 2011 }}</ref> 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 Canadian-themed area, Yukon Bay, opened in 2010. In 2010 the Hanover Zoo had over 1.6 million visitors.<ref name="zoo-hannover.de" /> There is also the ''[[Sea Life Centres|Sea Life Centre]] Hanover'', which is the first tropical aquarium in Germany.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crowncom2009.org/p/Lodging-Travel/Visit-Hannover/|title=''crowncom2009.org''|access-date=14 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224230911/http://crowncom2009.org/p/Lodging-Travel/Visit-Hannover/|archive-date=24 February 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Another point of interest is the ''Old Town''. In the centre are the large ''[[Marktkirche, Hanover|Marktkirche]]'' (Church {{lang|la|St. Georgii et Jacobi}}, preaching venue of the bishop of the Lutheran [[Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Hanover|Landeskirche Hanovers]]), and the 15th century ''[[Old Town Hall (Hanover)|Old Town Hall]]'', heavily damaged by [[Allies of World War II|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 the Old Town are the ''Market Hall'', the ''[[Leineschloss|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 the entrance of the ''Georgengarten''. Near the Old Town is the district of Calenberger Neustadt where the Catholic [[St. Clement's Basilica, Hanover|St. Clement's Basilica]], the ''Reformed Church'' and the Lutheran [[Neustädter Kirche, Hannover|Neustädter Hof- und Stadtkirche St. Johannis]] stand.

Some other popular sights are the ''[[Waterloo Column]]'', the ''[[Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves|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 ''[[Stadthalle Hannover|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 Gehry|Frank O. Gehry]]), the specially designed ''Bus Stops'', the ''Opera House'', the ''[[Hannover Hauptbahnhof|Hanover Central Station]]'', the ''[[Maschsee]]'' lake and 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 Leibniz|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 was the site of [[Expo 2000|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 the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.messe.de/messegelaende_e |title=Exhibition Grounds – Deutsche Messe AG, Hannover - Germany |publisher=Messe.de |date=20 April 2005 |access-date=7 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716162450/http://www.messe.de/messegelaende_e |archive-date=16 July 2011 }}</ref>
It provides {{convert|496,000|m2|e6ft2|abbr=off}} of covered indoor space, {{convert|58,000|m2|e3ft2|abbr=off}} 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 the fairground are the ''Hermes Tower'' ({{convert|88.8|m|ft|disp=or}} high) and the ''EXPO Roof'', the largest wooden roof in the world.<ref>Natterer, Julius. "Roof of the Main Hall for EXPO 2000 in Hanover, Germany," in ''Structural Engineering International'', August 2000, n. 3 v. 10</ref>

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 is a forest originally used for deer and other game for the king's table.
[[File:Telemax Daemmerung b.jpg|left|thumb|The Telemax tower is visible from up to {{convert|30|km}} away on the Autobahns]]
The {{convert|282|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} ''[[Telemax (tower)|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 the ''Horse Tower''.

The 36 most significant sights of the city centre are connected by a {{convert|4.2|km|mi|0|adj=mid|-long}} walking trail called the [[Roter Faden|''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.

==Population==

{{historical populations
|1190|1500
|1435|5000
|1811|16816
|1836|23898
|1855|33148
|1875|106667
|1895|209535
|1905|250632
|1919|321200
|1939|477100
|1945|325841
|1951|469300
|1961|574481|1970|522098|1980|534623|1990|513010|2001|516415|2011|506416|2022|513291|footnote=Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions.}}

[[File:Einwohnerentwicklung Hannover ab 1871 Geschlechter.svg|600px|thumb|Population development of Hanover, Germany, from 1871 with gender breakdown since 31 December 1968]]

Hanover has a population of about 540,000. It is the [[List of cities in Germany by population|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 [[Districts of Germany|District (Landkreis)]] in Germany. [[Hannover–Braunschweig–Göttingen–Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region|Hanover metropolitan region]], which includes also cities like [[Braunschweig]], [[Hildesheim]] and [[Göttingen]], has 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 the largest [[Vietnamese people in Germany|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.

{| class="wikitable floatright" style="float:center;"
|+ Largest groups of foreign residents<ref>{{cite web |title=Einwohnerstand der LH Hannover Ende 2016 und Einwohnerentwicklung im Jahr 2016 |url=https://www.hannover.de/content/download/644989/15275493/file/2017-01-20-Einwohnerstand+am+31.12.2016+-+Internet.pdf |access-date=20 June 2018 |archive-date=27 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427155055/https://www.hannover.de/content/download/644989/15275493/file/2017-01-20-Einwohnerstand%2Bam%2B31.12.2016%2B-%2BInternet.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
! Nationality || Population (31 December 2022)
|-
| {{flag|Turkey}} || 15,600
|-
| {{flag|Poland}} || 8,200
|-
| {{flag|Ukraine}} || 7,300
|-
| {{flag|Syria}} || 6,000
|-
| {{flag|Greece}} || 5,400
|-
| {{flag|Iraq}} || 4,900
|-
| {{flag|Bulgaria}} || 4,300
|-
| {{flag|Italy}} || 3,700
|-
| {{flag|Romania}} || 3,400
|-
| {{flag|Russia}} || 3,000
|-
| {{flag|Spain}} || 2,800
|-
| {{Flag|Vietnam}}|| 2,750
|-
| {{flag|Serbia}} || 2,700
|-
| {{flag|Iran}} || 2,500
|-
| {{flag|Croatia}} || 2,350
|-
| {{Flag|Ghana}}|| 2,150
|-
| {{Flag|Afghanistan}}|| 2,000
|-
| {{Flag|Kosovo}}|| 1,900
|-
| {{Flag|India}}|| 1,850
|-
| {{flag|China}} || 1,400
|-
| {{Flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}|| 1,200
|}

==Society and culture==
===Religious life===
Hanover 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.<ref>[http://www.hannover.de/Leben-in-der-Region-Hannover/Politik/Wahlen-Statistik/Statistikstellen-von-Stadt-und-Region/Statistikstelle-der-Landeshauptstadt-Hannover/Hannover-in-Zahlen/Einwohner Hannover in Zahlen: Einwohner] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204124053/https://www.hannover.de/Leben-in-der-Region-Hannover/Politik/Wahlen-Statistik/Statistikstellen-von-Stadt-und-Region/Statistikstelle-der-Landeshauptstadt-Hannover/Hannover-in-Zahlen/Einwohner |date=2018-02-04 }}, ''hannover.de'', retrieved 6 February 2017.</ref>

===Museums and galleries===
[[File:Luftbild Hannover Rathaus.JPG|thumb|right|Hanover from the sky]]
The [[Historisches Museum Hannover|Historisches Museum Hanover]] (Historic museum) describes 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 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 is a forum for contemporary art. It features mostly exhibitions and projects of 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 seven international exhibitions each year.

The [[Landesmuseum Hannover|Landesmuseum Hanover]] is the largest museum in Hanover. The art gallery shows European art from the 11th to the 20th century, the nature department shows the zoology, geology, botanic, geology and a ''vivarium'' with fish, insects, reptiles and amphibians. The primeval department shows the primeval history of Lower Saxony, and the folklore department shows 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 German expressionism, and French cubism, the cabinet of abstracts, the graphics and the department of photography and media. Furthermore, the museum shows the 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 of Caricature and Critical Graphic Arts''. The collection of the works of Wilhelm Busch and the extensive collection of cartoons and critical graphics is 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 Hanover". Carpets and objects from the orient can be visited in the ''Oriental Carpet Museum''. The ''Museum for the visually impaired'' is a rarity in Germany, there is only one other of its kind 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 ''Heimat-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 main topic of the ''Kunsthalle Faust'', the ''Nord/LB Art Gallery'' 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 astronomy should visit the ''Observatory Geschwister Herschel'' on the Lindener Mountain or the small planetarium inside of the Bismarck School.

===Theatre, cabaret and musical===
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2011}}
[[File:Hannover Opernhaus.jpg|thumb|right|[[Staatsoper Hannover|Hanover State Opera]] is resident in the classical 19th-century Hanover Opera House.]]
Around 40 theatres are located in Hanover. The ''Opera House'', the ''Schauspielhaus'' (Play House), the ''Ballhof eins'', the ''Ballhof zwei'' and the ''Cumberlandsche Galerie'' belong to the ''Lower Saxony State Theatre''. The [[Theater am Aegi]] is Hanover's principal theatre for musicals, shows and guest performances. The ''Neues Theater'' (New Theatre) is the boulevard theatre of Hanover. The ''Theater für Niedersachsen'' is another large 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 Choreographers''.

Hanover's leading cabaret stage is the ''GOP Variety theatre'' which is located in the ''Georgs Palace''. Some other 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===

====Classical music====
Hanover has two symphony orchestras: The Lower Saxon State Orchestra Hanover and the [[NDR Radiophilharmonie]] (North German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra). Two notable choirs have their homes in Hanover: the [[Mädchenchor Hannover|Mädchenchor Hanover]] (girls' choir) and the [[Knabenchor Hannover|Knabenchor Hanover]] (boys' choir).

There are two major international competitions for classical music in Hanover:
* Hanover International Violin Competition (since 1991)
* Classica Nova International Music Competition<ref>{{cite web |url=http://brainin.org/ClassicaNova/Englisch.html |title=Classica Nova Competition Cycle |publisher=Brainin.org |access-date=7 April 2011 |archive-date=25 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725100526/http://brainin.org/ClassicaNova/Englisch.html |url-status=live }}</ref> (since 1997); the non-profit association Classica Nova exists in Hanover with the aim of continuing the Classica Nova competition

====Popular music====
[[File:Scorpions (10).JPG|thumb|right|Hanover band, [[Scorpions (band)|Scorpions]]]]
The rock bands [[Scorpions (band)|Scorpions]] and [[Fury in the Slaughterhouse]] are originally from Hanover. Acclaimed DJ [[Mousse T.|Mousse T]] also has his main recording studio in the area. [[Rick J. Jordan]], member of the band [[Scooter (band)|Scooter]] was born here in 1968. [[Lena Meyer-Landrut|Lena]], winner of the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2010|2010 Eurovision Song Contest]], is also from Hanover.

===Sport===
[[Hannover 96|Hanover 96]] (nicknamed {{lang|de|Die Roten}}, literally 'the Reds') is the top local [[Association football|football]] team that currently plays in the [[2. Bundesliga]]. Home games are played at the [[Niedersachsenstadion]] (''Lower Saxony Stadium''), which hosted matches in the [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]] and [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]] [[FIFA World Cup|World Cups]] and the [[UEFA Euro 1988|Euro 1988]]. Their reserve team Hanover 96 II plays in the 3rd division of German Football. Their home games were played in the traditional [[Eilenriedestadion]] until they moved to the HDI Arena due to DFL directives. [[Arminia Hannover|Arminia Hanover]] is another traditional football team in Hanover that has played in the second division (then 2. Liga Nord) for years and plays now in the Niedersachsen-West Liga (Lower Saxony League West). Home matches are played in the Rudolf-Kalweit-Stadium.

The [[Hannover Indians|Hanover Indians]] are the local ice hockey team. They play in the third tier. Their home games are played at the traditional [[Eisstadion am Pferdeturm]]. The [[Hannover Scorpions|Hanover Scorpions]] played in Hanover in Germany's top league until 2013 when they sold their license and moved to [[Langenhagen]].

Hanover was one of the [[rugby union]] capitals in Germany. The first German rugby team was founded in Hanover in 1878. Hanover-based teams dominated the German rugby scene for a long time. [[DSV 78 Hannover|DSV 78 Hanover]], [[SC Germania List]], and [[SV Odin Hannover|SV Odin Hanover]]  plays in the [[Rugby-Bundesliga|first division]], and [[DRC Hannover|DRC Hanover]] as well as SG 78/08 Hanover play in the second division.

Hanover has traditionally been one of Germany's hubs in [[Water sports]] and especially in [[Water polo]]. The [[SG Waspo'98 Hannover|SG Waspo'98 Hanover]] won the [[Deutsche Wasserball-Liga]] in 2020 and 2021. In total, clubs from Hanover have won the German championship 11 times. Thanks to the [[Maschsee|Maschsee lake]], the rivers Ihme and Leine and to the Mittellandkanal canal, Hanover hosts sailing schools, yacht schools, waterski clubs, rowing clubs, canoe clubs and paddle clubs.

The first German [[fencing]] club was founded in Hanover in 1862. Today there are three additional fencing clubs in Hanover.

The [[Hannover Korbjäger|Hanover Korbjäger]] are the city's top basketball team. They play their home games at the IGS Linden.

The Hanover Regents play in the third [[Bundesliga (baseball)]] division. The Hanover Grizzlies, Armina Spartans and Hanover Stampeders are the local American football teams.

The Hanover [[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 (a relay event), the Sport-Check Nachtlauf (a night running event), the "Herrenhäuser Team-Challenge", the "Hannoversche Firmenlauf" (a company running event) and the Silvesterlauf (New Year's running event).

Hanover also hosts an important international [[cycle race]], the "''Nacht von Hannover"'' ("Night of Hanover"). The race takes place around the market hall.

The lake Maschsee hosts international [[Dragon Boat|dragon boat]] races and [[Canoe Polo|canoe olo]] tournaments. Many [[regatta]]s take place during the year. "Head of the river Leine" on the river Leine is one of the biggest rowing regattas in Hanover. One of Germany's most successful dragon boat teams, the [[All Sports Team Hannover|All Sports Team Hanover]], which has won since its foundation in year 2000 more than 100 medals on national and international competitions, regularly trains on the local Maschsee lake.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.balldessports.de/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091121202940/http://www.balldessports.de/sportler-wahl.html|url-status=dead|title=Ball des Sports &#124; 13. Februar 2026|archivedate=November 21, 2009|website=www.balldessports.de}}</ref>

Some other important sport events include the Lower Saxony beach [[volleyball]] tournament, the international [[horse show]] "German Classics" and the international [[ice hockey]] tournament Nations Cup.

===Regular events===
[[File:CeBit 2008 01.jpg|thumb|right|[[CeBIT]] 2008 conference centre in Hanover]]
Hanover is one of the leading exhibition cities in the world. It hosts more than 60 international and national exhibitions every year. 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 and symposiums like the ''International Symposium on Society and Resource Management.''<ref>{{cite web|title=ISSRM 2014 Hannover|url=http://eventegg.com/issrm-2014/|publisher=Eventegg|access-date=7 January 2014|archive-date=7 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107143833/http://eventegg.com/issrm-2014/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Hanover is also host to the ''Schützenfest Hannover,'' the largest marksmen's fun fair in the world which takes place once a year from late June to early July.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hannover.de/|title=HANNOVER.DE − Portal der Landeshauptstadt und der Region Hannover|website=www.hannover.de|access-date=2001-05-17|archive-date=2006-10-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004030643/http://www.hannover.de/|url-status=live}}</ref> Founded in 1529, it consists of more than 260 rides and inns, five large beer tents and a large entertainment programme. The highlight of this fun fair is the {{convert|12|km|mi|0|adj=mid|-long}} ''Parade of the Marksmen'' with more than 12,000 participants from all over the world, including around 5,000 marksmen, 128 bands, and more than 70 wagons, carriages, and other festival vehicles. This makes it the longest procession in Europe. Around 2 million people visit this fun fair every year. The landmark of this event is one of the largest transportable [[Ferris wheel]]s in the world, with a height of about {{convert|60|m|ft|0}}.

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|Oktoberfest Hanover]] 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 come 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 music and cabaret performances. The ''Carnival Procession'' is around {{convert|3|km|mi|0}} long and consists of 3,000 participants, around 30 festival vehicles and around 20 bands and takes place every year.

Other festivals include 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-oriented festivals including the ''Wine Festival'' and the ''Gourmet Festival''. It also hosts some special markets like the ''Old Town Flea Market'' and the ''Market for Art and Trade''. Some other major markets include the ''Christmas Markets of the City of Hanover'' in the Old Town and city centre, and the Lister Meile.

===Tourism===
[[File:Hannover - Hauptbahnhof Eingangsportal 1.jpg|thumb|[[Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover|Ernst August]] memorial, central railway station]]
Hanover is an attractive tourist place due to its many sights and famous events. Hanover had about 580,000 visitors in 2021, predominantly from the [[Netherlands]] and the [[United Kingdom]]. Famous sights in Hanover are [[New Town Hall (Hanover)|New Town Hall]], [[Herrenhausen Gardens]] and [[Hanover Zoo]], which is one of the largest zoos in Germany. 

The annual trade fair "[[Hannover Messe]]" usually attracts between 100,000 and 200,000 visitors. First held in 1947, it is dedicated to the topic of industry development and is one of the world's largest [[trade fairs]].

==Transport==
[[File:Hannover main station Ernst-August-Platz Mitte Hannover Germany 03.jpg|thumb|right|[[Hannover Hauptbahnhof|Hanover Central Station]]]]
[[File:Mercedes irvine citaro sst.JPG|thumb|right|[[Mercedes-Benz Citaro|Citaro]] G natural gas bus designed by [[James Irvine (designer)|James Irvine]]]]
[[File:2001-03-31.H-TW2000-Vahrenwalder-Platz.jpg|thumb|right|[[TW 2000]] tram designed by [[Herbert Lindinger]] and [[Jasper Morrison]]]]
===Rail===
The city's central station, [[Hannover Hauptbahnhof|Hanover Hauptbahnhof]], is a hub of the German high-speed [[Intercity-Express|ICE]] network. It is the starting point of the [[Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway|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 [[Hannover Airport|Hanover Airport]] ([[IATA code]]: HAJ; [[International Civil Aviation Organization airport code|ICAO code]]: EDDV) in Langenhagen.

===Road===
Hanover is also an important hub of Germany's [[autobahn]] network; the junction of two major autobahns, the [[Bundesautobahn 2|A 2]] and [[Bundesautobahn 7|A 7]] is at ''Kreuz Hanover-Ost'', at the northeastern edge of the city.

Local autobahns are [[Bundesautobahn 352|A 352]] (a shortcut between A{{nbsp}}7 and A{{nbsp}}2, also known as the ''Airport autobahn'' because it passes Hanover Airport), and the [[Bundesautobahn 37|A 37]].

The [[limited-access road|expressway]] ({{lang|de|Schnellweg}}) system, a number of [[Bundesstraße]] roads, forms a structure loosely resembling a large [[Beltway|ring road]] together with A{{nbsp}}2 and A{{nbsp}}7. The roads are [[Bundesstraße 3|B 3]], [[Bundesstraße 6|B 6]] and [[Bundesstraße 65|B 65]], called ''Westschnellweg'' (B{{nbsp}}6 on the northern part, B{{nbsp}}3 on the southern part), ''Messeschnellweg'' (B{{nbsp}}3, becomes A{{nbsp}}37 near [[Burgdorf, Hanover|Burgdorf]], crosses A{{nbsp}}2, becomes B{{nbsp}}3 again, changes to B{{nbsp}}6 at ''Seelhorster Kreuz'', then passes the [[Hanover fairground]] as B{{nbsp}}6 and becomes A{{nbsp}}37 again before merging into A{{nbsp}}7) and ''Südschnellweg'' (starts out as B{{nbsp}}65, becomes B{{nbsp}}3/B{{nbsp}}6/B{{nbsp}}65 upon crossing Westschnellweg, then becomes B{{nbsp}}65 again at Seelhorster Kreuz).

===Bus and light rail===
{{Main|Hanover Stadtbahn}}
Hanover has an extensive [[Stadtbahn]] and bus system, operated by [[üstra]]. The city uses [[designer]] buses and tramways, the [[TW 6000]] and [[TW 2000]] trams being examples.

===Bicycle===
Bicycle paths are very common in the city centre. At off-peak hours bikes can be taken on a tram or bus.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uestra.de/en/customer-service/transport-of-bicycles-and-animals/|title=Transport of bicycles and animals|date=29 April 2016|website=www.uestra.de|language=en|access-date=29 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404090711/https://www.uestra.de/en/customer-service/transport-of-bicycles-and-animals/|archive-date=4 April 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2009}}
[[File:TUI KWA4.JPG|thumb|[[TUI AG]] headquarters in Hanover]]

Various industrial businesses are located in Hanover. The [[Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles]] [[Volkswagen Transporter (T4)|Transporter]] (VWN) factory at Hanover-Stöcken is the biggest employer in the region and operates a large plant at the northern edge of town adjoining the canal Mittellandkanal and the autobahn A{{nbsp}}2. Volkswagen shares a coal-burning power plant with a factory of German tire and automobile parts manufacturer [[Continental AG]]. Continental, founded in Hanover in 1871, is one of the city's major companies. Since 2008 a take-over has been in progress:{{update inline |date=August 2024}} the [[Schaeffler Group]] from [[Herzogenaurach]] ([[Bavaria]]) holds the majority of Continental's stock but were required due to the financial crisis to deposit the options as securities at banks.<ref>[http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/com/de/continental/portal/themen/continental/ov_continental_de.html Profile of Continental AG], retrieved on 10 September 2009.</ref>

The audio equipment company [[Sennheiser]] and the travel group [[TUI AG]] are both based in Hanover.<ref>"[http://www.tui-group.com/en/konzern/meta/kontakt/ Contact TUI Group] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807123318/http://www.tui-group.com/ |date=2008-08-07 }}." [[TUI AG]]. Retrieved on 29 May 2009.</ref> Hanover is home to many insurance companies including [[Talanx]], [[VHV Group]], and [[Concordia Insurance]]. The major global reinsurance company [[Hannover Re]] also has its headquarters east of the city centre.

===List of largest employers in Hanover===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center; font-size: 100%;" cellpadding=2 cellspacing=2
|-
! colspan="2" | 
Employer
! est. !! Hanover located employees<ref>{{cite web|title=Die 10 größten Arbeitgeber in Hannover|url=http://www.jobs-hannover.org/10-groesste-arbeitgeber-hannover/#more-4066|website=Jobs-hannover.org|access-date=11 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216163739/http://www.jobs-hannover.org/10-groesste-arbeitgeber-hannover/#more-4066|archive-date=16 February 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles]]|| 1956 || 14,500
|-
| colspan="2" | Klinikum Region Hannover || 2005 || 8,500
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Hannover Medical School]]|| 1961 || 7,600
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Continental AG|Continental]]|| 1871 || 7,500
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Deutsche Bahn]]|| 1994 || 6,000
|-
| colspan="2" |[[TUI Group|TUI]]|| 2002 || 4,600
|-
| colspan="2" |[[DHL]]|| 1969 || 4,400
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Norddeutsche Landesbank|Nord/LB]]|| 1970 || 4,000
|-
| colspan="2" | [[Talanx]] || 1996 || 4,000
|-
| colspan="2" |[[WABCO Vehicle Control Systems|WABCO]]|| 2007 || 2,600
|-
| colspan="2" |[[VHV Group]]|| 2003 || 2,500
|-

|}

===Key figures===
In 2012, the city generated a [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] of €29.5 billion, which is equivalent to €74,822 per employee. The [[Gross value added|gross value]] of production in 2012 was €26.4 billion, which is equivalent to €66,822 per employee.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hannover.de/Leben-in-der-Region-Hannover/Politik/Wahlen-Statistik/Statistikstellen-von-Stadt-und-Region/Statistikstelle-der-Landeshauptstadt-Hannover/Hannover-in-Zahlen/Wirtschaft |title=Hannovers Wirtschaft in Zahlen: Volkswirtschaftliche Gesamtrechnung |access-date=13 September 2015 |date=10 September 2015 |publisher=Stadt Hannover |language=de |archive-date=16 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216200432/http://www.hannover.de/Leben-in-der-Region-Hannover/Politik/Wahlen-Statistik/Statistikstellen-von-Stadt-und-Region/Statistikstelle-der-Landeshauptstadt-Hannover/Hannover-in-Zahlen/Wirtschaft |url-status=live }}</ref>

Around 300,000 employees were counted in 2014. Of these, 189,000 had their [[primary residence]] in Hanover, while 164,892 commute into the city every day.<ref name="trendsUndFakten-2015">{{cite web |url=http://www.wirtschaftsfoerderung-hannover.de/content/download/559705/12852146/version/1/file/Trends_und_Fakten+2015.pdf |title=Alles im Blick: Trends und Fakten 2015 |periodical=Wirtschaftsförderung Hannover |publisher=Landeshauptstadt Hannover, Region Hannover, hannoverimpuls GmbH |access-date=13 September 2015 |language=de }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 2014 the city was home to 34,198 businesses, of which 9,342 were registered in the [[German Trade Register]] and 24,856 counted as [[small business]]es.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hannover.ihk.de/fileadmin/data/Dokumente/Themen/Konjunktur_Statistik/IHK_Hannover_Gemeinden_1-1-2014.pdf |title=IHK Hannover: Anzahl der Betriebe in den Gemeinden per 01.01.2014 |publisher=IHK Hannover |access-date=13 September 2015 |language=de }}{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Hence, more than half of the metropolitan area's businesses in the [[German Trade Register]] are located in Hanover (17,485 total).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hannover.ihk.de/fileadmin/data/Dokumente/Themen/Konjunktur_Statistik/IHK_Hannover_HR_WZ_2-Steller_Landkreise_1-1-2014.pdf|access-date=13 September 2015|title=IHK Hannover: Im Handelsregister eingetragene Betriebe per 1.1.2014|publisher=IHK Hannover|language=de}}{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Business development==
Hannoverimpuls GMBH is a joint [[business development company]] from the city and [[Hanover Region|region of Hanover]]. The company was founded in 2003 and supports the start-up, growth and relocation of businesses in the Hanover Region. The focus is on thirteen sectors, which stand for sustainable economic growth: [[Automotive]], [[Energy Solutions]], [[Information and Communications Technology]], [[Life sciences|Life Sciences]], [[Optical technology|Optical Technologies]], [[Creative Industries]] and [[Production engineering|Production Engineering]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hannoverimpuls.com |title=hannoverimpuls.com |publisher=hannoverimpuls.com |access-date=7 April 2011 |archive-date=13 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213035906/http://www.hannoverimpuls.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A range of programmes supports companies from the key industries in their [[Economic expansion|expansion plans]] in Hanover or abroad. Three regional centres specifically promote international economic relations with Russia, India and Turkey.

The [[Institut für Integrierte Produktion Hannover]] is a spin-off from Leibniz University Hanover in the field of production technology that promotes transfer of scientific knowledge to business.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Profile |url=https://www.iph-hannover.de/en/the-iph/profile/ |access-date=2022-08-20 |website=www.iph-hannover.de |archive-date=2022-08-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820003742/https://www.iph-hannover.de/en/the-iph/profile/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Education==
The [[Leibniz University Hannover|Leibniz University Hanover]] is the largest funded institution in Hanover for providing higher education to students from around the world. Below are the names of the universities and some of the important schools, including newly opened [[Hannover Medical School|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]], host institution to the [[Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics]]
* [[Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hmt-hannover.de/ |title=HMT-Hannover.de |publisher=HMT-Hannover.de |access-date=7 April 2011 |archive-date=10 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810072557/http://www.hmt-hannover.de/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Hannover Medical School]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mh-hannover.de/ |title=MH-hannover.de |publisher=MH-hannover.de |access-date=7 April 2011 |archive-date=3 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203073511/https://www.mh-hannover.de/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover|School of Veterinary Medicine Hanover]] (''Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover'')
* [[GISMA Business School]], part of the for-profit education company [[Global University Systems]].
There is one University of Applied Science and Arts in Hanover:
* [[Hochschule Hannover]] (the former [[Fachhochschule]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hs-hannover.de/start/index.html |title=hs-hannover.de |publisher=hs-hannover.de |access-date=16 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130714031506/http://www.hs-hannover.de/start/index.html |archive-date=14 July 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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]].

Hannover has several vocational schools like Berufsbildende Schulen (BBS) ME - Metalltechnik und Elektrotechnik, which specializes in metal and electrical engineering,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bbs-me.de/index.php/bildungsangebote-v-3/|access-date=15 November 2024|title=educational offering with entry requirements |work=bbs&#124;me }}</ref> and BBS Cora Berliner, which specializes in business administration as well as the leisure and trading industries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbs-cb.de/unsere-schule/vorstellung/about-our-school/|access-date=15 November 2024|title=About our school}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
* In the "[[Problem Dog]]" episode of American crime drama [[Breaking Bad]], viewers learn that Madrigall Electromotive GmbH, the parent company of [[Los Pollos Hermanos]], is located in Hanover.<ref name="SL 2012 h824">{{cite web | last=Star-Ledger | first=Mark Maurer/The | title='Breaking Bad' season 5 premiere: Yeah, Mr. White! Yeah, magnets! | website=nj | date=July 16, 2012 | url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/2012/07/breaking_bad_premiere_recap_se.html | access-date=December 6, 2023 | archive-date=December 7, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180417/https://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/2012/07/breaking_bad_premiere_recap_se.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Notable people==
[[File:Hannah Arendt auf dem 1. Kulturkritikerkongress, Barbara Niggl Radloff, FM-2019-1-5-9-16.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Hannah Arendt]], 1958]]
[[File:Wilhelm Busch 1878.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Wilhelm Busch]]]]
[[File:Georg Friedrich Grotefend.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Georg Friedrich Grotefend]]]]
[[File:Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Bernhard Christoph Francke.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz]]]]
[[File:2019 Lena - by 2eight - DSC4551.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Lena Meyer-Landrut]], 2019]]
[[File:Franz Gareis Portrait Friedrich Schlegel.jpg|thumb|140px|Portrait of [[Friedrich Schlegel]], 1801]]
* [[Hannah Arendt]] (1906–1975), American political theorist
* [[Erdoğan Atalay]] (born 1966), actor
* [[Rudolf Augstein]] (1923–2002), journalist, founder of the weekly journal [[Der Spiegel]]
* [[Moritz Baier-Lentz]] (born 1986), German-American venture capitalist
* [[Hermann Bahlsen]] (1859–1919), businessman, founder of the biscuit company [[Bahlsen]] and inventor of the [[Leibniz-Keks]]
* [[Marc Bator]] (born 1972), journalist
* [[Rudolf von Bennigsen]] (1824–1902), liberal politician<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Bennigsen, Rudolf von |volume= 3 | pages = 742&ndash;743 |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Klaus Bernbacher]] (born 1931), conductor, music event manager, broadcasting manager and academic teacher
* [[Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff]] (1712–1772) a German-Danish statesman<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Bernstorff, Johann Hartwig Ernst, Count von|volume=3|last= Bain |first= Robert Nisbet |author-link= Robert Nisbet Bain| pages = 807&ndash;808 |short=1}}</ref>
* [[Andreas Peter Bernstorff]] (1735–1797), Danish diplomat and Foreign Minister<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Bernstorff, Andreas Peter, Count von|volume=3|last= Bain |first= Robert Nisbet |author-link= Robert Nisbet Bain|page=806|short=1}}</ref>
* [[Gero von Boehm]] (born 1954), director, journalist and television presenter
* [[Emil Berliner]] (1851–1929), inventor of the [[phonograph]]
* [[Anke Blume]] (born 1969), engineering technology professor, works on [[silica]] and [[silane]] chemistry.<ref name="rpn22">{{cite news |title=ACS Rubber Division names 2023 Science and Technology Award winners |url=https://www.rubbernews.com/news/acs-rubber-division-names-2023-science-and-technology-award-winners |access-date=15 November 2022 |work=Rubber News |publisher=Crain |date=11 November 2022 |archive-date=15 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115015403/https://www.rubbernews.com/news/acs-rubber-division-names-2023-science-and-technology-award-winners |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Walter Bruch]] (1908–1990), inventor of the [[PAL]] [[color television]] system
* [[Wilhelm Busch]] (1832–1908), caricaturist, painter and poet<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Busch, Wilhelm |volume= 4 | page = 869 |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Laurent Chappuzeau]], (ca.1652-??), clockmaker to the Elector of Hanover 1689–1701
* [[Frederick Dielman]] (1847–1935), German-American portrait and figure painter<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Dielmann, Frederick |volume= 8 | page = 209 |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Albert Christoph Dies]] (1755–1822), German painter, engraver and biographer<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Dies, Christoph Albert |volume= 8 | page = 211  |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Champion Jack Dupree]] (1910–1992), American Born Blues Musician
* [[Frederick, Prince of Wales]] (1707–1751), eldest son and heir apparent of King [[George II of Great Britain]]<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Frederick Louis |volume= 11 | pages = 62&ndash;63  |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Gustav Fröhlich]] (1902–1987), actor and film director
* [[Oskar Garvens]] (1874–1951), sculptor and caricaturist<ref>[https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/ressources/artists-personalities-catalog/oskar-garvens-13202Garvens "Oskar Garvens"]{{Dead link|date=July 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, [[Musée d'Orsay]], accessed 7 July 2023</ref>
* [[George I of Great Britain|George I]], (1660–1727), King of Great Britain and Ireland, prince elector of Hanover<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= George I. |volume= 11 |last= Gardiner |first= Samuel Rawson |author-link= Samuel Rawson Gardiner | pages = 737&ndash;738 |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[George II of Great Britain|George II]], (1683–1760), King of Great Britain and Ireland, prince elector of Hanover<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= George II. |volume= 11 |last= Gardiner |first= Samuel Rawson |author-link= Samuel Rawson Gardiner | pages = 738&ndash;740 |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[George III]], (1738–1820), King of Great Britain and Ireland, prince elector of Hanover<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= George III. |volume= 11 |last= Gardiner |first= Samuel Rawson |author-link= Samuel Rawson Gardiner | pages = 740&ndash;743 |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Duke of Cambridge#Fourth creation, 1801|George William Frederick Charles, duke of Cambridge]] (1819–1904), Prince George<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Cambridge, Earls and Dukes of |volume= 5 | pages = 89&ndash;90; see para 5 |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Gerhard Glogowski]] (born 1943), politician (SPD)
* [[Georg Friedrich Grotefend]] (1775–1853), [[epigraphist]] and [[philologist]]<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Grotefend, Georg Friedrich |volume= 12 | pages = 620&ndash;621 |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Robin E. Haak]] (born 1986), political scientist.
* [[Fritz Haarmann]] (1870–1925), prolific serial killer and rapist
* [[Julia Hamburg]] (born 1986), politician
* [[Conrad Wilhelm Hase]], (1818–1902), architect, founder of the [[Hanover school of architecture]]
* [[Johann Friedrich Ludwig Hausmann]] (1782–1859) German mineralogist<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Hausmann, Johann Friedrich Ludwig |volume= 13 |pages = 70&ndash;71 |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[William Herschel]] (1738–1822), astronomer and discoverer of the planet [[Uranus]], and his sister [[Caroline Herschel]] (1750–1848),<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Herschel, Caroline Lucretia |volume= 13 |page= 391 |short=1 }}</ref> also an astronomer<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Herschel, Sir Frederick William |volume= 13 |last1= Pritchard |first1= Charles  |author1-link= Charles Pritchard |last2= Clerke |first2= Agnes Mary |author2-link= Agnes Mary Clerke | pages = 391&ndash;393 |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Wyn Hoop]] (born 1936), singer
* [[Alfred Hugenberg]] (1865–1951), businessman and politician (DNVP)
* [[August Wilhelm Iffland]] (1759–1814), German actor and dramatic author<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Iffland, August Wilhelm |volume= 14 | page = 291  |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Manfred Kohrs]] (born 1957), tattooist, conceptual artist and Master of Economics
* [[Dr. Gindi]] (born 1965), contemporary sculptor
* [[Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves]] (1788–1864), architect
* [[Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz]] (1646–1716), philosopher, mathematician, developed differential and integral calculus<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Leibnitz, Gottfried Wilhelm |volume= 16 |last= Sorley |first= William Ritchie |author-link= William Ritchie Sorley | pages = 385&ndash;390 |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Ada Lessing]] (1883-1953), journalist and politician
* [[Klaus Meine]] (born 1948), rock musician, vocalist of the rock band [[Scorpions (band)|Scorpions]]
* [[Georg Meissner]] (1829–1905), anatomist and physiologist 
* [[Otto Fritz Meyerhof]] (1884–1951), recipient of the Nobel prize in medicine, 1922
* [[Lena Meyer-Landrut]] (born 1991), winner of the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2010]]
* [[Reiner E. Moritz]] (born 1938), film director and producer
* [[Georg Heinrich Pertz]] (1795–1876), German historian.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Pertz, Georg Heinrich |volume= 21 | pages = 263&ndash;264  |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Oliver Pocher]] (born 1978), comedian and television presenter
* [[Rudolf Erich Raspe]] (1736–1794), German librarian, writer and scientist<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Raspe, Rudolf Erich |volume= 13 |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Else Raydt]] (1883–1931), fashion designer
* [[Waldemar R. Röhrbein]] (1935–2014), historian, director of [[Historisches Museum Hannover]] 
* [[Wilhelm Georg Friedrich Roscher]] (1817–1894), German economist<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Roscher, Wilhelm Georg Friedrich |volume= 23 | page = 725 |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Dirk Rossmann]] (born 1946), businessman
* [[Dieter Roth]] (1930–1998), artist, print-maker, author, poet and world renowned composer
* [[Niki de Saint Phalle]] (1930–2002), sculptor, painter and film maker
* [[Friedrich Schlegel]] (1772–1829), poet, literary critic, philosopher and Indologist<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Schlegel, Karl Wilhelm Friedrich von |volume= 24 | pages = 329&ndash;330  |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Gerhard Schröder]] (born 1944), politician (SPD) (former [[Chancellor of Germany]])
* [[Helga Schuchardt]] (born 1939), politician and engineer
* [[Kurt Schumacher]] (1895–1952), politician, re-organiser of the [[SPD]] after World War II
* [[Kurt Schwitters]] (1887–1948), artist
* [[Alexander Moritz Simon]] (1837–1905), Jewish philanthropist, banker and American vice consul
* [[Uli Stein (artist)|Uli Stein]] (1954–2020), artist, cartoonist
* [[Charles Wachsmuth]] (1829–1896), German-American paleontologist and businessman<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Wachsmuth, Charles |volume= 28 | pages = 224&ndash;225 |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Gustav Wagemann]] (1885–1933), German lawyer, judge and civil servant
* [[Hans Wehrmann]] (born 1964), entrepreneur, economist, inventor, author and racing driver
* [[Phylicia Whitney]], journalist and public speaker
* [[Christian Wulff]] (born 1959), politician (CDU), former [[President of Germany]]
* [[Shlomo Zev Zweigenhaft]] (1915–2005), Chief Rabbi of Hanover and Lower Saxony
=== Sport ===
[[File:2023-07-03 Fussball, Frauen, Deutsche Nationalmannschaft, Media Day 1DX 6605 by Stepro-2.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Stina Johannes]], 2023]]
* [[Husseyn Chakroun]] (born 2004), footballer
* [[Johannes Dietwald]] (born 1985), footballer
* [[Hilal El-Helwe]] (born 1994), German-Lebanese football player
* [[Niclas Füllkrug]] (born 1993), footballer
* [[Stina Johannes]] (born 2000), footballer, goalkeeper for the [[Germany women's national football team]]
* [[Niklas Mackschin]] (born 1994), racing driver
* [[Jan Martín]] (born 1984), German-Israeli-Spanish basketball player
* [[Arnd Meier]] (born 1973), racing driver
* [[Per Mertesacker]] (born 1984), footballer
* [[Daniel Reiss]] (born 1982), professional ice hockey player
* [[Günter Twiesselmann]] (1925–2025), rower
* [[Dirk Werner]] (born 1981), racing driver

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Hanover is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web|title=Städtepartnerschaften der Landeshauptstadt Hannover|url=https://www.hannover.de/Leben-in-der-Region-Hannover/Politik/St%C3%A4dte-Regionspartnerschaften/St%C3%A4dtepartnerschaften-der-Landeshauptstadt-Hannover|website=hannover.de|publisher=Hanover|language=de|access-date=12 February 2021|archive-date=5 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005200112/https://www.hannover.de/Leben-in-der-Region-Hannover/Politik/St%C3%A4dte-Regionspartnerschaften/St%C3%A4dtepartnerschaften-der-Landeshauptstadt-Hannover|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|MWI}} [[Blantyre]], Malawi (1968)
*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bristol]], England, United Kingdom (1947)
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Hiroshima]], Japan (1983)
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Leipzig]], Germany (1987)
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Perpignan]], France (1960)
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Poznań]], Poland (1979)
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Rouen]], France (1966)
{{div col end}}

Hanover also cooperates with:
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Mykolaiv]], Ukraine (2022)

==See also==
{{Portal|Germany|Europe|Geography}}
* [[CeBIT]] (CeBIT Computer Messe)
* [[Expo 2000]]
* [[Hanover Fair]] (Hannover Messe)
* [[History of the Jews in Hannover|History of the Jews in Hanover]]
* [[Hannover–Braunschweig–Göttingen–Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region|Metropolitan region Hanover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg]]
* [[Schützenfest Hannover|Schützenfest Hanover]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
{{See also|Timeline of Hanover#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Hanover}}

==External links==
{{sister project auto}}
* {{official website}}
* [https://www.niedersachsen-tourism.com/ Official website for tourism, holiday and leisure in Lower Saxony and Hanover] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505204729/https://www.niedersachsen-tourism.com/ |date=2018-05-05 }}

{{Geographic location
|Centre    = Hanover
|North     = [[Soltau]], [[Hamburg]]
|Northeast = [[Celle]], [[Lüneburg]]
|East      = [[Peine]], [[Braunschweig]], [[Wolfsburg]]
|Southeast = [[Hildesheim]], [[Salzgitter]], [[Goslar]]
|South     = [[Göttingen]], [[Kassel]]
|Southwest = [[Hamelin]], [[Detmold]], [[Bielefeld]]
|West      = [[Minden]], [[Osnabrück]]
|Northwest = [[Nienburg, Lower Saxony|Nienburg]], [[Bremen]]
}}

{{Capitals of the states of the Federal Republic of Germany}}
{{List of European capitals by region}}
{{Cities in Germany}}
{{Cities and towns in Hanover (district)}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hanover| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Lower Saxony]]
[[Category:German state capitals]]
[[Category:Hanover Region]]
[[Category:Members of the Hanseatic League]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Germany]]