TheHanover Fairground, owing to numerous extensions, especially for theExpo 2000, is the largest in the world. Hanover hosts annual commercialtrade fairs such as theHanover Fair and up to 2018 theCeBIT. It also hosts the biannual IAA Commercial Vehicles show, the world's leading trade show for transport, logistics and mobility. Every year Hanover hosts theSchützenfest Hanover, the world's largest marksmen's festival, and theOktoberfest Hanover.
The name of the city may derive from the German(am) hohen Ufer, literally 'on the high (river) bank'.[5]
Traditionally, the English spelling is⟨Hanover⟩. However,⟨Hannover⟩, the German spelling with a double-⟨n⟩, has become more popular in English. Recent editions ofEncyclopædia Britannica prefer the German spelling,[a] and the local government uses the German spelling on their English webpages.[8] The English pronunciation, withstress 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 BritishHouse of Hanover.
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 theHanover Historical Museum and (2) theLeine PalaceIllustration of Hanover byMatthäus Merian,[9] first issued 1641
Hanover was founded in medieval times on the east bank of theLeine River. Its original nameHonovere may mean 'high river bank', but that is debated.[citation needed] Hanover was a small village of ferrymen and fishermen that became a comparatively large town in the 13th century and receivedtown 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 theHanseatic League city ofBremen by the Leine River and was situated near the southern edge of the wideNorth German Plain and northwest of theHarz mountains, so east–west traffic such as mule trains passed through it. Hanover was thus a gateway to theRhine,Ruhr andSaar 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 theLow Countries andSaxony orThuringia.
In the 14th century, the mainchurches of Hanover were built, as well as acity wall with three city gates. The beginning of industrialization in Germany led to trade in iron and silver from the northernHarz Mountains, which increased the city's importance.
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, byGeorge IV in 1821. From 1816 to 1837,ViceroyAdolphus represented the monarch in Hanover.
AfterNapoleon imposed theConvention of Artlenburg (treaty of the Elbe) on 5 July 1803, about 35,000 French soldiers occupied Hanover. The convention also required disbanding theHanoverian 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 theKing's German Legion was formed. It was only troops from Hanover andBrunswick who consistently opposed France throughout the Napoleonic Wars. The Legion later played an important role in thePeninsular War and theBattle of Waterloo in 1815. In 1814 the electorate became theKingdom of Hanover.[10]
After 1937 thelord mayor and the state commissioners of Hanover were members of theNSDAP (Nazi party). A largeJewish population then existed in Hanover. In October 1938, 484 Hanoverian Jews of Polish origin were expelled to Poland, including theGrynszpan 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 PolishRed Cross and Jewish welfare organisations. The Grynszpans' sonHerschel 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 EduardErnst vom Rath, who died shortly afterwards.[13]
The Nazis took this act as a pretext to stage a nationwide pogrom known asKristallnacht (9 November 1938).[14] On that day, thesynagogue of Hanover, designed in 1870 byEdwin Oppler inneo-romantic style, was burnt by the Nazis.
In September 1941, through the "Action Lauterbacher" plan, aghettoisation of the remaining Hanoverian Jewish families began. Even before theWannsee Conference, on 15 December 1941, the first Jews from Hanover were deported toRiga.[15] A total of 2,400 people were deported, and very few survived. During the war sevenconcentration camps were constructed in Hanover, in which many Jews were confined,[16] but alsoPolish,French andRussian women.[17][18] Of the approximately 4,800 Jews who had lived in Hanover in 1938, fewer than 100 were still in the city when troops of the United States Army arrived on 10 April 1945 to occupy Hanover at the end of the war.[citation needed] Today, a memorial at the Opera Square is a reminder of the persecution of the Jews in Hanover. After the war a large group ofOrthodox Jewish survivors of the nearbyBergen-Belsen concentration camp settled in Hanover.[19]
Hanover was in the British zone of occupation of Germany and became part of the newstate (Land) ofLower Saxony in 1946. In 1947, Hanover established its relationship withBristol, England in exchanges of goods, students and music. This would link the two cities as models for establishing programs and organizations likeSister Cities International.[27]
Today Hanover is a vice-president city ofMayors for Peace, an international mayoral organisation mobilising cities and citizens worldwide to abolish and eliminate nuclear weapons by 2020.[28]
Hanover has anoceanic climate (Köppen:Cfb) independent of the isotherm. Although the city is not on a coastal location, the predominantair masses are still from the ocean, unlike other places further east or south-central Germany.[29]
The Hanover weather station has recorded the following extreme values:[30]
Its highest temperature was 39.2 °C (102.6 °F) on20 July 2022.
Its lowest temperature was −24.8 °C (−12.6 °F) on 22 January 1940.
Its greatest annual precipitation was 935.4 mm (36.83 in) in 1981.
Its least annual precipitation was 337.4 mm (13.28 in) in 1959.
The longest annual sunshine was 1,971.6 hours in 1959.
The shortest annual sunshine was 1,274.3 hours in 1998.
Climate data for Hannover (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1936–2023)
Results of the second round of the 2019 mayoral election
The current mayor of Hanover isBelit Onay ofAlliance 90/The Greens, elected in 2019. The most recent mayoral election was held on 17 October 2019, with a runoff held on 10 November, and the results were as follows:
The Hanover city council governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 12 September 2021, and the results were as follows:
Panoramic view from the viewing platform of theNew Town Hall
Market Church in HanoverOld Town HallWaterloo Column in HanoverAnzeiger Tower Block
There are around 5,500 buildings of major historic value within city limits.[33] One of Hanover's most grandiose sights is theRoyal Gardens of Herrenhausen. Its Great Garden is an important EuropeanBaroque garden. The palace itself was largely destroyed by Allied bombing, but was reconstructed and reopened in 2013.[34] Among its points of interest is the Grotto, with the interior designed by French artistNiki de Saint Phalle.[35] The Great Garden consists of several parts and features Europe's tallest garden fountain. The historicGarden Theatre has hosted the musicals of the German rock musicianHeinz Rudolf Kunze.[36]
Also at Herrenhausen, theBerggarten is a botanical garden with the most varied collection of orchids in Europe.[37] Some points of interest are theTropical House, theCactus House, theCanary House and theOrchid House, and free-flying birds and butterflies. Near the entrance to the Berggarten is the historicLibrary Pavillon. TheMausoleum of the Guelphs is also in the Berggarten. Like the Great Garden, the Berggarten also consists of several parts, for example theParadies and thePrairie Garden. TheGeorgengarten is an English landscape garden. TheLeibniz Temple and theGeorgen Palace are two points of interest there.
Maschsee seen from the viewing platform of the New Town Hall
The landmark of Hanover is theNew Town Hall (Neues Rathaus). Inside the building are four scale models of the city. An elevator ascends to the observation deck at the top of the large dome along a variable angle of up to 17 degrees, thought to be unique in the world.[38]
TheHanover Zoo received the Park Scout Award for the fourth year running in 2009–10, placing it among the best zoos in Germany.[39] 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.[39] There is also theSea Life Centre Hanover, which is the first tropical aquarium in Germany.[40]
Another point of interest is theOld Town. In the centre are the largeMarktkirche (ChurchSt. Georgii et Jacobi, preaching venue of the bishop of the LutheranLandeskirche Hanovers), and the 15th centuryOld Town Hall, heavily damaged byAllied bombing in 1943, and reconstructed after World War II. Nearby are theLeibniz House, theNolte House, and theBeguine Tower. TheKreuz-Church-Quarter around theKreuz Church contains many little lanes. Nearby is the old royal sports hall, now called theBallhof theatre. On the edge of the Old Town are theMarket Hall, theLeine Palace, and the ruin of theAegidien Church which is now a monument to the victims of war and violence. Through theMarstall Gate the bank of the riverLeine can be reached; theNanas ofNiki de Saint Phalle are there. They are part of theSculpture Mile, which starts atTrammplatz, runs along the river bank, crossesKönigsworther Square, and ends at the entrance of theGeorgengarten. Near the Old Town is the district of Calenberger Neustadt where the CatholicSt. Clement's Basilica, theReformed Church and the LutheranNeustädter Hof- und Stadtkirche St. Johannis stand.
Some other popular sights are theWaterloo Column, theLaves House, theWangenheim Palace, theLower Saxony State Archives, theHanover Playhouse, theKröpcke Clock, theAnzeiger Tower Block, theAdministration Building of the NORD/LB, theCupola Hall of the Congress Centre, theLower Saxony Stock, theMinistry of Finance, theGarten Church, theLuther Church, theGehry Tower (designed by the American architectFrank O. Gehry), the specially designedBus Stops, theOpera House, theHanover Central Station, theMaschsee lake and the city forestEilenriede, 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.
Outside the city centre is theHanover Fairground, which was the site ofEXPO 2000 fair. Some points of interest are thePlanet M., the formerGerman Pavillon, some nations' vacant pavilions, theExpowale, theEXPO-Plaza and theEXPO-Gardens (Parc Agricole, EXPO-Park South and the Gardens of change). The fairground can be reached by theExponale, one of the largest pedestrian bridges in Europe.
TheHanover Fairground is the largest exhibition centre in the world.[41]It provides 496,000 square metres (5.34 million square feet) of covered indoor space, 58,000 square metres (620 thousand square feet) of open-air space, 27 halls and pavilions. Many of the Exhibition Centre's halls are architectural highlights. Furthermore, it offers the Convention Center with its 35 function rooms, glassed-in areas between halls, grassy park-like recreation zones and its own heliport. Two important sights on the fairground are theHermes Tower (88.8 metres or 291 feet high) and theEXPO Roof, the largest wooden roof in the world.[42]
In the district of Anderten is theEuropean Cheese Centre, termed a "Cheese Experience Centre." Another tourist sight in Anderten is theHindenburg Lock, which was the biggest lock in Europe when it was constructed in 1928. TheTiergarten in the district of Kirchrode is a forest originally used for deer and other game for the king's table.
The Telemax tower is visible from up to 30 kilometres (19 mi) away on the Autobahns
The 282-metre-high (925 ft)Telemax communications tower, the tallest building in Lower Saxony and the highest television tower in northern Germany, lies in the district of Groß-Buchholz. Some other notable towers are theVW-Tower in the city centre and the old towers of the former middle-age defence belt:Döhrener Tower,Lister Tower and theHorse Tower.
The 36 most significant sights of the city centre are connected by a 4.2-kilometre-long (3 mi) walking trail called theRed 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 size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions.
Population development of Hanover, Germany, from 1871 with gender breakdown since 31 December 1968
Hanover has a population of about 540,000. It is thelargest city inLower Saxony and is the 13th largest city in Germany. TheHanover Region, a district that surrounds the city of Hanover and cities likeLangenhagen,Garbsen andLaatzen has a population of about 1,160,000 and is the largestDistrict (Landkreis) in Germany.Hanover metropolitan region, which includes also cities likeBraunschweig,Hildesheim andGöttingen, has a population of about 3,850,000 and is the 8th largestmetropolitan 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 ofLower Saxony state and it grew rapidly in 1950s and 60s due to West GermanWirtschaftswunder. This also saw the growth of a large migrant population, drawn largely fromTurkey,Greece andItaly. Hanover has also one of the largestVietnamese communities in formerWest Germany due to its proximity to formerEast Germany. The Viên Giácpagoda 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 theLow German dialect area after Hamburg,Dortmund,Essen and Bremen.
TheHistorisches 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, theKestnergesellschaft 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.
TheKestner-Museum is located in theHouse of 5,000 windows. The museum is named afterAugust 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 theKünstlerhaus (House of artists). There are around seven international exhibitions each year.
TheLandesmuseum 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 avivarium 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.
TheSprengel 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 ofKurt 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.
TheWilhelm Busch Museum is theGerman 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. ThePolizeigeschichtliche Sammlung Niedersachsen is the largest police museum in Germany. Textiles from all over the world can be visited in theMuseum for textile art. TheEXPOseeum is the museum of the world-exhibition "EXPO 2000 Hanover". Carpets and objects from the orient can be visited in theOriental Carpet Museum. TheMuseum for the visually impaired is a rarity in Germany, there is only one other of its kind in Berlin. TheMuseum of veterinary medicine is unique in Germany. TheMuseum for Energy History describes the 150 years old history of the application of energy. TheHeimat-Museum Ahlem shows the history of the district of Ahlem. TheMahn- und Gedenkstätte Ahlem describes the history of the Jewish people in Hanover and theStiftung Ahlers Pro Arte / Kestner Pro Arte shows modern art. Modern art is also the main topic of theKunsthalle Faust, theNord/LB Art Gallery and of theForo Artistico / Eisfabrik.
Some leading art events in Hanover are theLong Night of the Museums and theZinnober Kunstvolkslauf which features all the galleries in Hanover.
People who are interested in astronomy should visit theObservatory Geschwister Herschel on the Lindener Mountain or the small planetarium inside of the Bismarck School.
Hanover State Opera is resident in the classical 19th-century Hanover Opera House.
Around 40 theatres are located in Hanover. TheOpera House, theSchauspielhaus (Play House), theBallhof eins, theBallhof zwei and theCumberlandsche Galerie belong to theLower Saxony State Theatre. TheTheater am Aegi is Hanover's principal theatre for musicals, shows and guest performances. TheNeues Theater (New Theatre) is the boulevard theatre of Hanover. TheTheater 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 theGarden-Theatre in the Great Garden.
Some important theatre events are theTanztheater International, theLong Night of the Theatres, theFestival Theaterformen and theInternational Competition for Choreographers.
Hanover's leading cabaret stage is theGOP Variety theatre which is located in theGeorgs Palace. Some other cabaret-stages are theVariety Marlene, theUhu-Theatre. the theatreDie Hinterbühne, theRampenlich Variety and the revue-stageTAK. The most important cabaret event is theKleines 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 theCalenberger Cabaret Weeks, theHanover Cabaret Festival and theWintervariety.
Hanover has two symphony orchestras: The Lower Saxon State Orchestra Hanover and theNDR Radiophilharmonie (North German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra). Two notable choirs have their homes in Hanover: theMädchenchor Hanover (girls' choir) and theKnabenchor 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[45] (since 1997); the non-profit association Classica Nova exists in Hanover with the aim of continuing the Classica Nova competition
Hanover 96 (nicknamedDie Roten, literally 'the Reds') is the top localfootball team that currently plays in the2. Bundesliga. Home games are played at theNiedersachsenstadion (Lower Saxony Stadium), which hosted matches in the1974 and2006World Cups and theEuro 1988. Their reserve team Hanover 96 II plays in the fourth league. Their home games were played in the traditionalEilenriedestadion until they moved to the HDI Arena due to DFL directives.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.
TheHanover Indians are the local ice hockey team. They play in the third tier. Their home games are played at the traditionalEisstadion am Pferdeturm. TheHanover Scorpions played in Hanover in Germany's top league until 2013 when they sold their license and moved toLangenhagen.
Hanover was one of therugby 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 Hanover,SC Germania List, andSV Odin Hanover plays in thefirst division, andDRC Hanover as well as SG 78/08 Hanover play in the second division.
Hanover has traditionally been one of Germany's hubs inWater sports and especially inWater polo. TheSG Waspo'98 Hanover won theDeutsche Wasserball-Liga in 2020 and 2021. In total, clubs from Hanover have won the German championship 11 times. Thanks to the 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 Germanfencing club was founded in Hanover in 1862. Today there are three additional fencing clubs in Hanover.
TheHanover Korbjäger are the city's top basketball team. They play their home games at the IGS Linden.
The Hanover Regents play in the thirdBundesliga (baseball) division. The Hanover Grizzlies, Armina Spartans and Hanover Stampeders are the local American football teams.
The HanoverMarathon 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 internationalcycle race, the "Nacht von Hannover" ("Night of Hanover"). The race takes place around the market hall.
The lake Maschsee hosts internationaldragon boat races andcanoe olo tournaments. Manyregattas 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, theAll 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.[46]
Some other important sport events include the Lower Saxony beachvolleyball tournament, the internationalhorse show "German Classics" and the internationalice hockey tournament Nations Cup.
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 theCeBIT, theHanover Fair, theDomotex, theLigna, theIAA Nutzfahrzeuge and theAgritechnica. Hanover also hosts a huge number of congresses and symposiums like theInternational Symposium on Society and Resource Management.[47]
Hanover is also host to theSchützenfest Hannover, the largest marksmen's fun fair in the world which takes place once a year from late June to early July.[48] 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 12-kilometre-long (7 mi)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 transportableFerris wheels in the world, with a height of about 60 metres (197 ft).
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. TheOktoberfest 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.
TheMaschsee 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 theInternational Fireworks Competition, and theInternational Festival Weeks Herrenhausen, with music and cabaret performances. TheCarnival Procession is around 3 kilometres (2 mi) long and consists of 3,000 participants, around 30 festival vehicles and around 20 bands and takes place every year.
Other festivals include the FestivalFeuer und Flamme (Fire and Flames), theGartenfestival (Garden Festival), theHerbstfestival (Autumn Festival), theHarley Days, theSteintor Festival (Steintor is a party area in the city centre) and theLister-Meile-Festival (Lister Meile is a large pedestrian area).
Hanover also hosts food-oriented festivals including theWine Festival and theGourmet Festival. It also hosts some special markets like theOld Town Flea Market and theMarket for Art and Trade. Some other major markets include theChristmas Markets of the City of Hanover in the Old Town and city centre, and the Lister Meile.
Hanover is an attractive tourist place due to its many sights and famous events. Hanover had about 580,000 visitors in 2021, predominantly from theNetherlands and theUnited Kingdom. Famous sights in Hanover areNew Town Hall,Herrenhausen Gardens andHanover 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 largesttrade fairs.
Hanover is also an important hub of Germany'sautobahn network; the junction of two major autobahns, theA 2 andA 7 is atKreuz Hanover-Ost, at the northeastern edge of the city.
Local autobahns areA 352 (a shortcut between A7 and A2, also known as theAirport autobahn because it passes Hanover Airport), and theA 37.
Theexpressway (Schnellweg) system, a number ofBundesstraße roads, forms a structure loosely resembling a largering road together with A2 and A7. The roads areB 3,B 6 andB 65, calledWestschnellweg (B6 on the northern part, B3 on the southern part),Messeschnellweg (B3, becomes A37 nearBurgdorf, crosses A2, becomes B3 again, changes to B6 atSeelhorster Kreuz, then passes theHanover fairground as B6 and becomes A37 again before merging into A7) andSüdschnellweg (starts out as B65, becomes B3/B6/B65 upon crossing Westschnellweg, then becomes B65 again at Seelhorster Kreuz).
Hanover has an extensiveStadtbahn and bus system, operated byüstra. The city usesdesigner buses and tramways, theTW 6000 andTW 2000 trams being examples.
Various industrial businesses are located in Hanover. TheVolkswagen Commercial VehiclesTransporter (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 A2. Volkswagen shares a coal-burning power plant with a factory of German tire and automobile parts manufacturerContinental AG. Continental, founded in Hanover in 1871, is one of the city's major companies. Since 2008 a take-over has been in progress:[needs update] theSchaeffler Group fromHerzogenaurach (Bavaria) holds the majority of Continental's stock but were required due to the financial crisis to deposit the options as securities at banks.[50]
The audio equipment companySennheiser and the travel groupTUI AG are both based in Hanover.[51] Hanover is home to many insurance companies includingTalanx,VHV Group, andConcordia Insurance. The major global reinsurance companyHannover Re also has its headquarters east of the city centre.
In 2012, the city generated aGDP of €29.5 billion, which is equivalent to €74,822 per employee. Thegross value of production in 2012 was €26.4 billion, which is equivalent to €66,822 per employee.[53]
Around 300,000 employees were counted in 2014. Of these, 189,000 had theirprimary residence in Hanover, while 164,892 commute into the city every day.[54]
In 2014 the city was home to 34,198 businesses, of which 9,342 were registered in theGerman Trade Register and 24,856 counted assmall businesses.[55] Hence, more than half of the metropolitan area's businesses in theGerman Trade Register are located in Hanover (17,485 total).[56]
A range of programmes supports companies from the key industries in theirexpansion plans in Hanover or abroad. Three regional centres specifically promote international economic relations with Russia, India and Turkey.
TheInstitut 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.[58]
TheLeibniz 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 openedHannover Medical Research School in 2003 for attracting the students from biology background from around the world.
Hannover has several vocational schools like Berufsbildende Schulen (BBS) ME - Metalltechnik und Elektrotechnik, which specializes in metal and electrical engineering,[62] and BBS Cora Berliner, which specializes in business administration as well as the leisure and trading industries.[63]
^In 2015 Encyclopædia Britannica said⟨Hanover⟩ is the English spelling and an alternate title for their entry, but used⟨Hannover⟩, with a double-⟨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.[6] In 2024 it used⟨Hannover⟩ in the title and in the text, and⟨Hanover⟩ as an alternative spelling and when referring to the historical kingdom and the province.[7]
^"Hannover".Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2015. Archived fromthe original on 26 April 2015. Retrieved11 July 2024.
^"Hannover".Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1 May 2024. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved11 July 2024.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^Meyer, Michael (2000).Deutsch-jüdische Geschichte der Neuzeit. Band IV (in German). Munich: C.H. Beck.ISBN3-406-39705-0.
^Fröbe, Rainer (1989).Konzentrationslager in Hannover - KZ-Arbeit und Rüstungsindustrie in der Spätphase des Zweiten Weltkriegs. Hildesheim: August Lax.ISBN3-7848-2422-6.
^Megargee, Geoffrey P.; Overmans, Rüdiger; Vogt, Wolfgang (2022).The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. p. 465.ISBN978-0-253-06089-1.
^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.