Hanover

Hanover’s architecture is characterized by a few historic districts and postwar urban planning. During World War II, approximately 90 percent of the buildings in the city center were destroyed. Under City Planning Director Rudolf Hillebrecht, a modern urban structure with wide thoroughfares and low-density development began to take shape in 1948. Today, historic buildings are concentrated, among other places, around the Marktkirche, the Old City Hall, Kramerstraße, and the Ballhof. The New City Hall, a monumental Historicist building with Neo-Renaissance elements and a dome visible from afar, stands in stark contrast to these areas. With the Herrenhausen Gardens, Hanover also boasts a significant Baroque garden complex, whose “Großer Garten” (Great Garden) took on its present form in the early 18th century.