Right in the middle of things: There is a lot to discover in the center of Hanover.

Shopping in Hanover starts in the center of Ernst-August-Platz. On the right, the Ernst-August-Galerie, one level below the Niki-de-Saint-Phalle-Promenade and above the Bahnhofstraße invite you to shop, stroll and dine. Straight on we continue to Kröpcke.

Mitte is the center of Hanover where the most important shopping streets meet. A landmark is the stone gate at Georgstraße. Shopping in Hanover starts in the center of Ernst-August-Platz. On the right, the Ernst-August-Galerie, one level below the Niki-de-Saint-Phalle-Promenade and above the Bahnhofstraße invites you to shop, stroll and dine. Straight on you will find Kröpcke - a central meeting point. In the alleys of the old town, there are numerous small boutiques, many cafes and quaint pubs.

The horse statue of King of Hanover, Ernst August I., is also a popular meeting place in Hannover. Who says "under the tail", makes an appointment at the equestrian statue right in front of the station exit. Very popular, too, is the market hall called "belly of Hanover" because of its variety of fresh food, exclusive delicacies, and international food. Visitors enjoy spending some time on a coffee or Prosecco. Similarly famous is the regular Old Town Flea Market where anything is offered from art to junk, from kitsch to antiques. It takes place every Saturday on the Hohe Ufer between Schloss- and Goethestraße.

Downtown Hanover was destroyed by almost 90% during the Second World War and its appearance is accordingly mixed. This also applies to the residential area - you can find modern apartment blocks built this century as well as quickly risen apartments built after the Second World War when the need of living space was huge. If you want to live central, this is the district, but one has to carefully select the neighborhood.

Despite the central location, it is not far to the nearest recreational area, because the district is surrounded by three extensive green areas in the northwest, northeast, and south. On the one hand, the town hall with the Maschpark and the Maschteich belongs to the district and it borders directly on the much larger Maschsee and the adjoining pond and parkland. In the northwest are the Herrenhäuser gardens and in the northeast, just behind the main station, extends the Eilenriede, the city forest of Hanover and one of the largest contiguous urban forests in Europe. More pictures here.

Pictures f.l.t.r.: Hannover Altes Rathaus from Markt © Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, Hannover Mitte Goseriede Tiedthof Gewerkschaftshaus shared Bernd Schwabe in Hannover, CC BY-SA 3.0, Hannover_-_Kroepcke (c) HeidasWikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0  - all via Wikimedia Commons

Once the Südstadt was considered an outdated district inhabited by city officers, but this image has long since filed off the district. Today, the Südstadt is known not only for its wealth of children but also for its family friendliness. The other Hanoverians are always drawn there as well because the Maschsee is one of the most popular excursion destinations in the Südstadt. It is one of the most popular districts of Hanover. When the weather is good, you will encounter many inline skaters and cyclists making laps on the paved circuit around the lake, or joggers circling along the parallel gravel path, while many kitesurfing, rowing, sailing or simply paddle boats populate the lake. Once a year, the "Crazy Crossing" competition organized by the local radio station "Hit-Radio Antenne Niedersachsen" takes place here, where daredevils in self-built boats try to reach the other shore - not always successfully, which belongs to the concept.

Via the Marienstraße and the Hildesheimer Straße, the commute to the central shopping area is only five minutes. It is rumored that especially singles prefer this part of the city, maybe because you can flirt so wonderfully while jogging around the Maschsee ... Lately, more and more students discover the Südstadt, although it is comparatively quiet here. Highlights are the historical premises of the ice factory offer theater, art and culture events and every Friday you can experience Hanover's biggest weekly market at St. Stephen's Square.

Südstadt also has a lot to offer from a culinary perspective: Mimi's Thaikitchen, LaSall, the Lord's Supper, Baba and Café Gleichklang are popular meeting and dining points. If you like to have a glass of wine in the evening or make yourself comfortable with friends,  the bar "die bar" in the Dormero Hotel, the Goldfish, Glüxkind or the Bar Seña are the venues to go to. And nice shopping experiences are promised by the Porcelain Café, Esplanade, SofaLoft, Anne Behne and Wollkultur.

The annual highlight in the Südstadt is the Maschseefest: Under the motto "in 19 days once around the world" the kitchens are served by Far East Asia, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Ireland or the Caribbean. Exciting bars & restaurants offer far more than tempting food: trendy DJs deliver a relaxed musical party & evening program every day. The stages around the lake guarantee the best live entertainment.

Pictures f.l.t.r.: Eilenriede_Waldcafe_Milchhäuschen AxelHH, Public domain (c) CC0, Maschsee_juni_2015 Ralf Claus, Copyrighted free use (c) CC0, Maschsee_Spaziergänger AxelHH, Public domain (c) CC0 - all via Wikimedia Commons

Brokers like to refer to List as a "preferred residential area" - and indeed: In this district, one can live very well. Close to the Eilenriede, the huge forest, with the Lister Meile on the doorstep and many beautiful and well-preserved old buildings it offers a high quality of life. Many Hanoverians also like to come from other parts of the city to visit List: to stroll through the market on Moltkeplatz or along the Lister Meile.

The Lister Meile and the Podbielskistraße are the two main arteries of List. Many families appreciate the rather quiet, bourgeois atmosphere and the numerous shopping possibilities in the side streets. There are also a lot of cultural events: You can meet for a good wine, go to the theater (in the List eV), attend a reading or a concert in the pavilion. There is also good shopping at List, again on the Lister Meile or around the Wedekindplatz: everywhere bulging shopping bags dominate the picture. Spending time at Dithmar's - the slightly different department store, at Suse Schneeweiß or at His Stuff, is a quite relaxing leisure activity. In List one finds particularly beautiful restaurants and cafes such as the Elio, Plümecke, Jo's Food & Craft, Hothouse, Tom Maas, or Café Lulu. For the evening and night, List also has a lot to offer. So there's the bars Rumpelkammer, Pepe's and the Zaza.

The district also benefits from its proximity to the forest Eilenriede where the citizens keep fit and jog in the morning. Impressive are the magnificent buildings with the most beautiful Art Nouveau facades east of the Lister Platz. Due to the numerous large and elaborately renovated old buildings, the social structure of the district has changed significantly. In the past, the apartments were often used by students for residential communities, but today the quarter is dominated by academics. The high proportion of teachers and social scientists lead to List's nickname "pedagogue ghetto". North of the Podbielskistraße, also briefly called "Podbi" by Hanoverians, are large townhouses with numerous green and multipurpose areas. South of the Podbi, on the Eilenriede, are mainly city villas with views of the adjacent city forest Eilenriede.

See more photos here.

Photos f.l.t.r.: Bonifatiusplatz_10_11 Axel Hindemith, Public domain, (c) CC0, Ferdinand-Wallbrecht-Straße (c) GeorgDerReisende, CC BY-SA 4.0, House Jakobistrasse Edenstrasse List Hannover (c) Christian A. Schröder (ChristianSchd), CC BY-SA 4.0 - all via Wikimedia Commons

Kleefeld has the green lung of the city right outside the door: Surrounded by the Eilenriede, equipped with the beautiful Hermann Löns Park - the district Kleefeld is one of the greenest in the city. Not without reason, one of the preferred residential areas, the philosopher's quarter, is located here. But Kleefeld has more to offer than pretty villas: the ice skating stadium at the Pferdeturm, the pretty weekly market on Schaperplatz and the holiday feeling in the swimming bath Annabad. It is, therefore, a very popular district.

In the 1920s, numerous buildings were designed and constructed in the style of brick expressionism. In addition to representative office and factory buildings, many and partly extensive residential complexes were built. The garden city Kleefeld was built starting in winter 1927/28 on the grounds of the former manor Kleefeld. The area is divided by streets in north-south direction. The plan, however, tried to avoid to cut the main road running in east-west direction, the Kirchröder road, as little as possible. Originally, about 600 houses were planned, of which only just under a quarter was created. The designs provided for the houses of three different basic types, all of which had at least five rooms and at least 150 m2 of living space. The individual houses have been grouped into groups of 2, 4 or 6, while building sections that spring back and forth soften the block effect. Brick arches between the houses made for a spatial effect of the rows. Later, however, these arches were rebuilt on the back to provide more living space. As a result, it is no longer possible to look through the arches in the back gardens, whereby the original design is greatly disturbed. The quarter looks beautiful and is a preferred residential area.

Photos f.l.t.r.: Hauseingang,_Romantik,_Denkmal (c) Kleefeldinlove, CC BY-SA 4.0, Schaperplatz 2, 1, Kleefeld, Hannover, Region Hannover (c) GeorgDerReisende, CC BY-SA 4.0, 2023-06-07 Issendorffstraße 01 (c) Bärbel Miemietz, CC BY-SA 4.0 - all via Wikimedia Commons

If you want to go to the Sahlkamp, you have to drive all the way to the north of the city. The district between Bothfeld and Varenheide is architecturally a colorful mixture. Detached houses, multi-storey blocks of flats and social housing can be found there as well as a neighborhood farm, meadows and green spaces.

The high settlements south of the Kugelfangtrifts are by no means dull. The Sahlkamp was planned similar to the western adjacent district Vahrenheide and is characterized by many trees and green recreational areas. Shops for daily needs can also be found nearby. If you need something special, you can reach the city center in about ten minutes via the city railway line 2, which runs through the district.

If one crosses Kugelfangtrift in a northerly direction, one arrives in an area, which is distinguished by single-family houses with gardens in traffic-reduced zones. Here, the district shows its particularly beautiful side. The family house area is almost a small oasis in the north of the district.

The two so great contrasts are extremely juxtaposed and cannot be found in any other district of Hannover. For years, the large housing estate on Sahlkamp has been a problem area with immigrants from 60 nations and speculation of the housing companies - yet some live there happy and many are committed to a peaceful co-existence and a joint sense of community. People help each other.

The neighborhood is a kind of social project, for which government agencies have been spending millions of euros for well over six years and dozens of people are involved in the neighborhood. In 2009, the city decided to declare Sahlkamp-Mitte, with its 2100 apartments, a redevelopment area within the framework of the Bund-Länder program "Social City" - also to persuade the housing companies to modernize. But so far without success.

Linden was once regarded as Prussia's largest village, was an industrial location and working-class district, became its own city in 1885, and was incorporated into Hanover in 1920. The Turkish guest workers came in the sixties, the students in the eighties. Linden is an urban island, rough and vibrant, framed by expressways and the rivers Leine and Ihme, with stubbornness and local patriotism. It is divided into Nord- Mitte, and Süd Linden.

The lifeline is the shopping street Limmerstraße west of the so-called kitchen garden place ("Am Küchengarten"). "Am Küchengarten" is the name of the central square in Hannover-Linden. But instead of green one sees gray here. To the north lies the busy Fössestraße, in the east the seventy-years-old town of Ihme-Zentrum, in between the thermal power station with its distinctive towers, popularly called "The Three Warm Brothers". And yet: the place is very much alive. Actors train for the cabaret stage TAK, skaters practice their tricks, girls applause, late Swingkids swelter to sounds from the ghettoblaster, children romp about the playground, boys in the thirties boulder and vie for attention. When the sun starts to shine in the spring and the Hanoverians in the rest of the city are still thinking about not leaving the house in a few days, the chairs and tables are long shifted outside, families, hipsters and punks, the local drinkers, are strolling around and the guests from the rest of the city. "Limmer" is the name of this lively road. A lot of beer is consumed. and the high density of kiosks guarantees replenishment. Numerous kitchens are available - you could eat Turkish, Chinese, Italian, Persian, South or North American, mostly decent quality, often really good. A popular place is the "Faust", the social and cultural center with club, stages, beer garden and art gallery in a former bed feather factory.

Right and left of the Limmerstraße and around the marketplace the colorful life is bustling. Students, academics, life-artists, originals, for everybody the street is almost a living room. Pubs, cafes, kiosks, and restaurants can be found on every corner; the Béi Chéz Heinz, Cafe Glocksee, and Kulturzentrum Faust locations are the party triangle. And Linden is a hot tip for shopping: many small boutiques and shops offer looks and accessories that just produces a casual neighborhood.

On the self-made benches in front of Isabelle Haijtema's café, casual people drink the first coffee of the day until late in the afternoon. Inside it sometimes it feels like in a daycare; single mothers and new dads are guests with their offspring. A few hundred meters further on is the "Apollo", the last classic district cinema in Hanover and the oldest recorded cinema in Northern Germany. It was about to be shut down in 1973 when a long-haired student asked if he could try his concept of a program cinema. He was allowed, the rest is history: The student was a certain Achim Flebbe, the later Cinemaxx founder.

Photos f.l.t.r.: Villa_Stephanus at Davenstedter Strasse (c) Christian Schröder, CC BY-SA 3.0, Lindener Marktplatz, 3, Linden-Mitte, Hannover (C) GeorgDerReisende, CC BY-SA 4.0, Hannover linden berg friedhof 02 (c) Ra Boe, CC BY-SA 2.5 - all via Wikimedia Commons