Germany: My Trip to Hanover

Yesterday I was in Hanover to buy the new Variable Value stamps.

Hanover was first mentioned in 1163. In 1636 Duke George of Brunswick-Lüneburg from the House of Welf moved his residence to the town. In 1692 it became the capital of the Electorate of Hanover and in 1815 of the Kingdom of Hanover. Between 1714 and 1827 Hanover was ruled in personal union with the United Kingdom. The kingdom was annexed by Prussia in 1866 and Hanover became capital of a Prussian province. The new connection with Prussia meant an improvement in business and industry, although it was generally opposed by the people of Hanover. Since 1946 is Hanover the capital of the German State of Lower Saxony and today it is also the thirteenth largest city of Germany.

Although the new Variable Value stamps were issued yesterday, they were only available in a few selected vendors all over Germany. The other vendors will be equipped later.

The Herrenhausen Gardens consist of the Great Garden, the Berggarten, the Georgengarten and the Welfengarten. Started by the Kings of Hanover in the 17th century the gardens were not much altered after the beginning of the personal union. Thus they remained their Baroque appearance and are today among the most important Baroque gardens in Europe.

The Market Church of Saints George and James is the oldest parish church in Hanover's Old Town and the preaching venue of the bishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover. The church has a large pentagram on the tower and a Martin Luther Memorial is located next to the church.

The Leibniz House was built in 1499. It is named after Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who lived in the house between 1698 and his death in 1716. The house is today used by the University of Hanover and houses a small exhibition about Leibniz.

The Church of the New Town was built in the Baroque style between 1666 and 1670. Leibniz is buried in the church.

The Lower Saxony State Museum was founded in 1856. First known as Museum of Art and Science and later called Museum of the Province of Hanover, it got its current name in 1950. Its collections focus on archaeology, art, coins, ethnology and natural history.

The Historical Museum of Hanover was founded in 1903. It focuses on the history of Hanover and the former possessions of the House of Welf in modern day Lower Saxony.

One of the cards I bought in the Historical Museum shows Hanover's Synagogue. The Synagogue of Hanover was built between 1864 and 1870 and was destroyed in 1938. The Historical Museum shows a model of the Synagogue.

In 2000 the World's Fair was hold in Hanover. It was located on the Hanover fairground, the largest exhibition ground in the World.