The Red Thread (●) is an urban walking trail through the city centre of Hanover, and in particular the site of its
old town, shown here within the approximate location of the former 13th-century city wall (●) within the 17th-century inner
bastion (●). [
de ] It begins and ends near the
main railway station.
The Red Thread (
German: Roter Faden) is a 4.2-kilometre (2.6 mi) urban walking trail in
Hanover, Germany, to 36 significant points of interest about
architecture and the history of the city centre.
Barrier-free for the entire course, the line is repainted annually with about 70 litres (18 US gal) of red paint. A brochure that explains each stop along the Red Thread is available in 10 languages, as is a
mobile app for
iOS called Roter Faden that supports 4 languages.
Origin
The Red Thread is based on the
Freedom Trail in
Boston, Massachusetts, and was created in 1971 for a marketing campaign developed for the city of Hanover by an agency chosen in 1969 by city manager
Martin Neuffer. [
de ][4]: 185, 195–196 At that time Hanover had a reputation of being one of the most boring cities in Germany.[5][6][7][8] Appreciating art, city manager Neuffer initiated an image campaign comprising a street art program and a marketing campaign.
Stops along the Red Thread
The walking trail comprises the following 36 numbered stops.
The Red Thread starts near the tourist information office at the southeast corner of Ernst August Square south-southeast of the main railway station's southern entry.
Aegidien Church was destroyed by the aerial bombings during World War II. Its remnants are left standing as a memorial to the victims of war and violence in the city.
The
Spartan Stone [
de ] in the southeast exterior of Aegidien Church is a copy of the original now housed in
Hanover Historical Museum. Legend has it being the headstone of the "Spartans of Hanover", seven Hanoverians who died defending the city in 1480.
Kubus Gallery [
de ] exhibits contemporary art, focusing on Hanover and the city's twins. Immediately to the gallery's south, a city wall remnant and the
Borgentrick tower [
de ] dating to 1310 are integrated into a former school building.
The archer on
Tramm Square, [
de ] a copy by
Ernst Moritz Geyger of an earlier piece by him, aims at the mayor's office in the New Town Hall.
New Town Hall opened in June 1913, and in November 1946 the new federal state of
Lower Saxony was proclaimed in its main hall. Four models of Hanover are exhibited in that hall, showing Hanover as it was around 1689, just before World War II, just after the war, and as it is today. An observation platform at the top of the 97.73-metre (320.6 ft) building, reached by a unique elevator that ascends 43 metres (141 ft) along an arch of up to 17°, offers panoramic views of Hanover that extend to the
Harz in favourable visibility.
Museum August Kestner was founded in 1889 and exhibits art of ancient and Egyptian cultures, design, coins and medals.
The portal at the entrance to the building department (Baudezernat) dates to 1736. It was moved there in 1955 after the barracks whose stable it adorned was destroyed by the aerial bombings during World War II.
Laves built
Wangenheim Palace for his eventual neighbour
Georg von Wangenheim [
de ] in 1829–1832. After
George V became king of
Hanover in 1851, he lived in Wangenheim Palace for 10 years. The building served as town hall from 1862, when officials moved from the
Old Town Hall, until 1913, when they moved into the
New Town Hall.
The
Flusswasserkunst [
de] was a
pumping station from 1895 to 1964 that delivered raw water from the
Leine river for watering green spaces and flushing sewers. Replacing both an earlier pumping station (the Bornkunst) and the
Click Mill [
de ] that dated to the 13th century, it was replaced itself by a pumping station further upstream. Today the area accommodates a
monument [
de ] that honours the
Göttingen Seven and – more broadly –
moral courage.
While the
Palace Bridge, [
de ] built in 1686, crosses the Leine, it cannot be used for that anymore because the entry to the
Leine Palace immediately on the other side is closed permanently. The bridge itself is open to the public.
In 1541, the eastern bank of the Leine adjoining the old town began to be raised by about 3 metres (9.8 ft) with remnants of
Lauenrode Castle [
de ] that was
slighted in 1371 and the hill on which it stood. The
Beguine Tower [
de ] at that bank is named after the
Beguines that inhabited
Beguine House [
de ] in whose garden it was built (which led to it being recorded in 1357 for the first time when they complained about the noise during its construction), and was part of the fortifications of Hanover. Now a popular promenade, the raised bank has only been known as
High Bank [
de ] since 1912, and so cannot have contributed to the most plausible
meaning of "Hanover" being "at the high edge or shore". The western bank is, in part, the eastern shore of the former river island
Little Venice. [
de ]
Ascending the High Bank east of the Nanas, past the Beguine Tower, the old town is east of the
Mews Gate, [
de ] which features the
national coat of arms of
George I, the first
British monarch of the
House of Hanover. Today it stands where the
Brühl Gate, [
de ] thought to have been removed when the
armory [
de ] was constructed between 1643 and 1649, once stood. Built in 1714 as the entry to the riding hall at the new mews that were a part of the
stables [
de ] of the nearby Leine Palace, the riding hall was destroyed by the aerial bombings during World War II and the gate moved 100 metres (330 ft) south to its current location in 1967.
The aerial bombings of Hanover during World War II destroyed all but 40 of the historic old town's
half-timbered buildings. Hanover's oldest surviving residential building is situated at
Burgstraße 12; [
de ] the front part dates to 1566, and the back and side parts to 1564. A cluster of 12 houses along Burgstraße, Kramerstraße and Knochenhauerstraße also survived the bombings, so parts of old buildings, mostly façades, were moved to that area during reconstruction after the war, resulting in the "new old town" of today.[9]
The
Church of the Holy Cross, built in 1333 (691 years ago), is Hanover's oldest church. It became a
Lutheran church after the citizens of Hanover accepted the
Reformation in 1533.
In 1655,
Johann Duve, [
de ] a Hanoverian entrepreneur known for his generosity, was permitted to add the Duve Chapel with family
tomb to the southern side of the Church of the Holy Cross in return for a donation. Duve is immured there along with his family.
While the
Ballyard [
de ] was built in 1649–64 as a sports and assembly hall, the Ballyard Square was created much later, in the 1930s. In 1667 the Ballyard started to be used as a venue for performances; today it is used by
Hanover Drama, part of Hanover State Theatre.
The
Hanover Historical Museum concerns itself with the
history of the city, the history of the
House of Welf, and of the state of Lower Saxony. Opened in 1903, destroyed during the aerial bombings of World War II and rebuilt after the war, the museum incorporates both the Beguine Tower and remnants of the city wall. It is currently closed for renovations until sometime between 2028 and 2030.
Originally a
priory dating to about 1300 that was abandoned from 1533 during the
Reformation, a small palace began to be constructed on the site in 1636. Modernised and extended in the 17th and 18th centuries, the palace was fully re-built as the Leine Palace between 1816 and 1844 – including the addition of a column portico. Residence to the king from 1837 to 1866, all but the portico was destroyed during the aerial bombings of World War II. Rebuilt between 1956 and 1962, it has been the seat of the
Landtag of Lower Saxony since 1962.[10]: 200
Leibniz House [
de ] was originally constructed in 1499 at Schmiedestraße 10, about 250 metres (820 ft) northeast of its current location near Hanover Historical Museum. Becoming known as Leibniz House in the 19th century because
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz lived in a part of the building between 1698 and his death in 1716, it was destroyed during the aerial bombings of World War II and only reconstructed between 1981 and 1983. Its location was changed because the
Schmiedestraße Carpark [
de ] erected after the war at the original location of Leibniz House also became
protected in the meantime.
Kramer Street (Kramerstraße) is a
pedestrian zone lined with shops and pubs in the heart of the old town. Most of the half-timbered
façades were moved there during reconstruction after World War II. From a point called
Four Church View, [
de ] marked within the pavement on the ground at the eastern end of the street, the towers of all four main Lutheran churches in Hanover may be sighted.
The
Market Church is the main
Lutheran church in Hanover. Built in the 14th century, it was restored in 1952 after being damaged during the aerial bombings of World War II. The largest of its 11 bells is also the largest in Lower Saxony, and is used on special occasions only.
Hans Michael Elias von Obentraut, who died in 1625 about 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi) west at
Seelze during the
Thirty Years' War in a battle against
Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, is buried within the church.
The
Old Town Hall, built from 1410, was Hanover's first town hall. In 1862, officials moved to Wangenheim Palace before moving to the New Town Hall in 1913. Damaged heavily during the aerial bombings of World War II, it was restored extensively in 1953 and 1964. However, throughout its 614-year history the building has changed more than once, from the surrounding ground being raised causing the original ground floor to become the cellar it is today, demolition of the Pharmacist wing in 1844 to make way for what is today
Karmarsch Street, [
de ] to renovations in 1999, to highlight just some changes.
Mascarons such as the one in the façade of the Old Town Hall that faces Köbelinger Street (Köbelingerstraße) used to be attached to buildings in Europe to
ward off evil. However, local legend has it being about a boy whose face was turned to stone as punishment.
The
Market Hall [
de ] is smaller than the one that stood in its place before World War II. Destroyed during the aerial bombings, the new hall opened in 1954. Stalls found within sell produce such as fruit, vegetables, bread and fish, as well as hot meals.
George and
Station [
de ] streets have one of the highest shop densities in Germany, and are part of a pedestrian zone that extends into the surrounding area as far west as Stone Gate Square and from Market Church in the south to the main railway station in the north. The pedestrian zone has two levels along Station Street and the
Niki de Saint Phalle Promenade [
de ] below it. The promenade continues below the railway station to connect with the approximately 1,600-metre-long (0.99 mi)
Lister Mile [
de ] at its north, and which along its northern third is part of another pedestrian zone.
Kröpcke is the central square of Hanover today, located at the intersection of George and Station streets. The
Kröpcke clock [
de ] at the eastern end of the square is a popular
meeting spot for locals, similar to the spot below the tail of the Ernst August equestrian statue back at the main railway station.
Kröpcke underground station, [
de ] the largest in
the city's light rail network, is below the square. All three of Hanover's subway tunnels in use meet at this multi-level station.
The Red Thread terminates below the tail (unterm Schwanz) of the Ernst August equestrian statue back at the main railway station.
General references
Lange, Klaus (2011). Welche Nana steht auf dem Kopf (in German). Hannover: Agitares.
OCLC936043105.
^"Der Rote Faden" [The Red Thread]. Visit Hannover (in German). Hannover Marketing und Tourismus. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
^von Saldern, Adelheid (2006). Stadt und Kommunikation in bundesrepublikanischen Umbruchszeiten (in German). Stuttgart: Steiner.
ISBN978-3-515-08918-0.
OCLC71008345.
^Badelt, Udo (21 January 2013).
"Schloss Herrenhausen in Hannover". Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 29 October 2023. Hannover, die graue Maus unter den deutschen Großstädten, weckt auf fast unheimliche Weise keinerlei Assoziationen. Nicht mal einen kernigen Dialekt spricht man hier. [...] Wer in Hannover lebt, muss Spott ertragen können
^"The Old Town". Visit Hannover. Hannover Marketing und Tourismus. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
The Red Thread (●) is an urban walking trail through the city centre of Hanover, and in particular the site of its
old town, shown here within the approximate location of the former 13th-century city wall (●) within the 17th-century inner
bastion (●). [
de ] It begins and ends near the
main railway station.
The Red Thread (
German: Roter Faden) is a 4.2-kilometre (2.6 mi) urban walking trail in
Hanover, Germany, to 36 significant points of interest about
architecture and the history of the city centre.
Barrier-free for the entire course, the line is repainted annually with about 70 litres (18 US gal) of red paint. A brochure that explains each stop along the Red Thread is available in 10 languages, as is a
mobile app for
iOS called Roter Faden that supports 4 languages.
Origin
The Red Thread is based on the
Freedom Trail in
Boston, Massachusetts, and was created in 1971 for a marketing campaign developed for the city of Hanover by an agency chosen in 1969 by city manager
Martin Neuffer. [
de ][4]: 185, 195–196 At that time Hanover had a reputation of being one of the most boring cities in Germany.[5][6][7][8] Appreciating art, city manager Neuffer initiated an image campaign comprising a street art program and a marketing campaign.
Stops along the Red Thread
The walking trail comprises the following 36 numbered stops.
The Red Thread starts near the tourist information office at the southeast corner of Ernst August Square south-southeast of the main railway station's southern entry.
Aegidien Church was destroyed by the aerial bombings during World War II. Its remnants are left standing as a memorial to the victims of war and violence in the city.
The
Spartan Stone [
de ] in the southeast exterior of Aegidien Church is a copy of the original now housed in
Hanover Historical Museum. Legend has it being the headstone of the "Spartans of Hanover", seven Hanoverians who died defending the city in 1480.
Kubus Gallery [
de ] exhibits contemporary art, focusing on Hanover and the city's twins. Immediately to the gallery's south, a city wall remnant and the
Borgentrick tower [
de ] dating to 1310 are integrated into a former school building.
The archer on
Tramm Square, [
de ] a copy by
Ernst Moritz Geyger of an earlier piece by him, aims at the mayor's office in the New Town Hall.
New Town Hall opened in June 1913, and in November 1946 the new federal state of
Lower Saxony was proclaimed in its main hall. Four models of Hanover are exhibited in that hall, showing Hanover as it was around 1689, just before World War II, just after the war, and as it is today. An observation platform at the top of the 97.73-metre (320.6 ft) building, reached by a unique elevator that ascends 43 metres (141 ft) along an arch of up to 17°, offers panoramic views of Hanover that extend to the
Harz in favourable visibility.
Museum August Kestner was founded in 1889 and exhibits art of ancient and Egyptian cultures, design, coins and medals.
The portal at the entrance to the building department (Baudezernat) dates to 1736. It was moved there in 1955 after the barracks whose stable it adorned was destroyed by the aerial bombings during World War II.
Laves built
Wangenheim Palace for his eventual neighbour
Georg von Wangenheim [
de ] in 1829–1832. After
George V became king of
Hanover in 1851, he lived in Wangenheim Palace for 10 years. The building served as town hall from 1862, when officials moved from the
Old Town Hall, until 1913, when they moved into the
New Town Hall.
The
Flusswasserkunst [
de] was a
pumping station from 1895 to 1964 that delivered raw water from the
Leine river for watering green spaces and flushing sewers. Replacing both an earlier pumping station (the Bornkunst) and the
Click Mill [
de ] that dated to the 13th century, it was replaced itself by a pumping station further upstream. Today the area accommodates a
monument [
de ] that honours the
Göttingen Seven and – more broadly –
moral courage.
While the
Palace Bridge, [
de ] built in 1686, crosses the Leine, it cannot be used for that anymore because the entry to the
Leine Palace immediately on the other side is closed permanently. The bridge itself is open to the public.
In 1541, the eastern bank of the Leine adjoining the old town began to be raised by about 3 metres (9.8 ft) with remnants of
Lauenrode Castle [
de ] that was
slighted in 1371 and the hill on which it stood. The
Beguine Tower [
de ] at that bank is named after the
Beguines that inhabited
Beguine House [
de ] in whose garden it was built (which led to it being recorded in 1357 for the first time when they complained about the noise during its construction), and was part of the fortifications of Hanover. Now a popular promenade, the raised bank has only been known as
High Bank [
de ] since 1912, and so cannot have contributed to the most plausible
meaning of "Hanover" being "at the high edge or shore". The western bank is, in part, the eastern shore of the former river island
Little Venice. [
de ]
Ascending the High Bank east of the Nanas, past the Beguine Tower, the old town is east of the
Mews Gate, [
de ] which features the
national coat of arms of
George I, the first
British monarch of the
House of Hanover. Today it stands where the
Brühl Gate, [
de ] thought to have been removed when the
armory [
de ] was constructed between 1643 and 1649, once stood. Built in 1714 as the entry to the riding hall at the new mews that were a part of the
stables [
de ] of the nearby Leine Palace, the riding hall was destroyed by the aerial bombings during World War II and the gate moved 100 metres (330 ft) south to its current location in 1967.
The aerial bombings of Hanover during World War II destroyed all but 40 of the historic old town's
half-timbered buildings. Hanover's oldest surviving residential building is situated at
Burgstraße 12; [
de ] the front part dates to 1566, and the back and side parts to 1564. A cluster of 12 houses along Burgstraße, Kramerstraße and Knochenhauerstraße also survived the bombings, so parts of old buildings, mostly façades, were moved to that area during reconstruction after the war, resulting in the "new old town" of today.[9]
The
Church of the Holy Cross, built in 1333 (691 years ago), is Hanover's oldest church. It became a
Lutheran church after the citizens of Hanover accepted the
Reformation in 1533.
In 1655,
Johann Duve, [
de ] a Hanoverian entrepreneur known for his generosity, was permitted to add the Duve Chapel with family
tomb to the southern side of the Church of the Holy Cross in return for a donation. Duve is immured there along with his family.
While the
Ballyard [
de ] was built in 1649–64 as a sports and assembly hall, the Ballyard Square was created much later, in the 1930s. In 1667 the Ballyard started to be used as a venue for performances; today it is used by
Hanover Drama, part of Hanover State Theatre.
The
Hanover Historical Museum concerns itself with the
history of the city, the history of the
House of Welf, and of the state of Lower Saxony. Opened in 1903, destroyed during the aerial bombings of World War II and rebuilt after the war, the museum incorporates both the Beguine Tower and remnants of the city wall. It is currently closed for renovations until sometime between 2028 and 2030.
Originally a
priory dating to about 1300 that was abandoned from 1533 during the
Reformation, a small palace began to be constructed on the site in 1636. Modernised and extended in the 17th and 18th centuries, the palace was fully re-built as the Leine Palace between 1816 and 1844 – including the addition of a column portico. Residence to the king from 1837 to 1866, all but the portico was destroyed during the aerial bombings of World War II. Rebuilt between 1956 and 1962, it has been the seat of the
Landtag of Lower Saxony since 1962.[10]: 200
Leibniz House [
de ] was originally constructed in 1499 at Schmiedestraße 10, about 250 metres (820 ft) northeast of its current location near Hanover Historical Museum. Becoming known as Leibniz House in the 19th century because
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz lived in a part of the building between 1698 and his death in 1716, it was destroyed during the aerial bombings of World War II and only reconstructed between 1981 and 1983. Its location was changed because the
Schmiedestraße Carpark [
de ] erected after the war at the original location of Leibniz House also became
protected in the meantime.
Kramer Street (Kramerstraße) is a
pedestrian zone lined with shops and pubs in the heart of the old town. Most of the half-timbered
façades were moved there during reconstruction after World War II. From a point called
Four Church View, [
de ] marked within the pavement on the ground at the eastern end of the street, the towers of all four main Lutheran churches in Hanover may be sighted.
The
Market Church is the main
Lutheran church in Hanover. Built in the 14th century, it was restored in 1952 after being damaged during the aerial bombings of World War II. The largest of its 11 bells is also the largest in Lower Saxony, and is used on special occasions only.
Hans Michael Elias von Obentraut, who died in 1625 about 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi) west at
Seelze during the
Thirty Years' War in a battle against
Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, is buried within the church.
The
Old Town Hall, built from 1410, was Hanover's first town hall. In 1862, officials moved to Wangenheim Palace before moving to the New Town Hall in 1913. Damaged heavily during the aerial bombings of World War II, it was restored extensively in 1953 and 1964. However, throughout its 614-year history the building has changed more than once, from the surrounding ground being raised causing the original ground floor to become the cellar it is today, demolition of the Pharmacist wing in 1844 to make way for what is today
Karmarsch Street, [
de ] to renovations in 1999, to highlight just some changes.
Mascarons such as the one in the façade of the Old Town Hall that faces Köbelinger Street (Köbelingerstraße) used to be attached to buildings in Europe to
ward off evil. However, local legend has it being about a boy whose face was turned to stone as punishment.
The
Market Hall [
de ] is smaller than the one that stood in its place before World War II. Destroyed during the aerial bombings, the new hall opened in 1954. Stalls found within sell produce such as fruit, vegetables, bread and fish, as well as hot meals.
George and
Station [
de ] streets have one of the highest shop densities in Germany, and are part of a pedestrian zone that extends into the surrounding area as far west as Stone Gate Square and from Market Church in the south to the main railway station in the north. The pedestrian zone has two levels along Station Street and the
Niki de Saint Phalle Promenade [
de ] below it. The promenade continues below the railway station to connect with the approximately 1,600-metre-long (0.99 mi)
Lister Mile [
de ] at its north, and which along its northern third is part of another pedestrian zone.
Kröpcke is the central square of Hanover today, located at the intersection of George and Station streets. The
Kröpcke clock [
de ] at the eastern end of the square is a popular
meeting spot for locals, similar to the spot below the tail of the Ernst August equestrian statue back at the main railway station.
Kröpcke underground station, [
de ] the largest in
the city's light rail network, is below the square. All three of Hanover's subway tunnels in use meet at this multi-level station.
The Red Thread terminates below the tail (unterm Schwanz) of the Ernst August equestrian statue back at the main railway station.
General references
Lange, Klaus (2011). Welche Nana steht auf dem Kopf (in German). Hannover: Agitares.
OCLC936043105.
^"Der Rote Faden" [The Red Thread]. Visit Hannover (in German). Hannover Marketing und Tourismus. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
^von Saldern, Adelheid (2006). Stadt und Kommunikation in bundesrepublikanischen Umbruchszeiten (in German). Stuttgart: Steiner.
ISBN978-3-515-08918-0.
OCLC71008345.
^Badelt, Udo (21 January 2013).
"Schloss Herrenhausen in Hannover". Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 29 October 2023. Hannover, die graue Maus unter den deutschen Großstädten, weckt auf fast unheimliche Weise keinerlei Assoziationen. Nicht mal einen kernigen Dialekt spricht man hier. [...] Wer in Hannover lebt, muss Spott ertragen können
^"The Old Town". Visit Hannover. Hannover Marketing und Tourismus. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.