Hannover Royal

The Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen – supreme garden art & culture

Hannover has a most extraordinary woman to thank for this masterpiece of baroque garden art: Electress Sophia of the Palatinate. Inspired by the sun king Louis XIV, she had the Great Garden laid out at the end of the 17th century in the French style, and it became her life’s work. Today, around half a million visitors a year enjoy the flair of this baroque garden, which can rightly claim to be one of the best preserved in the whole of Europe. The Great Garden now also boasts a new top attraction since 2013: the new Herrenhausen Palace Museum which invites visitors to enjoy in a very entertaining way the enormous diversity of the palaces and gardens in the fascinating Herrenhausen ensemble.

The Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen are also famous for their very diverse programme of events, such as the International Fireworks Competition, the “Kunstfestspiele Herrenhausen” festival, and many other top quality concerts, musicals and dance performances. Come along and see the magic for yourself! The Berggarten next door is also very well worth a visit – this outstanding botanical garden boasts around 12,000 different species of plants.

© Patrick Graf

Marienburg Castle – a neogothic fairy-tale

True love remembered forever in stone: When King Georg V gave Marienburg Castle to his wife Queen Marie as a present, he could not have known that it would become one of the most impressive 19th century neogothic buildings. This reawakend Sleeping Beauty castle (built 1858 - 1867) now captivates its visitors with its fairy-tale architecture of battlements, towers and turrets, as well as the almost entirely preserved furnishings.

During the season there are guided tours of the castle every day focusing on different aspects. There are also concerts and events, and delicious food is served in the castle restaurant.