Historical Background

In 1156 the town of Hanover belonged to a Count of Lauenrode and was an unimportant place. The name "Hanovere" was given to a group of farms on the banks of the Leine and was later passed on to the market-settlement founded by Count Hildebold between 1124 and 1141.

"Ego Hanoverensis sum" were the words Henry The Lion had stamped on the Hanover silver coin in 1180 "I am a Hanoverian", showing that the great 12th Century man must have been an early fan of this town. Indeed, it was the Lion who ordered that the settlement be enlarged and reinforced, a decision that showed foresight and proved very important for the town.

The small fishing settlement developed into a town under the protection of the Dukes of Roden and was then sold to the Welfen. In 1241 Duke Otto granted the town the rights of a borough. This certificate is the oldest document of Hanover's history. By that time, Hanover was already a thriving community of established traders and craftsmen.

In the 14th Century the city was fortified with a solid surrounding wall. There were three gates in the wall: the Leintor, Aegidientor and Steintor. Three gothic churches were built in the same century, Aegidienkirche, Marktkirche and Kreuzkirche. A hundred years later the old town hall was built next to the Marktkirche, all in the common brickwork style of northern Germany.

At that time Hanover became bigger and bigger. Its citizens were confident enough to profess their belief in the teachings of Luther by swearing an oath in the market square in 1533. In the Thirty Year War, in 1636, after the division of the inheritance of the rulers in the principality Calenberg, Prince George of Braunschweig and Lüneburg moved his residence to the relatively safe Hanover, a turning point in the history of the town. The citizens did not realize their luck and fought against the lord who would undermine their privileges.

Important trade routes from East to West, at the point where the north German lowland turns into the mountain range Mittelgebirge, were used again. The increasing importance of the North sea harbors strengthened the traffic on the North-South axis and added to Hanover's development. After the Seven Year War the embankments were pulled down and the city started growing again. Two boulevards were built in place of the large embankments, Georgstraße and Friedrichstraße (today Friedrichswall).

In the 19th Century, after the Napoleonic wars, Hanover became a kingdom, and when the union with England was over, it got its own king - Ernst August, whose monument now stands in front of the Central Station. At that time G.F. Laves, a well-known architect, worked in Hanover by appointment of the king.

A lot of important buildings in Hanover are based on his plans, like the Leineschloß, the Castle of Herrenhausen (destroyed in the war), the Opera House, Waterloo Square and the Central Station. Between the station and the Old Town, the Ernst-August Stadt was built. Also, new trades and companies were established there so, as things developed, the city center moved from the old town to Ernst-August Stadt.

In the 19th century the city started growing. Villages on the fringe were incorporated, but industrialization did not get going before 1866, when the Prussians annexed the Kingdom of Hanover.

Before that the King did not want the smell, dirt and noise of industry in his city so Hanover's industrial development started in the village of Linden, which was incorporated into Hanover in 1920.

As the population grew, the new urban districts of Linden began to grow. The villas, private residences and apartments from this period still characterize Hanover. This ring of residential areas was not as radically damaged by the bombs of World War II as the old part of town or the business areas.

After 1945 the British forces supported the rebuilding of Hanover. With the "Wirtschaftswunder," Hanover once again became the largest site for trade fairs in West Germany. Thanks to its trade fairs, Hanover was able to open its doors to international public.

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