Not Just for Geeks
Hannover is known for hosting huge trade fairs such as the CeBIT, the world’s largest computer convention with more than 4,000 exhibitors from 68 countries and more than 300,000 attendees. Dozens of exhibitors were in for a surprise in 2008 when the police raided 51 booths, carting off cell phones, navigation devices and other gear that allegedly infringed on patents.
Hannover’s Sharp Shooters
A Schützenfest (marksmen’s festival) is a traditional festival in Germany featuring a target shooting competition. The winner of the competition is crowned “Schützenkönig” (king). Every year Hannover hosts Germany’s largest Schützenfest with more than 5,000 marksmen—which is saying something because nearly every German town has such a festival. The 7.5-mile long Marksmen’s Parade is the longest parade in Germany.
The Ratcatcher
The fairy tale The Pied Piper of Hamelin, known in German as “Der Rattenfänger (ratcatcher) von Hameln”, is a German classic. Pied Piper pipes the village free from rats, but when the villagers refuse to pay him for his service he exacts a terrible revenge on the children of the village. The beautiful town of Hameln is less than 30 miles southwest of Hannover.
Anne Frank
Adolf Hitler has been called the “Pied Piper of Evil.” Hannover is the closest major city to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp built during Hitler’s reign of terror. Bergen-Belsen was used to house prisoners of war and evacuees from concentration camps across Europe. Approximately 70,000 of the prisoners died, among them a young Jewish girl named Anne Frank. Her diary has become one of the world’s most widely read books.
The World’s First Cartoon
The caricaturist and poet Wilhelm Busch was born in 1832 in a small town near Hannover. Every child in Germany knows about the pranks of “Max and Moritz”, the terrible duo in one of his first picture stories. The Wilhelm Busch Museum in Hannover contains a unique collection of the works of the “grandfather of the modern comic strip.”
Hannover’s ’High Lights‘
Every year, the world’s leading pyrotechnicians come to Hannover to battle it out in the International Fireworks Competition. The combination of music, action and fireworks is one of Hannover’s “high lights.” Be prepared to have a stiff neck by the end of the show as each session lasts 20-30 minutes.
Germany’s Formerly Highest-Ranking Soccer Fan
Germany’s former President Christian Wulff (right) served in Hannover as Prime Minister of the state of Lower Saxony before he took up residence in Germany’s capital Berlin. His love of soccer is well documented and he is still a paid-up member of Hannover’s professional soccer team, Hannover 96.
Die Roten
The greatest successes of Hannover 96, nicknamed the “Reds”, include claiming the German championship in 1938 and 1954 as well as the sensational cup win in 1992 – as the only ever second-league team to win this title. Team captain is the American Steve Cherundolo. The stunning AWD Arena in the heart of the city was converted for the 2006 World Cup and now holds 49,000 spectators.