Hannover Audio Tours

From 1714 to 1837, the Elector of Hanover was also the King of Great Britain. George I spoke no English when he arrived in London, communicated with his ministers in French, and spent much of his reign longing to return to Hanover. His successors continued the personal union until 1837, when Victoria inherited the British throne and the Salic law that prevented women from ruling Hanover severed the connection. This continental connection with the British crown is mostly forgotten in both countries now, but it gave Hannover a European significance and a cosmopolitan self-image that lasted well into the 19th century.

More than ninety percent of the city centre was destroyed in 88 Allied bombing raids between 1940 and 1945.

The ruins of the Aegidienkirche on Osterstrasse have been left unrestored as a memorial since 1945, and a bell donated by Hiroshima in 1985 hangs in the open tower. What survived or was reconstructed includes the Herrenhausen Gardens, one of the finest baroque garden ensembles in Europe, laid out in the 17th century on the western edge of the city. The Grosser Garten has a 72-metre fountain that is the highest in Germany, a hedge maze, an outdoor theatre where concerts still run in summer, and formal parterres that have been continuously maintained since the 1720s.