Leibniz Temple

© Matthias Kothe

The "Leibniz Monument" (as the circular temple in Hannover, visible from afar, is also known) on the hill is a popular meeting place, especially on nice days, for couples in love and day-trippers with picnic baskets.

A rendezvous with a genius

© Nik Barlo Jr.

The circular temple in Georgengarten, open on all sides, commemorates the polymath Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716). The first public monument in Germany dedicated to a non-noble was built between 1787 and 1790 according to the plans of the Hanoverian court councilor Johann Daniel Ramberg and originally stood on the parade and drill ground in front of the Leineschloss, now known as Waterlooplatz. In 1935 and 1936, the massive sandstone temple with its twelve simple Ionic columns was moved to its current location in the Georgengarten.

Playground and stage for summer theater in the sky

On the west side of the circular temple, beneath the dome, the inscription "GENIO LEIBNITII" is displayed in large, gilded letters. On the large lawns in front, people enjoy playing Frisbee, and dogs meet up with other dogs to romp around off-leash, while here and there families or friends enjoy a barbecue picnic in the warm glow of the setting sun. Before the spectacle in the sky begins, it’s worth taking another look back at Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: four steps lead up to the stone pedestal in the center, which holds a copy of the portrait bust of the brilliant scholar. The original, carved from Carrara marble by the Irish sculptor Christopher Hewetson in Rome in 1788, can be viewed today at the Herrenhausen Palace Museum—as indicated on the bronze plaque on the back of the pedestal. The copy of the bust, which faces the nearby Wilhelm Busch Museum, is inscribed (like the original) with “LEIBNITZ”; the “tz” instead of a “z” in the name was quite common in Leibniz’s time. The honored scholar would likely have reacted calmly and equanimously to the summer bustle around him (or rather, around his temple), for the restless genius within him usually had other things on his mind: "When most people are allowed to indulge in general pleasures, I will be allowed to work for the advancement of science." To each his own, but the sunset over the Georgengarten—which was already a charming sight back then—would certainly have pleased Leibniz as well, and—who knows—perhaps even inspired him to new strokes of genius.