Lindener Tower

© Matthias Kothe

On a clear day, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the city and far beyond to the densely forested peaks of the Deister mountain range in the southwest from the idyllic beer garden, the wooden tables on the gallery surrounding the over 600-year-old Landwehr Tower at the summit, and the small observation deck on the hill behind it—including photogenic sunsets that will stay with you forever.

Beer garden with a view

Rising gently to a height of 35 meters (or 89 meters above sea level!), Lindener Berg towers over downtown Hanover, making it the highest “mountain” in the city; by comparison, Schneiderberg near Leibniz University in Nordstadt is a mere five meters high! As an observation tower, the “Lindener Turm” certainly cuts a fine figure; as Hannover’s highest beer garden, perhaps an even better one—because, fitting for its location, the culinary standards of the Turmwirtschaft, nestled among the chestnut and linden trees, are top-notch. The panoramic view from up there is unbeatable anyway. And if you’d like, you can go even higher!

One step closer to the sky above Hanover

The historic Lindener Tower was one of the first defense towers to surround Hanover, dating back to 1392. Between 1650 and 1652, the watchtower was converted into a windmill, which ceased operations in 1927. Incidentally, a mountain inn once stood next to the former mill: the Hanoverian industrialist Johann Egestorff had it built in 1825 by the city architect Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves. In 1878, the inn had to make way for the imposing elevated water tank, which was intended at the time to supply the city with drinking water from the Ricklinger Masch. On the flat roof of the nearly ten-meter-high structure, built in the style of a medieval fortress (one side of which borders directly on the beer garden), the Volkssternwarte Hannover, founded in 1968, invites the public to stargazing sessions every Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m.

Through the Lindener Alps to Benther Berg and beyond

If, in the face of the infinite expanse of the heavens, you’d rather take a second look at the beauty of the earth’s vast landscapes, you should walk from Lindener Berg past the “Lindener Alpen” allotment garden colony and turn left onto Christel-Keppler-Weg, then turn right onto the narrow side road leading to the “Bergfrieden” allotment garden colony, and, accompanied by the cheerful chirping of birds in the orange-red light of the setting sun, enjoy the picturesque evening atmosphere over Benther Berg on the western outskirts of the city and the long, sweeping Deister range beyond.

© Christian Wyrwa

Local recreation

Deister

The wooded ridge with surrounding farmland is a perfect area for cyclists and hikers.

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The Blue Miracle of Linden

On the way back to the beer garden, it’s worth taking a look over the wall at the historic Lindener Bergfriedhof cemetery. Established in 1862 and decommissioned in 1965, the cemetery is a green oasis of tranquility that transforms into a sea of blue for two weeks every year starting in late March. In the first warmer days after the frosty winter and just in time for the start of spring, the green spaces around the weathered gravestones—between the historic kitchen garden pavilion, the cemetery chapel from 1864, and the cemetery fountain from 1884, and are covered by a carpet of millions upon millions of tiny bluebells that glows with an almost magical light. This, too, is a feast for the eyes!

© Hannover State Opera (Source)

In the city and region

Ten things you absolutely must do in Hanover this spring...

...should experience. The city is blossoming again and people are being urged to go outside. What can you do?

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