Augmented road signs

The big hole

In 1965, Hannover decided to build a subway system, starting at Waterlooplatz and reaching Kröpcke in 1971; it was a massive project.

In June 1965, the Hanover City Council made a landmark decision: the state capital was to get a subway system. This historic decision laid the groundwork for a massive construction site in the city center that lasted nearly 30 years. It was known as “The Big Hole.”

The ambitious subway construction project began in 1965 at Waterlooplatz with the first pile driven into the ground. Six years later, this immense undertaking had reached the heart of the city: Kröpcke. As the central hub of Hanover’s light rail network, the largest excavation pit the city had ever seen was dug here in 1971. With a depth of 25 meters and a size that required the removal of 50,000 truckloads of earth, it marked the impressive center of the construction work.