City center / Kröpcke / Niki-de-Saint-Phalle-Promenade

Hanover is a city where everything is within easy reach—having grown over the centuries from the winding Old Town on the banks of the Leine, between the Aegidientor in the west and the Steintor in the east, all the way to the main train station, built in the 19th century. If you leave the station via Ernst-August-Platz, you’re almost right in the heart of downtown, which now boasts a new landmark in the form of the new light sculpture at Kröpcke!

Here you can enjoy the Kröpcke in 360°:

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Kröpcke: Central square...

Exclusive shops and the vibrant world of the city’s major department stores await visitors at Kröpcke. Hanover’s most central square—car-free and the city’s main light rail hub—is named after the tenant of the square’s most traditional café. Anyone in Hanover who isn’t meeting “under the tail” of the Ernst August monument in front of the main train station will meet at the historic Kröpcke Clock.

...with light sculpture!

Glitter for the Kröpcke: the light sculpture was put into operation in October 2015. The folded, shimmering golden sculpture puts the Kröpcke in a new light with 64 LED lights. Attached to four steel cables that are anchored to the surrounding facades, the three-metre-wide luminaire hangs around fifteen meters above the square. A new landmark that lights up the city!

The major shopping streets / Niki-de-Saint-Phalle-Promenade

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Bahnhofstraße and Georgstraße are among the longest and most popular shopping streets in Germany. Only a few cities in Germany offer such a high density of shopping opportunities in just a few hundred meters.

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Bahnhofstraße, which leads straight into the heart of the city center, is a pedestrian zone on two levels: the Niki de Saint Phalle Promenade stretches along the “lower level.” Within walking distance, the Ernst-August-Galerie, Galerie Luise, and the Kröpcke-Center offer an extraordinary variety of shopping options in any weather. This is also where Georgstraße intersects; as the city’s main thoroughfare, it connects Steintor—with its imposing Anzeiger skyscraper—to Aegidentorplatz.

Named after George III, who reigned as King of Great Britain and Hanover from 1814 to 1820, Georgstraße is a true shopping boulevard that draws visitors with its upscale shops and boutiques, located directly across from the neoclassical opera house. For generations, Hanoverians have gathered here on summer Sundays for a “Schorsenbummel.”

Old town and market hall

The shopping streets lead to Hanover's old town with its half-timbered houses around the market square. The picturesque alleyways are lined with cafés, restaurants and small but fine stores.

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Ballhofplatz is a cozy square where many festivals are held in summer. Next to the Marktkirche, the largest of the three Old Town churches, stands the medieval Old Town Hall. Both buildings are considered the southernmost examples of northern German brick Gothic architecture. The imposing Leibnizhaus, a detailed replica of the Renaissance town house where the philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz lived for several years, also catches the eye.

Across from the Old Town Hall, the historic market hall—also known as the “belly of Hanover”—attracts food lovers with its wide variety of delicacies.

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Discover Hanover

Culture & sights

Discover the highlights of Hanover and the surrounding region, such as the Herrenhausen Gardens, the New Town Hall, and the Old Town!

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Worth seeing

Just a stone's throw away is the neoclassical Leineschloss. Once the residence of the kings of Hanover, it now houses the Lower Saxony State Parliament.

A few steps further on, you’ll catch sight of one of Hanover’s most famous landmarks: the castle-like New Town Hall. An elevator—the only one of its kind in Europe, with a curved track—takes you up to the town hall dome. There, the breathtaking view will convince you that Hanover is Germany’s greenest major city. From here, it’s worth taking a stroll along the Sculpture Mile between Leibnizufer and Brühlstraße.

In addition to works by artists from all over the world, the museum also features Niki de Saint Phalle’s famous colorful Nanas, which have come to be just as much a part of Hannover as the local specialty “Lüttje Lage.”

© Knaak

City of Hanover

Sundays When Stores Are Open in Hanover, 2026

Here you will find the Sundays when stores are open in the city of Hanover.

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