Tour on your own

Discover Your Hannover – A Tour Through 13 City Districts

A panoramic view of the entire city: This tour through the city’s districts, featuring their distinctive landmarks and neighborhoods, invites you to explore Hannover on your own!

A journey of discovery through Hanover's 13 districts

This varied tour showcases the unique features of Hannover’s thirteen districts, highlighting their most distinctive and historically significant sites and neighborhoods. It includes iconic landmarks such as the New Town Hall, the Great Garden, and the Anzeiger Tower, as well as hidden gems and lesser-known spots like the Edelhof Chapel, the Teutonia II Cement Plant, and the Brüggemannhof. Discover the diversity of our city on your own!

Discover Your Hannover - Fold-out Map — Download: Fold-out map (PDF)

The fold-out map for the tour is available for download here (PDF) and in print at the Hannover Tourist Information office at Ernst-August-Platz 8, across from the main train station.

About the History of Hannover

Although Hanover’s city charter dates back to 1241, the city is actually much older. Early traces of settlement have been found on Burgstraße, at the market, and near St. Aegidius Church: pottery shards and Roman coins indicate that the area was already inhabited as early as the 1st to 3rd centuries AD. Evidence exists of a manor house dating from shortly after the year 1000, built to secure the crossing over the Leine River and the market. These settlement centers were expanded in the 12th century under the rule of Henry the Lion and fortified with palisades and ditches.

In a charter dated 1241, Otto I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg of the House of Welf, confirmed the city’s existing municipal rights and privileges. This oldest document in the city archives attests to the self-confidence of the citizenry, who shortly thereafter began constructing their city fortifications in stone (1297). Since that time, a city council and the office of mayor have also existed. During the Lüneburg War of Succession, the city was granted the “Great Privilege” in 1371, which granted it extensive rights, such as customs and milling rights and the further fortification of the city. Starting in 1392, the city fortifications of Hannover also included a militia that secured the surrounding countryside. Structures such as the Döhrener Turm remain from the former Hannoversche militia, which featured ramparts, hedges, watchhouses, and watchtowers. The city experienced an economic boom during this period and joined the Hanseatic League. The population rose to 4,000.

In 1873, Hannover became a major city when its population exceeded 100,000. The city’s area has grown from 80 hectares to 20,415 hectares today, with a population now exceeding 500,000. It encompasses former villages and towns, each with its own distinct history.