On the trail of crime - when the city holds its breath!

The new program, “On the Trail of Crime – When the City Holds Its Breath,” focuses specifically on cases that have shaped the sense of personal safety felt by many residents of Hannover

Crime is much more than just a collection of statistics—it shapes the atmosphere of a city. In Hannover, there have been repeated incidents over the past few decades that have attracted attention and affected many people’s sense of safety. It was not the frequency of these crimes, but their unpredictability and media coverage that left a lasting impression.

The roughly two-hour walking tour takes participants through both well-known and hidden spots in the city, shedding light not only on specific crimes but also on the interplay between urban space, public perception, and the sense of safety.

One of the stops on the new crime tour is the Ihme-Zentrum, which served as a hideout for the RAF in the 1970s. This example illustrates how a once-visionary urban development could be exploited by terrorist groups for their own purposes. It evokes not only the architectural and social ideas of that era, but also a dark chapter in postwar German history.

The tour also includes stops at locations that are frequently associated with crime or social unrest in public discourse—such as the Central Station and the Steintor district.
At the Central Station, the tour covers, among other things, the 1974 murder of Police Sergeant Helmut Knoch—a tragic example of the dangers police officers face while on duty. The tour also addresses a case that made headlines nationwide in 2016: Safia S., then 15 years old and from Hannover, seriously injured a federal police officer with a knife during a routine identity check. The officer survived thanks to immediate medical attention.

In the high-crime neighborhood of Steintor, attention is focused not only on issues such as red-light district crime and drug trafficking, but also on high-profile criminal cases. These include the death of 16-year-old Kurdish refugee Halim Dener, who was shot and killed by an undercover police officer on June 30, 1994—an event that remains a symbol of the tensions between state repression and the pursuit of political freedom of expression. Another example is the armed robbery that took place in July 2023 on Georgstraße near Steintor at the “Altintas” jewelry store.

Every case is always accompanied by the question: How do subjective feelings of threat arise?

The tour ends at Waterlooplatz, overlooking the Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office and the planned new building for the Forensic Science Institute (KTI). Germany’s most modern forensic laboratory will serve as the central hub for forensic investigations in the future.

The crime tour was designed by the HMTG in collaboration with former Chief Detective Thomas Ganz. In addition to his extensive knowledge of the masterminds, the background, turf wars, and public reactions, the expert also brings a high degree of empathy to the table, which has been incorporated into the tour’s design.

On the trail of crime - when the city holds its breath is now available on the following dates bookable:

Wednesdays: September 3, September 17, October 1, October 15, October 29, November 5, November 19, December 3, and December 17, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.

Saturdays: September 13, September 27, October 11, October 25, November 15, November 29, December 13, and December 27, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. each day.

Price: Adults $17, High School and College Students $11 (minimum age 16)