Säule Nr. 6: Kutschen für den König

Perhaps the most valuable artifact associated with the Hanoverian-British personal union is housed at the Historical Museum: the golden state carriage No. 1. It was built in 1782 for the British heir to the throne, the future King George IV. He used this elaborately decorated carriage to attend the ceremony marking the opening of Parliament and was driven in it from St. James’s Palace to Westminster.

Georg was a contemporary of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821), whose troops occupied the Electorate from 1803 to 1813. After Napoleon’s final defeat, the former territories were restored at the Congress of Vienna. Hanoverian soldiers, including the King’s German Legion, fought in the decisive Battle of Waterloo (1815). The Waterloo Column was erected in Hanover in 1832 to commemorate the victory over Napoleon. It was designed by city architect Georg Laves (1788–1864).

Would you like to learn more about this topic? Visit Column No. 6 at the Holzmarkt!