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Herrenhausen gardens in Hannover - amazing splendour

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The Herrenhausen Gardens in Hannover offer a fantastic gardening experience. Book a full day for castles, parks, sculptures, fountains, museums and botanical gardens. Or sit back for a picture bomb!

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Herrenhausen Gardens

The Herrenhausen Gardens (Herrenhäuser Gärten) are one of Hannover's biggest attractions, attracting around half a million visitors every year. We spent a whole day here, taking time to explore the large garden, museum, Berggarten and Georgengarten.

Freedomtravel i Herrenhausen trädgårdar

Herrenhausen Gardens are located in Hannover, Germany, just over 4 kilometres northwest of the city centre.

Grosser Garten in Herrenhausen gardens

The Great Garden (Grosser Garten) was originally laid out in 1666 by Duke Johann Friedrich. At the end of the same century, the garden was further developed by a woman named Sophie von der Pfalz, who was inspired by French garden art. The work resulted in a masterpiece - a staggeringly large garden filled with a variety of plantings, fountains, labyrinths and statues.

It takes quite a while to walk through the large garden, and everywhere there are new surprises. For example, there are plenty of beautiful fountains of all kinds.

Herrenhausen trädgårdar

There are also plenty of statues, both white and gold coloured, in various poses.

Statyer i Herrenhausen trädgårdar i Hannover

In one place, a small piece remains of the former palace, which was destroyed in 1943.

Herrenhausen trädgårdar i Hannover

The garden is surrounded by water, with bridges over it, and is decorated with a sea of beautiful flowers. We saw workers almost everywhere working on the flower beds, and you can see that a garden like this requires a lot of maintenance.

The cave in the Herrenhausen gardens

The large garden also contains the 'cave', which was built in the 18th century. The former decorations have disappeared, but since 2002 the cave has been decorated again, by the artist Niki de Saint Phalle. A delightful spot in the centre of the garden!

Museum in the castle

The castle (Schloss Herrenhausen) was the former summer residence of the "Haus Hannover". in the district of Herrenhausen. The original palace was destroyed in a British bombing raid in 1943, and a new palace was rebuilt between 2009 and 2013.

Herrenhausen slott

Today the castle contains a museum, where you can learn more about the garden and its creation.

Nearby is a beautiful old gallery building and the Arne Jacobsen Foyer (not pictured), built by Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen.

Grottan i Herrenhausen trädgårdar i Hannover

Berggarten - a botanical garden

Right next to the large garden is the Berggarten (Mountain Garden). This is a historic botanical garden filled with plantings, flowers, greenhouses, exotic trees and winding paths.

Berggarten

A greenhouse was filled with cacti and outside we saw lots of trees with citrus fruits. Among other things, we saw a pear-shaped citrus fruit, which we do not know if we have seen before. Could it be pomelo perhaps?

We also walked among flowers in every amazing colour imaginable. The sign in the picture below gives a small indication of how big it is. Which direction to choose?

We didn't want to miss "Paradise" (who does?) and ended up in an exotic place among tall bamboos.

Berggarten

We also had a lot of fun photographing amazing flowers and buds. This photo report could be so much longer, but we have tried to limit ourselves.

It's not only the flowers that are amazing, but also the trees. In one place we saw a tree growing into and around a fence in a way we've never seen before.

Sometimes other surprises appear in the park, such as the large columned mausoleum.

Mausoleum i Berggarten

Also in Berggarten is Sealife, with its aquarium and terrarium.

Sealife i Berggarten

Georgengarten - large park right next door

Right next to the large garden in the Herrenhausen Gardens you will find the Georgengarten. This is a large and lush park, where you can take your bike if you wish.

Georgengarten

This park is perfect for strolling in a relaxing and green environment, or why not pack a picnic?

Georgengarten

The park also houses the Wilhelm Busch Museum. Wilhelm Busch was a 19th century German cartoonist known for his picture books in verse.

Georgengarten

Film from Hannover and Herrenhausen gardens

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

In the neighbourhood of Herrenhausen Gardens, you can of course take the opportunity to discover the city of Hannover, where you will find the beautiful town hall and its lovely park. It's also not too far from nice and interesting cities like Bremen, Magdeburg and Hamburg.

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Have you visited Herrenhausen Gardens?

Have you visited Herrenhausen Gardens in Hannover? Tell us about it!

Facts about Herrenhausen Gardens

  • Address: Herrenhäuser Strasse 4, Hannover
  • Federal Republic of Germany: Lower Saxony
  • Country: Germany
  • Read more: You can find more information at the garden's website.

Services and practical information

  • Opening hours: The large garden opens every day at 09:00, while closing times vary. The museum is open 11-18 in the summer season (April-October) and 11-16 in the winter season (November-March) (2022).
  • Prices: All-in-one ticket (access to the large castle garden, the museum and the mountain garden) €8/person for adults and €5/person for reduced ticket. Children up to 12 years old enter for free and children 12-17 years old pay €4/person. (2022)
  • Audio guide: Audio guide to the museum can be borrowed for €2/person. (2022)
  • Parking: Parking spaces are available nearby, both for cars and caravans. The fee is paid in a vending machine.
  • Food service: Gauwinkels Schlosskuche is located at the castle. It offers breakfast, food, pastries and picnic boxes.

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