Hanover Shopping City

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

Exclusive shops and the colourful world of the big department stores await the visitor in the shopping city Hanover at Kröpcke. Hannover's most central square - car-free and the most important junction of the city railway - is named after the tenant of the most traditional café on the square. Anyone in Hanover who doesn't meet "under the tail" of the Ernst August monument in front of the main railway station meets at the historic Kröpcke clock.

Bahnhofstraße and Georgstraße are among the longest and most popular shopping streets in Germany. Few cities in Germany offer such a high density of shopping opportunities in just a few hundred metres. Bahnhofstraße, which leads directly into the heart of the city, is a pedestrian zone on two levels: the Niki de Saint Phalle Promenade extends in the "basement". Within walking distance, Ernst-August-Galerie, Galerie Luise or the Kröpcke-Center offer an extraordinary variety of shopping in any weather. This is also where Georgstraße crosses, the city's main artery, connecting Steintor with its imposing Anzeiger high-rise and Aegidentorplatz.

Old Town and Market Hall

The shopping streets lead to Hannover's old town with its half-timbered houses around the market square. The picturesque alleys are lined with cafés, restaurants and small but fine shops. Ballhofplatz is a cosy place 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 North German brick Gothic. Another eye-catcher is the imposing Leibnizhaus, a detailed replica of the Renaissance town house that the philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz lived in for several years.

Opposite the Old Town Hall, the traditional market hall, also called the belly of Hanover, attracts gourmets with its wide range of delicacies.