Herrenhausen Palace Palace

Website: https://www.herrenhausen.de/

Herrenhausen Palace and the Herrenhausen Gardens (Herrenhäuser Gärten) form a major historic palace-and-garden complex in the north-west of Hannover, Lower Saxony. The ensemble is best known for its 17th- and 18th-century baroque Great Garden alongside significant botanical and landscape gardens.

The gardens were developed in the late 17th century as a princely pleasure garden and were expanded and refined over subsequent centuries. The palace suffered extensive damage in World War II; postwar restoration and later reconstruction have returned the site to public and cultural use.

The complex lies northwest of central Hannover, within the city limits and reachable by local public transport; it forms a prominent historic and recreational green space for the city and region.

• Garden complex: The gardens comprise several distinct parts - the baroque Great Garden, the botanical Berggarten and the English-style Georgengarten - all open to visitors at different times of year.
• Palace use: The palace and gardens have been reworked after wartime damage; the palace has served as a museum and cultural venue since its reconstruction.

What to See#

• Großer Garten: Großer Garten (Great Garden) - a formal 17th-century baroque parterre garden laid out around axial paths, fountains and statues.
• Berggarten: Berggarten - a botanical garden with plant collections and greenhouses historically connected to the palace complex and now managed as a scientific garden.
• Georgengarten: Georgengarten - an English-style landscape park to the north of the palace that forms part of the wider Herrenhausen garden ensemble.

Herrenhausen Palace (Herrenhäuser Gärten) is northwest of central Hannover and is served by the city’s tram network. Take Hanover Stadtbahn tram lines 4 or 5 to the ‘Herrenhäuser Gärten’ stop (short walk from the gardens and palace). By car it is about 3-5 km from Hannover Hauptbahnhof (10-15 minutes) via Herrenhäuser Straße/B6; there is parking near the gardens.

• Time your visit to coincide with a scheduled Wasserspiele (fountain) display in the Great Garden-these historic water shows run on set days in the warmer months and are the highlight for many visitors.
• Enter the gardens through the main Herrenhausen entrance near Herrenhäuser Straße for direct access to the Great Garden; then spend time in the adjacent Berggarten (botanical garden) which is often quieter and hosts special plant exhibitions.
• Allow time for the Berggarten's greenhouse and exhibitions-many visitors focus on the formal Baroque Great Garden and miss the botanical collections and seasonal shows in the Berggarten.