Hannover? Go and study somewhere else.
That’s what our author thought, too. Until he moved there. Why the city is worth it once you stop comparing it with Berlin or Munich.
Photos: Inga Klöber, Yael Wagner
Two bottles of Lindener Spezial outside a kiosk on Limmerstraße in the Linden-Nord district. Alongside Herrenhäuser, it is one of Hannover’s regional beers and an essential part of ‘Limmern’.
‘Too ugly for Munich, too stupid for Berlin’ – that is how the musician Heinrich von Handzahm describes Hannover. A city in the middle of Germany, which for a long time was nothing more to me than a place to change trains. Still, I moved here to study and found something quite different from what I had expected. In this guide you’ll find out exactly what I mean – and how to make your start in a new life as relaxed as possible.
Contents
1. Hannover – the city without a dialect, but with plenty of creative energy
2. Between ‘Krökeln’, ‘Limmern’ and the ‘Zweier’ – where the cool kids hang out
3. Green, greener, Hannover – one of the greenest cities in Germany
4. Hannover and a location that invites you to travel on – whether for fish rolls in Hamburg, a day’s hiking in the Harz mountains or a weekend trip to the Netherlands
5. No idea? No problem! Tips and tricks for a relaxed start to your studies
6. Conclusion: Hannover – explore it and maybe you’ll love it
1. Hannover – the city without a dialect
Hannover is the state capital of Lower Saxony – that’s what I learned at school back in my home town of Jena. Beyond that, all I had were lukewarm prejudices and rumours about this city in the north – although its northern location is more a claim than a fact, at least if you ask people from the Hanseatic cities.
Apart from the rumour that Hannover speaks the crispest standard German, there was little to say about the city before I moved. But believe me, it isn’t even the city of standard German. That was the finding of a research team led by the linguist Dr François Conrad at Leibniz University Hannover – it is merely a regional variety close to the standard.
That may not sound very exciting at first, but let’s be honest: Hannover is a city with a lot of potential, and if you give it a chance, you’ll soon discover that for yourself. It’s always easier to settle into a ready-made nest, as you would in Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig or Munich. But here in Hannover, you can still get involved and shape things yourself.
Help shape young, open spaces, join collectives such as Kulturhafen e.V., where some of the best-known DJs now play in summer, or take over empty municipal buildings and turn them into cool studio spaces where young artists can later give free rein to their creativity.
The association that makes this possible is called ZwischenRaum e.V. – and these are just some of the progressive projects. And if the city still seems too grey and average to you, you’ll certainly find enough people up for putting some colour on the walls with you!
Photos: Inga Klöber, Yael Wagner
A skateboard bench at the 2er skatepark in Linden.
2. Between ‘Krökeln’, ‘Limmern’ and the ‘Zweier’
Progressive idealism perhaps isn’t your thing, or your studies at one of Hannover’s many institutions simply leave you no time for it? Then here are some alternatives: Hannover is known, for example, for its huge number of kiosks. This density of kiosks is almost part of its cultural heritage. In the Linden-Limmer district in particular, residents talk of the highest density of kiosks in the world.
So if, after a hard day in the library, you fancy a cold drink or two with friends, head to Limmerstraße, where the density is highest. In summer especially, ‘Limmern’ is a popular pastime among locals: moving from kiosk to kiosk. In the summer months, this street makes Hannover feel like a real big city.
In winter, you can meet in one of the many cafés and bars for ‘Krökeln’ – table football. If you prefer something less boozy, sign up for one of the many sports courses at the university or try your hand at skateboarding. With the ‘2er’, Hannover has one of the largest DIY skateparks in Germany, if not Europe.
Right next door is ‘PLATZprojekt e.V.’, a kind of open-air co-working space where small businesses such as woodworking shops and design studios, as well as non-profit associations such as ‘fotobus society e.V.’, help bring the urban scene to life. The site feels like one big trailer park project, probably because the various workspaces are housed in converted shipping containers, among other things. And if you prefer something more classic, just go to the Sprengel Museum.
These days I really appreciate Hannover. The city is incredibly green, it has a lot to offer culturally and it isn’t overhyped – I like that.
Rosa Burczyk
3. Green, greener, Hannover
I’ve rarely been to a German city with such a strong connection to nature as Hannover. I don’t just mean the odd token strip of green between two main roads – although, to be honest, you’ll find those here too. But have you ever heard of Hannover’s ‘Central Park’?
The Eilenriede is a city forest in the middle of Hannover. At almost 6.4 square kilometres, it is even almost twice the size of its far better-known counterpart in New York. The Eilenriede may not have a fancy name, and with a bit of luck the most you’ll meet on a walk are a few Z-list celebrities.
Even so, this continuous forest in the east of central Hannover is one of the largest urban forests in Europe. If you prefer something more formal and less wild, give the Herrenhausen Gardens a chance, which bring together several parks, including some laid out in the English style.
Another central example of Hannover’s green oases is the bank of the River Ihme. In summer especially, this green artery running through the city is full of young people. Whether you go upstream or downstream: if you start your walk at the indefinable concrete block known as the Ihme-Zentrum, after a while you reach pleasantly green places with little city noise but plenty of grazing cows. But be careful: walk too far and you’ll end up in Braunschweig – and nobody really wants that.
Photos: Yael Wagner, Inga Klöber
A snow-covered bench in Hannover’s city forest, the Eilenriede – one of the largest in Europe!
4. Hannover and a location that invites you to travel on
One of the features I was most looking forward to before studying in Hannover was its location in Germany. Whether that makes up for Hannover having the highest semester fees compared with other university cities is open to debate. But here are the hard facts anyway:
If you wake up after a restful night and fancy a fish roll – or you’re still awake, it doesn’t matter, the main thing is you’re hungry for a fish roll – you can use your Deutschlandsemesterticket, included in your semester fee, to travel all the way to Hamburg and enjoy the best fish rolls there.
Fancy a hike in the countryside to escape the last bit of traffic noise? Then pop over to the Harz mountains. Had enough of Germany? Then jump on a train and travel free of charge as far as Hengelo in the Netherlands. From there, you can even get to Amsterdam for very little money.
It all sounded too good to be true when I applied – while still living in Thuringia, where everything really does feel far away. In the end, I never made any of these three trips. That was certainly because I never had the money for them, but also because Hannover itself had enough to offer to make travelling unnecessary. A short break at the Steinhuder Meer lake, about 20 minutes away, does the trick too.
My start in Hannover went smoothly, because right from the beginning I had some good encounters with different people, and acquaintances soon turned into friendships.
Jannis Schubert
5. No idea? No problem!
Last but not least: here are my personal recommendations and experiences that I’d like to share with you. They cover everything that would have helped me when I started out in Hannover – either because I didn’t know it back then or because I ignored it even though I was told.
Housing: probably one of the most divisive topics for anyone moving to a new city to start their studies. Maybe you feel special right now, because the move is a big, personal fresh start in a new environment. You’ve firmly resolved to live by the motto ‘new city, new me’. Be aware that you’re not alone in this. In practical terms, that means the housing market is particularly tight at this time.
So here’s a rather unusual tip from me: don’t underestimate the option of a sublet. That’s exactly the kind of arrangement I moved into back then, and it brought me many advantages. For one thing, it was easier for me to find a room once the semester was under way.
Make contacts through a sublet!
Of course, everyone coming to Hannover for the long term wants a permanent tenancy at the start of the semester. But these long-term arrangements often don’t last, because you simply can’t choose your flatmates in a shared flat.
Conversely, this means that while you’re in a sublet, you can take your time looking for somewhere to live long term. Rooms keep coming free during the semester, and the competition isn’t as fierce as at the start.
You also have time to look around the city and find out which district you like best. You’ll make new contacts during your studies anyway – maybe a room will come free with one of your fellow students. That way you save yourself the initial stress and don’t have to take whatever’s left.
Go exploring!
My second recommendation: explore your surroundings! Grab your fellow sufferers and discover the city together. It does you good to get to know your new environment by more than just the tram map. Arrange a café crawl, for example, and visit Hannover’s many lovely cafés – there really are loads of them.
Get active and get involved in the many clubs and collectives Hannover has to offer. I’ve already mentioned a few. Ultimately, it’s one of the best ways to meet nice people and build an interdisciplinary network. It was always important to me to get out of my ‘student bubble’ too. Only then did I realise how multi-layered Hannover really is.
6. Conclusion
All in all, Hannover isn’t so mediocre after all. I think it’s important to say that every beginning can be hard. Maybe it’s worth giving this city not just one but two or even three chances. Getting out, exploring the city and getting involved are the key to turning Lower Saxony’s supposedly lukewarm soup into something really spicy.
Then you’ll soon meet like-minded people and realise that this place – with a horse on its coat of arms – is an up-and-coming city. It is so rich in culture because its residents make that possible. And if, like me, you do a six-month internship in another city and realise you can’t face the stress of moving again, and so you don’t move back to Hannover – well, that’s just how it is.
So after three exciting years I turned my back on the city too, but I won’t rule out coming back some day.
With that in mind: best wishes from Leipzig!
