The Herrenhausen Gardens, made up of four in total, are a popular attraction with both tourists and local residents.
The Great Garden covering
50 hectares stands in front of the Herrenhausen Summer Palace, which was
rebuilt almost from scratch and reopened in 2013.
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A statue of Sophia Hanover watches over the gardens, a royal who did much to expand the
garden in the 17th century. The garden hosts events and theatre
performances every summer, and it’s also famous for its fountain, which dates
back to the early 1700s.
According to the director of Herrenhausen Gardens, Ronald Clark, says, “It
was a sensation. The king was able to show that he had conquered gravity.”
Several small waterways cut through the gardens – where you can
sit and relax on the banks and enjoy a gourmet picnic prepared by the palace
restaurant.
In these gardens you really take a step back in time – the gardens are
still very much the same as they were in the 17th century.
This is the only major Baroque garden in Germany that has kept its original structure.
In the Berggarten, the royal family used to grow its own
vegetables, but now it has been transformed into a botanical garden that holds
the world’s largest collection of orchids.
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The Georgengarten dates back to the early 1800s. Part of it
was designed as an English-style landscape garden and is yet another great place
to sit back and enjoy the natural settings.
Welfengarten, the last of the four, makes up the grounds of the University of Hanover, its central castle used as its main building. There's also a Princely House that's today used by Prince Ernst August of Hanover as his private residence.
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