Hanover City Guide - Eilenriede park - The zoo - Maschsee - Street Art

Eilenriede
Eilenriede park is virtually a city forest and Hanover's ‘green lungs'. It covers an area of 650 hectares (1,943 acres), larger than Central Park in New York. The park comprises woodland and meadows, crisscrossed by a network of paths and fitness trails and dotted with numerous monuments, a mini golf course, a toboggan slope, restaurants, cafes and beer gardens. The northern part of Eilenriede encompasses a bird sanctuary and the popular Erlebnis Zoo Hannover, which houses over 2,600 animals.

The zoo is much better than many of its ilk, with visitors able to explore four unique Zoo Adventure Worlds - Zambezi, Jungle Palace, Gorilla Mountain and Meyer's Farm. A fifth Zoo World, representing the vast Alaskan wilderness of ‘Yukon Bay', is under construction - a model can be viewed near the Jungle Palace.

Erlebnis Zoo Hannover
Adenauerallee 3
Tel: (0511) 2807 4163.
Website: www.zoo-hannover.de
Admission charge.

Maschsee
The 68-hectare (168-acre) Maschsee Lake was dug out between 1934 and 1936, providing the city with an enviable aquatic playground. Pleasure seekers can enjoy summer boat trips or illuminated evening cruises (including dinner), operated by the local transport organisation from Rudolf-von-Bennigsen-Ufer. The Maschsee fleet includes a solar-powered catamaran with a capacity of up to 55 people. The lake is surrounded by parkland and has a number of restaurants, beer gardens and a casino on its shores. During summer, Maschsee provides the perfect setting for a popular cultural and entertainment festival (see Special Events).

Rudolf von Bennigsen Ufer
Tel: (0511) 700 950.
Website: www.uestra-reisen.de/content/maschsee
Free admission.

Street Art
Hanover's bountiful street art is a highlight of visiting the city. Much of the innovative public art dates back to the 1970s, with a plethora of weird and wonderful creations, from multi-coloured shapes through to surreal sculptures, such as a stag with a figure of a man sitting atop its antlers. Perhaps the most famous work are the three buxom ‘Nanas' placed on the banks of the Leine river. These characters were creations of French artist Niki de St Phalle, who died in 2002. Many of the city's bizarre fountains are also works of art in themselves, as are a number of Hanover's bus stops.