Brief Introduction

Hanover owns a unique garden - and palace area in its scale of unusual quality and richness in variety, which offers an exemplary picture of the history of geometrically regular Baroque Garden in the 17th / 18th century up to the Landscape Garden of the 19th century. The part of the city - Herrenhausen - consisting of four gardens: Großer Garten (Great Garden), Berggarten (Berg Garden), Georgengarten (George Garden) and Welfengarten (Guelph Garden) attracts annually many visitors, also from the foreign countries, and is a first- rate factor in the general attractiveness and leisure amenities of Hanover. To maintain the long - term attractiveness of Herrenhausen, the continual restoration of its present historical condition is an important requirement, but is not enough.

The Great Garden is the oldest and largest Garden in Herrenhausen. The problems of its restoration since the end of the war has always been discussed. In its layout, the composition of garden - and architectural elements as a unit work of art played an important role. The character of the Great Garden is shaped by the harmonious grouping and sensitive matching of all the gardening and architectural elements in size and proportion as well as by its geometrical design.

Today, it is only possible to experience partially the concept of a unit work of art because some essential architectural elements are no more available. The Palace was destroyed as a dominant in 1943. Two stately baroque garden cabinets, which once geometrically closed the southern axle of the cascade and grotto, were lost in the 19th century. The western cabinet was reconstructed in 1864, but was removed again in 1937. The baroque domestic houses at the forecourt were torn down in 1965. The grotto is still in its structural soundness, was however renovated to a storeroom furnished with unsuitable cleaning clothes in the year around 1880.