Herrenhausen Castle
Herrenhausen Castle and its wonderful gardens are one of the priceless heritages of the history of Germany, the legacy of Hannover rulers. Herrenhausen is a brilliant baroque building, which has undergone many stages of construction.
Recently it was decided that the castle was to be fully restored thanks to the authorities in Hannover and the foundation made by car giant - Volkswagen. The project was worth 20 million plus contingencies and should be completed by 2012.
Handsome Herrenhausen is located in the heart of Hannover itself. It was built for kings and queens of the city in the 17th century. The foundations of the castle were laid in 1638, but most of it known as the Great Garden was made in 1666 by the French landscape architect - Martin Charbonnier.
Expansion and perfection of the complex Herrenhausen continued until the 19th century. The end result was certainly something worth seeing and which is able to delight everyone. The Garden of Herrenhausen castle is distinguished by its high rich and beautiful arrangement. In style they are very reminiscent of the typical French and English gardens.
The impressive Baroque building of the castle Herrenhausen was transformed into a palace in the classical style between 1819 and 1821, while it was owned by the Welf family. They decided for this purpose to trust the architect Laves.
In 1943 the castle Herrenhausen was bombed as a result of World War II and it was completely destroyed. Then only thing left of the complex was the large fountain, outdoor staircase and a grotto. The staircase was moved to a glasshouse in Herrenhausen where it can be seen today.
The lovely park is composed of four main parts - a large garden, mountain garden -Berggarten, Gardens of George – Georgengarten and garden Welfengarten.
The beauty of the Great Garden Herrenhausen is composed of lovely landscaped lawns, hedges, paths, statues and fountains. Today the park during the summer months is home to various festivals such as the - Festival of Small Arts and one named after the garden itself.
The high point in the big garden is the fountain. It is one of the last works of the artist Niki de Saint Phalle and is beautifully decorated with lots of crystals, minerals, glass and sea shells. This part of the castle constitutes to the largest baroque gardens in Germany.
The mountain Garden is also no less of an important part of the complex Herrenhausen. There is situated even the largest botanical garden in Germany and there you can see a collection of the orchids species, which is unmatched in beauty and diversity in the country. Note also the Tropical house where you can enjoy various kinds of butterflies and exotic birds.
