Tom`s travels: Town hall

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Hannover (31/08/2018)

After taking the plane from Budapest, we landed in the German city of Hannover and having still some time we decided to visit the city center before our bus would leave for Hamburg. After taking the S-Bahn, the local train network, we reached the center in about half an hour. We then continued on foot and entered the Mitte, the central part of Hannover, where the old town is located. Our first stop was the Am Markt, the main square, where the old town hall is located. Originally built during the 15th century in the Gothic style it was then saved from destruction during the 19th century, and thus renovated in the neogothic style. Right in front of it stands the Marktkirche, the town's main church, which was however closed already. Built in the 15th century at the same time as the town hall, its spire was never completed, and was eventually completely rebuilt in the 1950s in the neogothic style. From there we continued onwards and reached the Kreuzkirche, bombed during the second world war it was rebuilt in its former gothic style. Its bell tower was a visible sight while walking in the direction of the small and pretty Ballhofplatz, surrounded by nice old buildings and cozy cafes. We then walked back towards the main church passing through a street full of wonderful half-timbered houses. A little further were the ruins of what used to be the Aegidienkirche, nearly completely destroyed during WWII. It was left as it was in order to stand as a memorial to the atrocities of the war. Then we walked a little more and reached the impressive New Town Hall, a castle-like structure built in 1913 during the reign of Emperor Wilhelm II. It is also surrounded by a nice park, the Maschpark, with a lake from which the reflection of the town hall can be seen by heading to the other side. It was getting late and the streets were starting to fill up with soccer fans who had come to see the match. We, therefore, decided to head towards the station stopping to have dinner at a place called Dean & David before finally reaching the bus station and heading to Hamburg.

The Am Markt with the old town hall

One of the streets of the old town

The bell tower of the Kreuzkirche

The pretty Ballhofplatz

A street in the old town with the Marktkirche in the background

The ruins of the Aegidienkirche

The new town hall

View of the new town hall

Saturday, May 19, 2018

Bremen (01/06/2017)

After having finished the semester in Strasbourg, Ania and I headed to Hamburg for a few days, and in the meantime, I decided to visit a few places around the area. The first trip was to Bremen, a once Hanseatic city, and thus as Hamburg, having its own Bundesland. After taking the bus from Hamburg and reaching the city of Bremen, we headed directly in the Altstadt, or old town. As we approached the town center, we passed by the Am Wall Windmill, built in the late 19th century is the Dutch style. Walking a little further we reached the Wesser river and walked along its quayside until we encountered and entered the church of St Martin, built in the Gothic style during the 13th century. After visiting the church, we headed back into town, walking through the Boettcherstrasse, a hundred meter long street filled with Brick Expressionist buildings dating to the 1920-30s Just one building is from the 16th century, and that is the Roselius House. As most of Bremen, even this area was heavily bombed during WWII and mostly rebuilt. Reaching the end of the street we came out in the Marktplatz, or market square, which is the main square of the old town. All around sit important buildings, such as the Schutting, which used to be the merchant's guild-house, and the town hall, which is a Unesco world heritage site. Originally built during the middle ages, the current building features a beautiful Weser Renaissance facade from the 17th century. Behind it stands also the new town hall building, dating to the beginning of the 20th century, and built in the same style to maintain a continuous harmony in the buildings. Underneath the building is located the Ratskeller, or wine cellar, where both old bottles and newer ones were kept at the disposal of the city. Right in front of the town hall and close to the center of the main square stands the statue of the Roland, also part of the Unesco listing, erected in 1404, and representing Roland, Charlemagne's paladin. Carved in limestone, the statue itself is 5.47m while with its baldachin it reaches a height of 10.21m. Built in many towns during the Middle Ages that were under Saxon law, it was used as a symbol of freedom, and in fact, the legend of the one in Bremen goes that as long as the statue stands up, the city will always be free and independent. At the western end of the town hall stands the 1953 statues of the Town Musicians of Bremen, a famous fairy tale regarding a donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster becoming musicians. Next to it stands the Church of Our Lady, dating to the 13th century in the Gothic style. After the visit to the church, we crossed back through the main square and reached the city's Cathedral. Dedicated to St Pete, it was built in a Gothic style during the 13th century. Its oldest part is located in the crypt below with Romanesque columns and a baptismal bronze font from 1229. After visiting the inside of the church, we exited to the cloister where we descended down the Bleikeller, or lead cellar, where a small museum displayed the well-preserved mummies of some inhabitants of the city from the 17th century. After the Cathedral, we walked further and gave a brief look a the Gothic church of St John. From there we then entered the Schnoor, a medieval neighborhood, which is the only survivor of the WWII destructions. Walking along its narrow streets we admired the nice small medieval houses, which looked even better on this sunny day. From there it was a short walk to our last stop of the day: the Kunsthalle, or art museum. Inside were several paintings from all over Europe including some portraying Italy and even one on Venice. After this last visit it was time to go, so we headed to the bus station where we got our ride back to Hamburg.