Tips for cool street walks through the city
© Guido Klumpe, 18. April 2022.
Lesezeit 6 Minuten
With these tips I want to increase your anticipation for the big meeting of the German-speaking street photography scene "Meet and Street" on July 8-10, 2022 in Hannover.
Who doesn't know that, at some point you have to get out. It's no longer fun to always wander through the same streets. The feeling creeps in that you've seen it all before, your hometown has been "photographed". It's time for new impressions on a trip, but where to?
Why not Hanover? Admittedly, the city doesn't have a particularly good reputation. Boring, provincial, ugly-that's how Hanover is supposed to be, and the people are supposedly not very nice either.
I definitely can't confirm that for our street photography collective "Unposed Society Hannover". If you plan to come to Hannover, write us!
I can reassure you: Hannover is ugly only in some places, and that in an interesting way, too. If you stay a little longer, you will discover the livable sides: The rivers Ihme and Leine run through the center, the Maschsee with over 6 km of shoreline also invites you.In Hannover you will find with the Eilenriede Europe's largest urban forest, and a bit of old town Hannover also has.
And who loves Street makes with Hanover as a destination nothing wrong.
So that you are well prepared through the city, I have put together some of my personal favorite places:
My top 12, the most exciting places for Street, completely subjective:
1. the main station
I really like the main station. It goes over three levels, with lots of glass, stairs and stores and offers a lot of variety. As one of the busiest train stations in Germany, there is always something going on. At rush hours it is sometimes too crowded for me, but that is a matter of taste and mood. Important: Around the HBF there are many people in precarious situations. Please be careful and respectful.
In sunlight, you will find great lighting situations through the large windows and light wells. Also the station forecourt is full of different people, great for candid street shots.
And the best thing is: as soon as you get off at the main station, you're right in the middle of the city!
2 The Raschplatz
If you go to the back exit, you will come to the Raschplatz. Urbanistically absolutely unsuccessful, but graphically interesting, because you will find many levels, tunnels and large staircases. Here you will also find a frequently suspicious scene. Stay attentive and respectful!
3. the ZOB
If you go in the main station in the direction of the rear exit, but take the door on the left behind platform 14, you come to the ZOB. A place that I simply love. In sunlight, the transparent roof above the bus terminals casts beautiful shadows.
4. Die Passarelle
That's what the old-established Hanoverians call the underground passage that leads from the basement of the train station to the Kröpcke (the city center). From the station forecourt, a staircase also goes straight down to the officially named "Niki de Saint Phalle Gallerie". There you will find a lot of glass for creative play with reflections.
5. Kröpcke
A café once gave its name to this central place in the city center. For me, a very ugly place. But you know, for street photographers nothing is really ugly 😉.
Around the Kröpcke you will find the usual chains, but also small passages, such as the Luisen Gallerie. Just let yourself drift.
Der Kröpcke ist untertunnelt, hier endet die Passarelle und führt in die Ubahn-Station:
6. Die U-Bahnstationen
Hannover has great subway network, and some nice stations. I especially like "Hauptbahnhof", "Kröpcke", "Sedanstr.", "Lister Meile", "Aegidientorplatz", "Braunschweiger Platz", and "Waterloo". A good option when the weather is nasty!
7. Steintor
If you walk along Georgstraße to the right at Kröpcke, you will come to Seintor.
Simply beautiful is the black-yellow bus stop there. A second interesting way leads from the main station to the right along Kurt-Schuhmacher-Straße to Steintor.
Around the Steintor is the Rotlicht-Kiez, especially in the evening an exciting area with many colored lights and reflections. As usual with red light districts, better don't go there alone.
8. Alter Güterbahnhof
About a ten-minute walk from the Steintor you'll find the former freight station, which has been turned into a very versatile and absolutely exciting place for street photography.
The area is really exciting and there is always a lot going on. The trip is worth it!
From the Steintor, the walk along Odeonstraße and Nikolaistraße is a lot of fun.
9. Maschsee
If you have a little more time, then you should definitely go to the Maschsee. From Kröpcke several bus lines go there (stop Sprengel Museum), on foot you need about 20 minutes to the north shore. There you will find cafes, beer gardens and a wonderful scenery for Street.
10. Sprengel Museum
Directly on the north shore of the Maschsee you can also see the Sprengel Museum, one of the most important museums for modern art in Lower Saxony. Inside and outside an interesting architecture for street photography...
11. Hannover-Linden
Linden is somehow Hanover, and somehow not. The working-class town was not incorporated until the 1920s. To this day, Hannover-Linden has retained an independent, rough charm. In Linden lives a rather alternative scene, on the Limmer Street people meet in the evening to party, to "Limmern".
Let yourself drift and discover old industrial architecture like in the "Faust" and the living (night)dream of the 70s in the "Ihmezentrum" (point 12).
I recommend the following half-day tour through Linden:
Take the subway line 9 in the direction of "Empelde" at the main station and get off at "Schwarzer Bär". From there you walk into "Blumenauer Str." past the Ihmezentrum, at the end you come to the square "Am Küchengarten", and then walk diagonally opposite into "Limmer Str.". At the end of the pedestrian zone you take the streetcar line 10, stop "Leinaustraße" in direction "Hauptbahnhof/ZOB".
12. Das Ihmezentrum
On your Linden tour, you will also pass the "Ihmezentrum", an example of completely failed urban planning. At the end of the 1960s, in the euphoria of unlimited growth and progress, the vision of the "city within the city" emerged. The intention was to create condensed places where people not only lived, but also worked and consumed. Instead of experimenting on a small scale, big things were done. In the end, the center became eight times as large as originally planned. The Ihmezentrum is a monumental block from another era. When it was completed in the 1970s, a social change had already taken place. Brutalism" had had its day, people were once again appreciating the beautiful apartments in old buildings, and the Ihmezentrum was increasingly perceived as a foreign body that cut through the city's neighborhoods.
In the 80s, the decline began. Today, after many investors have come and gone, it is more dilapidated than ever. Some despise it as an "eyesore," while others see it as an opportunity for new housing and development concepts. Now that the current investor has also failed to keep his promises, the future is uncertain. One thing is clear: it is simply too big to tear down. Many people live there in condominiums, but the former stores are completely empty; you can see the bare concrete skeleton in many places.
It is worth exploring the morbid and partly dystopian atmosphere. You can walk completely around, there are a few rickety stairs to the upper levels, but it's also impressive from the ground floor.
I hope I could make you curious about the city with my little tour!
See you soon!
© Guido Klumpe 2022. Copying of texts and images, including excerpts, only after written permission.