Hanover

Hanover Ger. Hannover, city (1994 pop. 524,820), capital of Lower Saxony, N Germany, on the Leine River and the Midland Canal. It is a major industrial, commercial, and transshipment center, also serving as a vital rail and road junction in northern Germany. Manufactures include iron and steel, tires, machinery, and motor vehicles. The city is the site of a noted annual industrial fair, the world's largest, held every April. Hanover was chartered in 1241 and in 1369 passed to Brunswick. In 1386 it joined the Hanseatic League. In 1692 it became the capital of the electorate (from 1815 kingdom; from 1866 province) of Hanover (see separate article). Hanover was badly damaged in World War II, but after 1945 numerous old buildings were reconstructed and many modern structures were erected. Points of interest include the Gothic former city hall (15th cent.); the Marktkirche (14th cent.), a red-brick church with a high (318 ft/97 m) tower; the Leineschloss (17th cent.), a château that now houses the parliament of Lower Saxony; and the remains of Herrenhausen castle (17th cent.). Hanover is the seat of technical, medical, and veterinary universities and several museums. The city has numerous parks and gardens, including the site of Expo 2000, Germany's first international exposition. Elector Ernest Augustus, his wife Sophia, and their son, George I of England, are buried in Hanover.

Hanover (Hannover) City on the River Leine, n Germany; capital of Lower Saxony. Chartered in 1241, it joined the Hanseatic League in 1386. In 1636 it became the residence of the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneberg (predecessors of the House of Hanover); George I was Elector of Hanover. Allied bombing badly damaged Hanover during World War II, but the city reconstructed many old buildings. Industries: machinery, steel, textiles, rubber, chemicals. Pop. (1999) 512,200.

Hanover, Canada, Germany, South Africa, USA 1. Germany (Lower Saxony): German Hannover. Previously an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire (1692–1806), a kingdom (1814–66), a Prussian province (1866–1945), and a city with a name meaning ‘High Bank’ from hoch ‘high’ and Ufer ‘bank’. The city lies on the River Leine and the Mittelland Canal. The House of Hanover provided five monarchs for the British crown. The first, George Louis, Elector of Hanover (1698–1727), came to the British throne as George I^†; he was followed by four more kings until 1837 when the personal union between Hanover and the UK was ended with the death of William IV^†. In the UK he was suceeded by Queen Victoria^†, but she, as a woman, could not also succeed to the throne of Hanover because of the Salic Law that prohibited female succession. The House of Hanover was superseded by the House of Saxe‐Coburg and Gotha when Victoria married her cousin, Albert of Saxe‐Coburg and Gotha.2. USA: there are twelve cities with this name and spelling, all named after the House of Hanover or the German city, or after an existing Hanover in the USA; for example, the city in New Hamsphire is named after the Hanover in Connecticut.3. Cities in Suriname and in North Dakota, USA, are spelt in the German way.