Herrenhausen Gardens

The Herrenhausen Gardens (Herrenhäuser Gärten, ˈhɛʁn̩hɔʏzɐ ˈɡɛʁtn̩) of Herrenhausen Palace, located in Herrenhausen, an urban district of Lower Saxony's capital of Hanover are made up of the Great Garden (Großer Garten), the Berggarten, the Georgengarten and the Welfengarten. The gardens are a heritage of the Kings of Hanover. The Great Garden has always been one of the most distinguished Baroque gardens of Europe while the Berggarten has been transformed over the years from a simple vegetable garden into a large botanical garden with its own attractions. Both the Georgengarten and the Welfengarten have been made in the style of English gardens, and both are considered popular recreation areas for the residents of Hannover. The history of the gardens spans several centuries, and they remain a popular attraction to this day. The Great Garden owes much of its aesthetics to Sophia of Hanover, consort of the Elector of Hanover and herself heiress to the British throne, who in 1683 commissioned the French gardener Martin Charbonnier to enlarge an existing garden. It served as a summer retreat, located only a few kilometers outside the city, while the Leineschloss was the main residence in town. As its name implies, it indeed became a large garden, comprising of lawns, hedges, walkways, and statues arranged in strict geometrical patterns. The centerpiece of the garden is the rather small Herrenhausen Palace, originally a manor house of 1640 which had been enlarged since 1676. Whereas Sophia's husband, Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Luneburg, planned its replacement with a large baroque palace, and began constructions with the nearby grand Gallery Building, their son, elector George Louis, who in 1714 succeeded to the British throne as King George I, gave the palace project up and concentrated on water features. Sophia, Ernest Augustus and George I are buried in the mausoleum in the Berggarten. The next king, George II, planned again for a new palace in better proportion with the Great Garden, but never realized it.