About this place
Ernst-August-Platz is the grand front door to Hannover, the wide square where the main railway station spills its travellers out into the city. At its centre rises the bronze equestrian statue of King Ernst August the First, unveiled here in 1861, ten years after the monarch's death, and ever since a fixed point in the life of the city. Sculpted by Albert Wolff, a pupil of the celebrated Christian Daniel Rauch, the king sits astride his favourite horse Ibrahim in the uniform of a hussar, gazing out over the square that bears his name. The granite pedestal carries the simple dedication 'To the father of the land, from his faithful people'. For generations the people of Hannover have arranged to meet one another beneath this statue, dryly calling the spot 'Unterm Schwanz', literally 'under the tail' of the royal horse. It is the natural place to begin any walk into the city, and the starting point of the famous Red Thread route that stitches together Hannover's greatest sights.
Key facts
- 1861 year — The bronze equestrian statue was unveiled, a full decade after the king's death
- 23000 guests — Crowded the square for the grand unveiling, 8,000 marching in procession from Waterlooplatz
- 4.2 km — Length of the Red Thread, the painted line that guides visitors past the city's highlights from here
📍 Niki-de-Saint-Phalle-Promenade, 30159, Hannover