Market Church, Hanover

Walk through Hanover's old town and you will end up in front of this tower sooner or later. The Market Church of St George and St James is the oldest of the three old-town churches, and its 97-metre west tower is one of the city's landmarks. Plain red brick outside, a tall bright hall inside, with medieval stained glass and a carved altar that survived the war by chance. In Advent the church becomes the centre of the Christmas market.

History: 650 years of a Gothic hall

A Romanesque church stood here as early as about 1125; its foundations were excavated in 1952. Work on the tower began in 1347, and the new church was consecrated around 1360. Plague and lack of money halted the tower in 1368, so the top is shorter than planned: instead of a steep spire there is a small turret that repeats the tower in miniature. The church is the southernmost large example of north German brick Gothic.

Air raids in July and October 1943 left only the outer walls and pillars. During rebuilding in 1946–1952 under architect Dieter Oesterlen the brick inside was fully exposed, which explains the clean look of the interior today.

What to see

• Central choir window: 20 of its 30 panels date from around 1370, among the most important medieval stained glass in northern Germany.
• Passion altar: Carved around 1480, with 21 scenes of the Passion. It had been moved to another church and later to a museum, which is how it survived the war. Look for the patriarch Jacob wearing glasses.
• Bronze door: Gerhard Marcks made the west door in 1959 on the theme of "discord and concord", including gallows, tanks and burning houses.
• Reformation window: A 13-metre window by Markus Lüpertz, unveiled on Reformation Day 2023.
• Sundials: Two sundials at the old south door; one probably dates from the time the church was built and is likely Hanover's oldest clock.

Good to know

A few steps from the west door a cross is set into the paving. From there you get the four-church view of the towers of the Market, Aegidien, Kreuz and Neustadt churches, a sight travelling journeymen were expected to know 300 years ago. The Christmas market has been held around the church since about 1850.

Opening hours (as of October 2026)

Monday to Friday 10:00–18:00, Saturday 10:00–17:00, Sunday 9:30–18:00. Visits are limited during services and events. Organ concerts are held regularly, and there is an ecumenical midday prayer.

Getting there

The church stands on Hanns-Lilje-Platz in the old town, a 5 to 10-minute walk from the main station via Kröpcke, or two stops on light rail lines 3, 7 or 9 to "Markthalle/Landtag". There is paid parking right in front of the church and a step-free entrance with an automatic door on the north side.

Tripto tip

Allow 30 to 45 minutes for the church, the door and the four-church view, then take a look at the brick gables of the Old Town Hall on the market square. In Advent it gets very busy, so come on a weekday morning for a quiet look inside.