Südstadt

Südstadt means 'south city' and it's where we live. This area of the city is known for its elderly population and quiet, family-friendly neighborhoods. We are neither old nor do we have kids, but Brian and I manage to live on the lower-rent edge of Südstadt anyway.

pronunciation tip: the little dots over the u make süd rhyme with rude, dude, or food.

There's not a lot of nightlife in Südstadt. There are some playgrounds, a big farmers' market on Fridays, and a few bars and restaurants. It's not unusual to dodge massive 4 wheel drive strollers or old ladies on slow bicycles as you walk down the street. Südstadt is the part of Hannover with the fewest foreigners, so we really don't belong. That must be why we ended up on the lower-rent end of the neighborhood.

Babies and old people, all in one group!

The weekly market

Südstadt was built around 1900 and, like much of the city,  was heavily damaged during WWII. Two very important buildings still stand. The first is the city library:

The next is the Gluckauf high rise. Gluckauf means something like 'good luck'. It was built in 1930, during the housing shortage between the wars, Was it good luck? I guess it's still standing, so that means something.

You might notice the shirtless man on the grass. He's playing badminton with his girlfriend. Germans like badminton, but do not seem to care for frisbee, which is what I would play. It was not quite warm enough for him to be shirtless.  I didn't mind.

Both the high rise and the library were built in the style of brick expressionism. I know very little about architecture, but I can look things up. So what I've learned is that brick expressionism was developed in Germany and focused on buildings made entirely of brick, with brick ornamentation in the form of patterns, angles, etc. It was popular in the 1920s and early 30s and the Nazis loved it. Architect Karl Elkart designed the library, and he did the Gluckauf building together with another brick expressionist, Fritz Hoeger. They were members of the Nazi party and Elkart was also in the SS. He was in charge of planning the 'Jewish houses', where Jews were forced to live as their homes were confiscated. The Nazi party headquarters were also located in this our part of town, but I think the building is long gone.

Aside from brick expressionism, there are some regular houses still standing too, tall, brightly painted ones that predate the brick buildings:

There's a hair salon in the bottom floor of the yellow buliding. I got my hair cut there mostly because I like the building. I liked the haircut less.

Aside from architecture and markets, what else happens in Südstadt? There's a good Turkish kebab shop and a friendly Indian restaurant. The neighborhood backs up to the city forest and lies alongside the Maschsee lake. It's peaceful and you never have to walk more than 3 blocks to find a bakery. No wonder the old people like it.