Art in public places

At the beginning of the 1970s, an art project was launched on the streets of Hannover that attracted widespread attention. Since then, the townscape has been uniquely characterised by the works of art that are to be seen there, and which in the meantime have come to number 170, including a series of specially designed tram and bus stops.

Buxom curves, luminous colours: the three Nanas on the Leibnizufer have become one of Hannover’s most popular landmarks since 1974. They were not always so celebrated: many Hannoverians took a distinct dislike to the voluminous sculptures created by the artist Niki de Saint Phalle. This grass roots protest gave rise to intense debate about art in public spaces – with a happy end: Hannoverians now consider the “buxom girls” to be part of the family.