The best hikes from bus stations around Laatzen

A beautiful oasis of nature!

Always worth a bike tour

Great for a relaxing break

The Alte Feuerwache Nature Conservation Centre in Laatzen is an important hub for environmental education and nature conservation in the Hannover region. In the listed building, a former fire station, visitors of all ages are made aware of the local nature. Through exhibitions, workshops, and excursions, the centre promotes awareness of biodiversity and sustainable living – right in the middle of the city. The Nature Conservation Centre is open from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Admission is free for NABU members. More information can also be found here: https://www.nabu.de/natur-und-landschaft/natur-erleben/nabu-zentren/niedersachsen/24179.html

The area is primarily characterized by the Leine River, flanked by near-natural willow gallery forests and tall herbaceous meadows, as well as its partially near-natural and richly structured adjacent floodplains. In the north, there are extensive areas of agriculturally used grassland with varying levels of moisture and intensity of use. Smaller areas include scattered arable land, forest and shrub stands with varying soil moisture levels, and natural flood channels. The woody course of the meandering and heavily silted Old Leine River, with occurrences of, among others, the silt locust, is also characteristic. The southern part of the nature reserve, in contrast, is largely characterized by former marl and gravel mining waters. Riparian woody plants and small shrubs with varying levels of moisture and succession stages have developed along the banks. Agriculturally used grassland and arable land are only present in small areas here. Many landscape elements, such as oxbow lakes, remnants of floodplain forests, or even open gravel areas and steep cliffs, which occasionally form due to flooding, are valuable remnants of the former floodplain dynamics, which continue to naturally develop new habitats in the floodplain between the terrace edges on both sides of the lower terrace. The Leine River is of national importance as a supra-regional fish migration route and as a spawning and nursery water for migratory fish. Species such as brown trout, sea trout, and Atlantic salmon find habitat here. Otters and beavers also occur here. The area is also of great importance for bats, such as the greater mouse-eared bat and the pond bat. Also worth emphasizing is the national and state importance of the nature reserve as a resting area for numerous migratory bird species and as a breeding ground for various water and meadow bird species. These include, for example, the great egret, white-fronted goose, great crested grebe, gadwall, tufted duck, goldeneye, and smew. In addition to its significant importance for species and habitat conservation, the nature reserve also plays a significant role in providing environmentally friendly, peaceful recreational opportunities due to its proximity to the city, its unique diversity, uniqueness, and beauty. Source: NLWKN

The Kronsberg hill covers an area of approximately 2,000 hectares. The mountain originally had an elevation of 106 m above sea level. The artificially created, twelve-meter-high observation hill at the original summit raised its elevation to 118 m above sea level. A second hill was built on the southern shoulder, reaching a height of 107.3 m above sea level. It is located approximately 2.3 km south-southwest of the summit. The observation points offer a sweeping view of Hanover and the surrounding mountain ranges, such as the Deister. The observation hills were created in the late 1990s and also serve as a design element. Trees are planted along the edges of their summits. Their soil consists of limestone marl, which was excavated during the construction work on the Kronsberg. The slopes of the oval-shaped hills are unplanted and serve as a habitat for warm- and lime-loving plants. The viewing hills are about 80 meters wide and, in an east-west direction, about 250 meters long, and the southern hill about 200 meters long. Their summits are also oval and about one-fifth of the dimensions mentioned. Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kronsberg

At 107 m, the South Hill is slightly lower than the North Hill (118 m). But the climb up is steeper!

idyllic view of the lake, including the Swan Lake ballet if you're lucky.