Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-20
HANOVER, DUAL CITY
A Unique Mixture of the An
cient and the Modern.
HOME OF GUELPH FAMILY
Queen Victoria's Ancestors Lived
and Reigned There.
BLIND KING MADE EXILE
Opposed Bismarck's Plan for Fed
Grafton of German States-son
Still Claims Throne.
BLIND KING MADE EXILE
BIZ WILLIAM T.. CIRTIS

Herald
The ancient city of Hanover offers at
fractions to the American tourist that
are overlooked by most of them. Com
paratively few of our people ever go|
there, but they rush through on their
way from Berlin to London. Hanover
is on the straight Yoad to London, by
way of the Hook OF Holland, $50 miles
from Berlin, seventy eight miles from
Bremen. 1t is a most delightful. place,
an almost unique mixture Of the modern
and antique, with an individuality that
few towns can claim. 1t is one OF the
oldest of the old in spots, and one Of the
newest of the new in many respects. 1t
is the only place l know Of where you
can see an electric motor street sweeper
or an electric street sprinkler in opera
ton In front of a medieval building with
a fantastic facade, or an electric motor
fire engine rushing around the curves
OF a street that is almost too narrow
Tor ordinary carriages to pass.
Home Of Guelph Family.
Few places have greater historical in
terest, for Hanover, as you know, was
tho seat Of the Guelph family. and fur
nished Queen Victoria a grandfather, and
the people of England king, when they
needed one very badly.
There are many other historical associa-
tons with the city. 1T was at one time
the center of musical culture in Europe,
and in the days of the Georges the
theater was second to none but that OF
Weimar in its reputation, and the opera
house was the best in Europe Both were
supported from the royal purse, and an
English visitor who came over to see
for himself what sort of a man the Brit
ish government had chosen for a king
expressed his establishment at the high
artistic merit of the performances and
said: Nobody pays money that goes
to a play here, the prince, as In some
other courts of Germany, being at all
the expense to entertain the town as
we'll as the court"
There were sixty boxes in the Royal
Theater for the use of the royal family
and the nobility, and the grand chamber
lain and director Of the theater distributed
tickets In the rest Of the house among
the citizens in town.
| Albert Neimann the famous tenor,
was a blacksmith In Hanover when some
| body discovered his voice, just as Caruso
| Is said to have been porter in an Italian
hotel. Neimann was educated at the ex-
pense of the king. like many lesser sing
ers have ben, and remained in Hanover,
| singing at the kings theater until other
German cities demanded a share Of the
enjoyment.
Gave His Wife to Wagner.
The great Won Bulow came from Han
over. He played in the orchestra at the
theater when he was a boy. He after
ward became director. He was the first
| husband OF Mrs. Richard Wagner, and
you will remember that he made no fuss
when his wife left him. but exclaimed:
who could refuse anything of such q
more than do
Joachim. the famous violinist, played
first fiddle in the orchestra of the Han
over opera house for many years, and
gained his first fame here. But since
1856. when Hanover was deprived of her
king by Bismarck, and was annexed to
Prussia without her consent, the opera
house and the theater have lost their
glory. and Dresden, Munich and Berlin
now claim higher rank
Nevertheless, no other town can boast
that 1t was laid out around an opera
house, incredible as that statement may
seem. In the days of the Georges the
opera house was attached to the palace,
and was said to be more cOmmodious
than magnificent" but in 1852 when the
new town was planned, on the northern
limits OF the old. the opera house was
located first of all. the buildings upon a
triangle formed by the three principal
business streets. A windmill with mon
strous arms occupied the site then, and
was torn away to be replaced by one of
the most beautiful and we'll arranged
opera houses in Europe. 1t will seat
about LOO people: it is owned and man.
aged by the municipality, and. as in other
German cities, the boxes and the princi-
pal seats are rented by the year to lovers
of music who can afford to pay for them.
The performances begin in the late after
noon. and re over in the early evening,
so that the masculine portion of the
audiences go from their business, their
banks and stores, their shops and Offices,
take q lunch of sausage, bread and beer
between the acts in the restaurants. and
have q hearty supper when they get
home
Town Scientifically Planned.
The science of town planning has been