For its magnificent baroque gardens, Herrenhausen has long been among the most beloved landmarks of Hanover, Germany. Soon it will be cause for even greater celebration with the completion of a major project to rebuild the royal summer residence that was once the centerpiece of the Great Garden. In 2009, Hamburg-based architectural firm Jastrzembski Kotulla began reconstructing Herrenhausen Palace, which was leveled in World War II, and restoring it faithfully to a design by royal builder George Ludwig Friedrich Laves.

           
With essays by renowned experts, Schloss Herrenhausen: Architecture—Gardens—Intellectual History gives a comprehensive overview of the history of Herrenhausen. Founded in the sixteenth century by the Welf dynasty and built up over the course of several centuries, the residence developed into an international intellectual and cultural center and even played host to polymath Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, in whose honor the new building will be a made into a center for science. Other essays turn the focus on Herrenhausen’s intellectual history; its Great Garden, commissioned by Sophia of Hanover from French gardener Martin Charbonnier; and plans for the reconstruction that were not carried through.