Waterloosäule

The Waterloo Column on Waterlooplatz in the Calenberger Neustadt district of Hanover is a neoclassical monument commemorating the Allied victory over Napoleon I at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Built between 1825 and 1832 to a design by the architect Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves, the monument was commissioned by King George IV of Hanover at the initiative of veterans of the former King's German Legion. The dedication ceremony took place on June 18, 1832, the anniversary of Napoleon's military defeat.

Standing 46.31 meters (about 152 feet) tall, the monument consists of a Doric column resting on a six-step base. The base bears a dedicatory inscription to the heroes of Waterloo, along with name plaques for the fallen and captured cannons displayed as trophies. You can climb a spiral staircase of 189 steps up the hollow shaft to reach a square viewing platform. There, a copper statue of Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, crowns the ensemble.

Originally, the platform was open to the public only on certain holidays. Since 2014, the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper and the Baudenkmalstiftung Hannover (a preservation foundation) have made free climbs possible four times a year, including on Open Monument Day. Since 2025, the column has been illuminated at night and is undergoing a comprehensive renovation to repair damage to the sandstone caused by earlier restoration work.