As of: March 25, 2024, 7:31 a.m
By: Ulrike Hagen
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Stroll, bid, haggle.
For a long time, flea markets only existed in France.
An artist brought him to Germany.
The oldest one still takes place in Lower Saxony today.
Hanover – Flea markets have a magical appeal for many people.
Here you can haggle, hunt for bargains and discover real treasures.
What very few people probably suspect: The flea market as we know it hasn't existed in Germany for that long.
It was not until 1967 that an artist brought it from the Seine to the Leine in Hanover, following the example of the “marché aux puces”.
This means that Lower Saxony sets two flea market records: This state not only has the longest flea market, but also the oldest!
Event: |
Old town flea market |
Opening: |
April 8, 1967 |
Location: |
Hanover |
Time: |
March to October, Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m |
Right on the leash: treasure hunt at the oldest flea market in Germany
From local events to national events, the old town flea market, founded by performance artist Reinhard Schamuhn, has been attracting junk dealers from all over Germany ever since.
On the Hohen Ufer directly on the Leine - between Schlossstrasse and Goethestrasse - dealers have been presenting everything possible and impossible for 57 years: clothes, toys, records, junk - in conditions ranging from junk to rarity, as befits an official flea market.
What people in Lower Saxony find not in Hanover at the flea market, but in the Lüneburg Heath, is the first potato hotel in the world.
In addition to a chic restaurant, there is even a potato wellness center.
Almost anything you like is sold.
Except for: unused and/or packaged goods, goods of the same type on a larger scale (more than ten items of exactly the same type), recent electrical goods, new clothing, bicycles and animals as well as weapons and war-glorifying goods or goods with symbols of the Nazi regime, such as the flea market regulations have required this since 2006.
Stroll, bid, haggle.
Until the 1960s, flea markets only existed in France.
But then they also found their way into Germany.
The oldest one still takes place in Lower Saxony today.
© Imago/Zoonar
Up to 20,000 people every week: This is the oldest flea market in Germany in Lower Saxony
Located on the western edge of the old town, with the historic Beguinage Tower in the background, the old town flea market attracts up to 20,000 people every Saturday.
There is even “real” art to see: since 1974, the “Nanas”, the colorful figures by the artist Niki de Saint Phalle, have been flashing cheerfully between the displays of amateur and professional sellers on the banks of the Leibnitz.
Germany's oldest flea market in Hanover's old town: flea market fun from March to October
The flea market in the old town used to take place in winter, but now the season is limited to March to October.
The times have also been adjusted.
While it used to start at seven every Saturday, the market now starts at 10 a.m. to be late riser-friendly, but is open until 6 p.m.