Hanover celebrates 25 years of Expo: Memories and new visions!

Hanover celebrates 25 years of Expo: Memories and new visions!

Hannover, Deutschland - On May 31, 2025, Hanover celebrates the 25th anniversary of the World Exhibition Expo 2000. The celebrations, which take place under the motto “#Expo2000Revisited”, include a varied festival weekend on the former Expo site, which is now being used as a business park. Parties, lectures, exhibitions and live music are planned by Sunday, which serve to refresh the memories of the former great fair. According to a spokesman for the Expo Park Association, it is already "jam -packed" and the organizers are satisfied with the number of visitors. The world exhibition itself began on June 1, 2000 and attracted 18.1 million visitors, which were distributed over the presentations of 150 countries over 160 hectares. At that time, the motto of the exhibition was "human-natural technology" and the exhibition center was designed with the aim of promoting sustainability.

Unfortunately, the Expo site was also overlaid by criticism, because the subsequent use was shaped by numerous problems. High costs, empty pavilions, some of which were torn down or severely damaged by fires, caused resentment. Housing structures are rare and the decay of individual pavilions such as the Dutch pavilion, which was once an attraction with almost three million visitors, became increasingly a reality. According to the Expo, this became a retreat for sprayer and has only recently been transformed into a new residential project.

The revitalization of the site

The Dutch pavilion is currently revitalized and forms part of the new residential complex I-Live, which includes 368 apartments for students, commuters and young professionals. These apartments are not larger than 30 square meters and numerous community facilities such as a gym, a bar, a soccer field and a garden are planned on the ground floor. The decay of the Dutch pavilion according to the Expo is cited as an example of the failure of creative reuse. In 2019, all properties of the Expo area were sold, which took more time than originally intended.

A originally planned approach to locate IT and media companies in the area failed. Instead, various projects are now being realized, including a retirement home and a doctor's consortium. After extensive renovation, the Danish pavilion is used as an energy-plus design building, while the German pavilion is to be transformed into an art and cultural site. Another important aspect of development is the new Kronsrode district, which is supposed to offer space for around 8,000 residents and can thus set new impulses for the Expo site.

urban planning challenges and potentials

As part of the sustainable development of commercial areas and urban planning concepts, a publication of the BBSR shows new approaches. This documents the methodology, findings and conclusions from a research field for the sustainable further development of urban production locations, which was carried out from 2016 to 2019. Nine model projects were realized to combine urban development improvements with sustainable urban development. The aim is to sketch the urban planning need for action and to comprehensively illuminate the challenges that conventional industrial areas are facing.

The integration of such a scientific approach into the development of the Expo area could help overcome past problems in the long term and ensure future-proof use of the area. A strategically planned handling of the existing resources could not only boost the economy, but also increase the quality of life of the citizens.

The successes and challenges of Expo 2000 also remain a central topic 25 years later that affects both citizens and the planner. The celebrations in Hanover are not only a tribute to the past, but also an incentive for a sustainable future.

For further information on Expo 2000 and the associated developments in Hanover, we refer to the reporting of FAZ , ndr and the publication of the BBSR .