Hoppener Haus

This first church was built around 1300 in a Gothic style, and was rebuilt in the Baroque style between 1676 and 1698. The crypt houses the ornately decorated tombs of members of the House of Welf, distant ancestors to the British royal throne. The church also has an impressive, nearly 400-year-old, altar and the restored organ and Baroque ceiling vaulting is also worth seeing. The more energetic may climb the 234 steps up the tower for outstanding views over the town and the castle.

Celle's cultural museum and one of the largest and most important museums in Lower Saxony. Numerous displays and reconstructions show how people lived, worked and dressed in the Celle region in centuries past. Interesting portrayal of Celle's industrial history.

The ducal palace, Schloss Celle, whose foundations date to the 13th century, is the oldest building in the town. What started as a castle for the dukes of Lüneburg, fortified with moats and ramparts, was gradually expanded and modified into a mixture of Baroque and Renaissance architecture. From 1772 it was home to the British-born, Danish queen, Caroline Matilda, the daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales, who had been banished to Celle as a result of her affair with Johann Friedrich Struensee of Copenhagen. She only lived at the Celle court until 1775 when she died at 23 of scarlet fever. In the 19th century the castle was occasionally used by the Hanoverian royal household as a summer residence. Guided tours visit the Renaissance chapel, Baroque theatre, ducal chambers and palace kitchen.

The French Garden probably owes his name to the French gardeners Perronet (in 1670) and Rene Dahuron (1690-1701) who were in services of Celle's Duke George William. The last one was in charge of the first laying out of a pleasance and a vegetable garden according to the courtly gardening tradition of the 17th century. In the years 1695 and 1696 two parallel avenues of linden were planted. These avenues form a dominant central east-west axis until today (the linden avenue was completely renewed from 1951 until 1953). In 1705, Celle lost the position as royal seat. The garden became overgrown and not until 1772 the French Garden flourished under the courtly gardener Krantz for a short time on occasion of the exiling of the Danish queen Caroline-Mathilde to Celle. Furthermore there was built a summer house at the pond and in 1784 there was erected a statue to her.Afterwards there was again a shortage regarding the upkeep. Even in 1801 the small summer house at the pond was removed. Not until the middle of the 19th century under the dedicated Hanoverian supreme major-domo Malortie the French Garden was undergoing the gradual transformation into an English landscape park according to the plans of the garden inspector Schaumburg. After the World War I, the children's playground, which still exists, was laying out in the eastern part and a small rose garden, which was re-schemed in 1966, in the western part. In 1927 the northern part of the garden was divided off on occasion of the foundation of the Beekeeping Institute of Lower Saxony.Meanwhile the French Garden was classified as a historical landscape monument.

Well worth a visit, this is a Museum which concentrates on the Military history of Celle. The military history goes back to 1626 and includes the role of the Luftwaffe before and during World War II, and the British garrison after the war. There are hundreds of exhibits ranging from weapons and uniforms to sigals equipment. The museum has many artifacts from the history of the various units and regiments that have been stationed in Celle.