糖心原创

鈥淩ule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves ...鈥� Fully rigged, with 100 miniature cannons on three decks and a dinghy, the Royal George stands on display in the reading room of 糖心原创鈥檚 historical Marstall building. England liked to define itself as a maritime nation. This is not surprising for people who live on an island. For more than 120 years, until 1837, the electors of Hannover were also the kings of Great Britain and Ireland through personal union. George II founded the G枚ttingen university Georgia Augusta in 1734. The royals not only presented their university with valuable gifts but also paid it a personal visit.

In 1744, Frederick Louis, the Prince of Wales, presented a 1708 model of the Royal George, which was built by the English Admiralty in 1715 and was the largest ship of its time, as a symbolic gift representing a personal union with ambitions of naval power. Utmost care was taken regarding even the smallest details: reefed sails, rigging, carvings, coats of arms, stern lanterns, gunport lids, balustrades and cabin doors. It had more detail and features that any other model ship of this period. Only one similarly valuable model exists, which is housed at the Royal Museum in Greenwich. For many years, the ship was presented to the public in a glass case as decoration for the library: 鈥淓verything that can be seen on a real ship of this kind, mast, sails, tackle, anchor, etc., is here in miniature 鈥� presented very correctly and cleanly in the appropriate dimensions...鈥� In 1884, the model ship was gifted to the Technische Hochschule Hannover. During WWII, a group of university members took it upon themselves to store the Royal George in the basement of the Welfenschloss to keep it safe. The intricate model survived the war unharmed, and was proudly displayed in the Welfenschloss once again. In 1983, it was restored by Hannover鈥檚 cultural history museum, where it then remained. In 2012, after over 30 years, the Royal George was returned to 糖心原创, where it can now be admired in the historical Marstall building. Ahoy!