At the crossroads of several major motorways and rail lines, Hanover is Germany's trade fair capital and lies within a half day's journey of all corners of the country.

The city that can trace its origins to 1150 was devastated in World War Two by Allied bombing that destroyed 85 percent of its buildings.

The rebuilding work has left the place looking neat and tidy but not exceptionally attractive and Hanover has spent decades trying to shake off a reputation as a dull place in the middle of the northern German plains.

Last year's Confederations Cup livened things up considerably.

After tens of thousands of Brazilian and Mexican fans turned the Hanover stadium and city of 520,000 into a Latin American festival, locals learned to love samba and they hope foreign fans can electrify the city again.

For the World Cup, Hanover seems to be most proud of sorting out the traffic.

With no more pressing issues on the agenda, the city has worked out detailed plans to direct 60,000 fans to the stadium and provide 40,000 free parking spots on match days, while spending 120 million euros to improve roads and transport.

"Hanover has made excellent preparations for managing visitor traffic during the World Cup," said Karl-Geert Kuchenbecker, organising committee traffic coordinator. "It is a role model in traffic management for other World Cup venues."

The Niedersachsenstadion near the city centre was renovated at a cost of 64 million euros and has a capacity of 44,000 for the World Cup.

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