Hildesheim
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Hildesheim (; or ; ) is a city in
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
, in north-central
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of
Hildesheim Hildesheim (; or ; ) is a city in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim (district), Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of t ...
, about southeast of
Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the Leine River. The
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (; ; ; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only ...
founded the Bishopric of Hildesheim in 815 and created the first settlement with a chapel on the so-called ''Domhügel''. Hildesheim is situated on the north–south Autobahn 7, and hence is connected with Hamburg in the north and Austria in the south. With the
Hildesheim Cathedral Hildesheim Cathedral (German: '), officially the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary (German: ''Hohe Domkirche St. Mariä Himmelfahrt'') or simply St. Mary's Cathedral (German: ''Mariendom''), is a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral in the city cent ...
and the St. Michael's Church, Hildesheim became a
UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
in 1985. In 2015 the city and the diocese celebrated their 1200th anniversary.


History


Early years

According to tradition, the city was named after its founder ''Hildwin''. The city is one of the oldest cities in
Northern Germany Northern Germany (, ) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony and the two city-states Hambur ...
, became the seat of the
Bishopric of Hildesheim The Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim () was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from the Middle Ages until its dissolution in 1803. The Prince-Bishopric must not be confused with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildes ...
in 815 and may have been founded when the bishop moved from
Elze Elze () is a town in the district of Hildesheim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Leine, approximately west of Hildesheim. The municipality of Elze also comprises the villages of ''Esbeck, Mehle, Sehlde, Sorsum, Wittenburg' ...
to the ford across the River Innerste, which was an important market on the Hellweg trade route. The settlement around the cathedral very quickly developed into a town and was granted market rights by King Otto III in 983. Originally the market was held in a street called () which still exists today. The first marketplace was laid out around the church St. Andreas. When the city grew further, a larger market place became necessary. The present market place of Hildesheim was laid out at the beginning of the 13th century when the city had about 5,000 inhabitants.


Middle Ages

When Hildesheim obtained
city status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a monarch, national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose. Historically, ci ...
in 1249, it was one of the biggest cities in Northern Germany. For four centuries the clergy ruled Hildesheim, before a town Hall was built and the citizens gained some influence and independence. Construction of the present Town Hall started in 1268. In 1367 Hildesheim became a member of the
Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...
. A war between the citizens and their bishop cost dearly in 1519–23 when they engaged in a feud.


Reformation to 17th century

Hildesheim became
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
in 1542, and only the cathedral and a few other buildings remained in Imperial (Roman Catholic) hands. Several villages around the city remained Roman Catholic as well. During the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
, Hildesheim was besieged and occupied several times: in 1628 and 1632 by imperial troops; and in 1634 by troops from Brunswick and Lüneburg.


19th century

In 1813, after the
Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 at Leipzig, Saxony. The Coalition armies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, led by Tsar Alexander I, Karl von Schwarzenberg, and G ...
in the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
, the town became part of the
Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover () was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Hanover, and j ...
, which was annexed by the
Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...
as a
province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
after the
Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...
in 1866. In 1868 a highly valuable trove of about 70 Roman silver vessels for eating and drinking, the so-called Hildesheim Treasure, was unearthed by Prussian soldiers.


Early 20th century and World War II

Early in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Nazi roundups of the Jewish population began, and hundreds of Hildesheim's Jews were sent to
concentration camps A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploit ...
. Hildesheim was the location of a forced labour subcamp of the Nazi prison in Celle, and a subcamp of the
Neuengamme concentration camp Neuengamme was a network of Nazi concentration camps in northern Germany that consisted of the main camp, Neuengamme, and List of subcamps of Neuengamme, more than 85 satellite camps. Established in 1938 near the village of Neuengamme, Hamburg, N ...
. After the dissolution of the latter, the surviving prisoners were sent on a death march to Ahlem. The city was heavily damaged by British air raids in 1945, especially on 22 March. Although Hildesheim had little military significance, two months before the end of the war the historic city was bombed as part of Britain's Area Bombing Directive in order to undermine German civilian morale. As a result, 29% of the houses were destroyed and 45% damaged, while only 26% of the houses remained undamaged. The centre, which had retained its medieval character until then, was almost leveled. Destruction in the city as a whole was estimated at 20 to 30 percent. Around 200 out of 800 half-timbered framed houses survived. During the war, valuable world heritage materials had been hidden in underground cellars. After the war and its aftermath, priority was given to rapid building of housing, and concrete structures took the place of the wrecked historic buildings. Most of the major churches – two of them now UNESCO World Heritage sites – were rebuilt in the original style soon after the war.


Late 20th century and present

In 1978, the University of Hildesheim was founded. In the 1980s a reconstruction of the historic centre began. Some of the unattractive concrete buildings around the market place were torn down and replaced by replicas of the original buildings. In the autumn of 2007, a decision was made to reconstruct the Upended Sugarloaf (), an iconic half-timbered house famous for its unusual shape. In 2015 the city and the diocese celebrates their 1200 anniversary with the Day of Lower Saxony.


Religions

In 1542 most of the inhabitants became Lutherans. Today, 28.5% of the inhabitants identify themselves as Roman Catholics ( Hildesheim Diocese) and 38.3% as Protestants ( Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover). 33.0% of the inhabitants are adherents of other religions or do not have a religion at all. Up until 2015 the
Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the populat ...
Bishop of Germany had his seat in Himmelsthür (a locality of Hildesheim), before the seat moved to Frankfurt and, in 2018, to Düsseldorf.


Main sights

* The ''Marktplatz'' ( historic market place) was reconstructed in 1984–1990 after its destruction in the March 1945 air raid. The more noteworthy buildings in the square are: ** The ''Knochenhaueramtshaus'' ( Butchers' Guild Hall), originally built in 1529 and destroyed in 1945, it was reconstructed from 1987 to 1989 according to original plans. The façade is sumptuously decorated with colourful paintings and German proverbs. Today the building houses a restaurant and the City Museum. ** The ''Bäckeramtshaus'' (Bakers' Guild Hall) is a half-timbered house which was originally built in 1825. It was destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt 1987-89. Today, it houses a café. ** The
Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
, erected in the 13th century in Gothic style. Partly destroyed in 1945, it was rebuilt and inaugurated in 1954. ** The '' Tempelhaus'', a late-Gothic 14th-century patrician house, which today houses the tourist information office. It suffered some damage during the Second World War but was restored by 1950. ** The ''Wedekindhaus'', a 16th-century patrician house, is characterised by its high, ornately carved storeys including their ledges with depictions of allegorical figures. ** The adjoining ''Lüntzelhaus'' was built in 1755 in
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
style. ** The ''Rolandhaus'' was originally built in the 14th century in Gothic style. In 1730, the house was remodelled, and a Baroque portal and a large bay window were added. ** The ''Stadtschänke'' (Town Tavern) is a large half-timbered house which was originally built in 1666. The smaller adjoining ''Rococcohaus'' was built in 1730 in
rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
style. ** The ''Wollenwebergildehaus'' (Weavers' Guild Hall) was approximately built in 1600. * The Romanesque St. Mary's Cathedral (Hildesheim Cathedral), with its ancient bronze doors ( Bernward Doors) (c. 1015) and other treasures. The cathedral was built in the 9th century, but almost completely destroyed in 1945; it was reconstructed soon after the war. It has been listed as a
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
since 1985. The " Thousand-year Rose" is a reputedly 1,000‑year‑old dog rose bush, allegedly the world's oldest living
rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...
. It continues to flourish on the wall of the cathedral apse. ** Museum of the Cathedral: Cathedral Treasure. * St. Michael's Church (UNESCO World Heritage Site) – an early Romanesque church in Germany and an example of Ottonian architecture. It was built from 1010 to 1022. * The '' St. Andreas'' (St. Andrew's Church), a 12th-century Gothic church with the highest church steeple (114.5 m) in
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
. Opposite the church stands the Upended Sugarloaf, a half-timbered house dating from 1509. * The ''
Roemer-und-Pelizaeus-Museum The Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum Hildesheim is an archaeological museum in Hildesheim, Germany. Mostly dedicated to ancient Egyptian and ancient Peruvian art, the museum also includes the second largest collection of Chinese porcelain in Europe. ...
'', with collections from ancient
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
and
Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
and special exhibitions. * The ''Kreuzkirche'' (Church of the Holy Cross) was originally a part of the medieval fortifications. It was converted into a church around 1079, severely damaged in 1945 and rebuilt after the war. * The Romanesque Basilica Minor of St. Godehard (St. Gotthard's Church), built 1133–1172, which is scheduled to become a
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site in the near future. Other notable buildings stand opposite the church: St. Nicolai's Chapel is a former parish church which was built in the Romanesque style in the 12th century and transformed into a residential building after 1803, and the Hospital of the Five Wounds which is a large half-timbered house dating from 1770 with a half-hip roof. * The church St. Lamberti is a late Gothic building, venue of a weekly concert series at market time. * The ''Kehrwiederturm'' (Kehrwieder Tower), built around 1300, is the only remaining tower of the
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
fortifications. * ''Half-timbered houses'' which were not destroyed during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
can be seen around St. Godehard and the ''Kehrwieder Tower'', in the streets Keßlerstraße, Knollenstraße, Gelber Stern, Am Kehrwieder, Lappenberg, Brühl, Hinterer Brühl, and Godehardsplatz. Some of them have ornate wood carvings in their façades, e.g. the ''Wernersches Haus'' (1606) in Godehardsplatz and the ''Waffenschmiedehaus'' (weapon smith house, 1548) at Gelber Stern. *The church '' St. Jacobi'' (St. James' Church) is a 500-year-old pilgrim church in the Gothic style and was one of the many St. James chapels on St. James's Path. Today the church is a culture church with emphasis on literature. *The Monument of the Synagogue (consecrated in 1849 and destroyed in 1938 during the
Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...
) was erected in 1988 in the old Jewish quarter on '' Lappenberg'' Street. The foundations were reconstructed to give observers an idea of how large the synagogue was. The reddish brick building (built around 1840) opposite was the Jewish school. * ''Mauritiuskirche'' (St. Maurice's Church), a Romanesque church (11th century) on a hill in the west of the city in the quarter of Moritzberg with a cloister. The interior of the church is Baroque and the tower was added in 1765. * ''Kaiserhaus'' (Emperor's House):
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
building (1586) in ''Alter Markt'', the oldest street of Hildesheim, rebuilt after the war. The façade is decorated with Roman statues and medallions. Opposite, there is a noteworthy sandstone bay window dating from 1568. Originally, it belonged to a private house which was torn down at the end of the 19th century. The bay window was dismantled before and added to another house in the eastern part of Hildesheim which remained undamaged during World War II. From there, the bay window was removed when the house was remodelled and added to the school at the present site in 1972. * Close to the ''Kaiserhaus'' (Emperor's house) the ''Alte Kemenate'', a noteworthy medieval store house reaching a height of 5.5 meters, can be seen behind the school in the street Alter Markt. It has a rectangular basis measuring 6.5 meters × 5.0 meters and a cellar with a vaulted construction. The store house, one of the oldest profane buildings in Hildesheim, was built of
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
in a Gothic style the 15th century. According to other sources it might be even older, i.e. built between the end of the 11th and the middle of the 13th century. The building has two floors. As it did not consist of wood it did not burn down in 1945, but was only damaged and immediately repaired after the war. From 1945 - 1951 it was used for residential purposes. The ''Alte Kemenate'' is not open to the public. * St Magdalena's Church (''Magdalenenkirche'') is a small church with large lancet windows in the historic street Old Market (''Alter Markt'') which was consecrated in 1224. It was originally built in a Romanesque style, but enlarged and remodelled in Gothic style in 1456. It houses a wooden altar (about 1520) with carvings and other works of art. The small street Süsternstraße features a well-preserved part of the medieval city wall with a round tower. Opposite the church, a tall half-timbered house which was rebuilt in 1981 on the medieval city wall can be seen in the small side street Mühlenstraße. The façade is decorated with wood carvings. * Magdalenengarten, a Baroque park which was laid out in 1720–1725, is near St. Magdalena's Church. There are many different kinds of rose bush, a rose museum, pavilions, Baroque statues, a well-preserved part of the medieval city wall in it and even a vineyard yielding 100–200 bottles of wine per year. In spring a rare species of wild yellow tulip (tulipa sylvestris) blossoms in the western part of the park. * St. Bernward's Church, a neo-Romanesque church built 1905–1907, destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt from 1948 to 1949, houses a Gothic wooden altar
retable A retable is a structure or element placed either on or immediately behind and above the altar or communion table of a church. At the minimum, it may be a simple shelf for candles behind an altar, but it can also be a large and elaborate struct ...
dating from the beginning of the 15th century. * A part of the medieval defence system consisting of a wall with moats and ramparts, built around the city in the 13th century, is well preserved. Kalenberger Graben, an artificial lake, is a part of it. It is surrounded by a park. In April a rare species of wild yellow tulip (tulipa sylvestris) blossoms in the park. * Steuerwald Castle (''Burg Steuerwald'') in the north of the city, about from the Market Place, was built 1310–13. Its tower (25 m) was added in 1325. The chapel, dedicated to St Magdalena, was originally built in the Romanesque style and transformed into a Gothic chapel in 1507. Today it is used for weddings and concerts. * Marienburg Castle (''Burg Marienburg'') is in the southeast of Hildesheim, about from the Market Place. It was built 1346–1349. * Sorsum is a former village in the West of Hildesheim which became a part of the city in 1974. There is a former domain, founded in the Middle Ages, which was transformed into a residential area after 2000. The pigeon tower, built in 1733, the large barn (1786) and the manor house dating from 1734 are the most notable sights in this rural part of Hildesheim. * Marienrode Priory (''Kloster Marienrode'') is in the southwest of Hildesheim, about from the Market Place. It was founded in 1125. The foundation stone of the present church was laid in 1412. The church was built in Gothic style with three naves and completed in 1462. The Baroque ridge turret was added in the 18th century. In the church, there are two noteworthy Baroque altars dating from 1750 approximately and a Gothic sandstone sculpture of Saint Mary which was made in 1460. The organ dates from the middle of the 18th century. A small chapel of the priory, Saint Cosmas and Damian, which was built in 1792, was converted into a small Protestant church in 1830. The priory was dissolved in 1806, but returned to the Catholic Church in 1986. Since 1988, it has again been operated by nuns. Near the monastery there is a large fishpond with a tall windmill built in 1839. Other places of interest include the theatre, offering opera, operetta and musicals, drama, ballet and concerts. File:St Michaels Church Hildesheim.jpg, St. Michael's Church, UNESCO World Heritage File:Casa Gremial.jpg, Bakers' Guild Hall and Butchers' Guild Hall in the Market Place File:PrefeituraHi 002.jpg, Historic Market Place with City Hall and market fountain File:MichaeliskircheMagdalenengarten.jpg, Saint Michael's Church and the tower of St. Andreas seen from St. Magdalena's Garden File:PrefeituraHi 049.jpg, ''Tempelhaus'' in the historic Market Place File:Hildesheim Wernersches Haus 403-vtmd.jpg, The ''Wernersches House'' (1606) is a half-timbered house with wood carvings in its façade. File:LappenBerg.jpg, Half-timbered houses in '' Lappenberg'' Street File:AmKehrwieder.jpg, Tower ''Kehrwiederturm'' (14th century) File:Hildesheim-Marienrode Klosterkirche Teich.jpg, Marienrode Priory File:ErkerAlterMarkt.jpg, Renaissance bay window in ''Alter Markt'' Street File:20.4.09.Innerste.jpg, River Innerste and Saint Magdalena's Church File:Magdalenengarten5.jpg, Baroque park ''Magdalenengarten'' File:MagdalenengartenWeinberg.jpg, Vineyard in ''Magdalenengarten'' File:HiKemenate.jpg, ''Alte Kemenate'', a medieval store house (15th century) File:Dom 096.jpg, St. Magdalena's Church File:HiMuehlenstrasse.jpg, Half-timbered house (1981) built on the medieval city wall in ''Mühlenstraße''


Incorporations

* 1911: Moritzberg * 1912: Steuerwald * 1938: Drispenstedt and Neuhof * 1971: Ochtersum * 1974: Achtum-Uppen, Bavenstedt, Einum, Himmelsthür, Itzum, Marienburg, Marienrode and Sorsum


Demographics


Population history

On 31 Dec 2017 Hildesheim had 103,970 inhabitants.


Largest minority groups

The following list shows the largest foreign groups in the city of Hildesheim :


List of mayors of Hildesheim

* 1803–1843: Georg Otto Ferdinand Lohde * 1843–1848: Carl Christoph Lüntzel * 1848: Commissioned by Oberg, Starke, and Wynecken * 1848–1852: Amtsassessor Domeier * 1853–1875: Paul Johann Friedrich Boysen * 1876–1895: Gustav Struckmann * 1895–1896: Hans Ukert, not as mayor * 1896–1909: Gustav Struckmann, reelected * 1909–1937: Ernst Ehrlicher * 1945–1946: Erich Bruschke * 1946–1950: Albin Hunger * 1950–1952: Friedrich Lekve * 1952–1958: Albin Hunger, reelected * 1958–1959: Paul Lienke * 1959–1964: Martin Boyken * 1964–1968: Friedrich Nämsch * 1968–1972: Martin Boyken, reelected * 1972–1975: Friedrich Nämsch, reelected * 1975–1981: Heiko Klinge * 1981–1991: Gerold Klemke * 1991–2001: Kurt Machens * 2001–2005: Dr. Ulrich Kumme * 2005–2014: Kurt Machens, reelected * 2014–present: Dr. Ingo Meyer


Twin towns – sister cities

Hildesheim is twinned with: *
Angoulême Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; ) is a small city in the southwestern French Departments of France, department of Charente, of which it is the Prefectures of France, prefecture. Located on a plateau overlooking a meander of ...
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, England, United Kingdom (1983) * Gelendzhik, Russia (1992) *
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, England, United Kingdom (1997) *
Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...
, Italy (2000)


Events of international interest

* M'era Luna Festival, Europe's most important event of the gothic and
wave In physics, mathematics, engineering, and related fields, a wave is a propagating dynamic disturbance (change from List of types of equilibrium, equilibrium) of one or more quantities. ''Periodic waves'' oscillate repeatedly about an equilibrium ...
scene * "Jazztime" festival on the weekend of Pentecost (in May or June)


Economy

Important and significant companies in the city of Hildesheim are: * Robert Bosch Car Multimedia * St. Bernward Hospital * Helios Hospital * Sparkasse Hildesheim * KSM Castings Group * Petrofer Chemie H. R. * Optimal Personal & Organisation * Medifox DAN * Howmet Aerospace


Transport

Hildesheim has an efficient traffic infrastructure: it is a regional hub for national roads and railway ( Hildesheim Hauptbahnhof is served by InterCityExpress services), is connected to the
motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...
(
Autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...
), has a harbour on the Mittellandkanal (canal) and Hildesheim Betriebsgesellschaft Airfield.


Education

There are many
secondary schools A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
( Gymnasiums,
comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...
s and subject-specific secondary schools): Gymnasium Andreanum, Gymnasium Marienschule, Gymnasium Josephinum Hildesheim, Scharnhorstgymnasium Hildesheim, Goethegymnasium Hildesheim, Michelsenschule, Gymnasium Himmelsthür. Further: Freie Waldorfschule Hildesheim, Robert-Bosch-Gesamtschule. Friedrich-List-Schule (Fachgymnasium Wirtschaft), Herman-Nohl-Schule (Fachgymnasium Gesundheit und Soziales), Walter-Gropius-Schule (Berufsbildende Schule), Werner-von-Siemens-Schule (Fachgymnasium Technik), Elisabeth-von-Rantzau-Schule (Fachakademie für Sozialmanagement).
Tertiary Education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...
can be achieved at the '' University of Hildesheim'' or ''Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaft und Kunst'' (HAWK), a co-operation with the cities of Holzminden and
Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...
.


Culture

The community has the headquarters of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Frankfurt and all of Germany.


Notable people


Public service & public thinking

* Gotthard of Hildesheim (960–1038), Roman Catholic saint * Bernward of Hildesheim (960–1022), Bishop of Hildesheim *
Leo of Vercelli Leo (''c''.965–1026) was a German prelate who served as the Bishop of Vercelli from 999. Born in Hildesheim, he was made an archdeacon by 998 and was appointed to the see of Vercelli as the candidate of the Emperor Otto III and Pope Sylvester II ...
(ca 965–1026), prelate who served as the
Bishop of Vercelli The Archdiocese of Vercelli () is a Latin Church, Latin Metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy, one of the two archdioceses which, together with their suffragan dioceses, form the ecclesiastical region of Piedmont. Th ...
from 999 * Benno of Meissen (ca 1010–1106), named Bishop of Meissen in 1066, canonized in 1523. * Adelog of Hildesheim (died 1190), Bishop of Hildesheim from 1171 to 1190 * John of Hildesheim (ca 1310–1375),
Carmelite The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...
friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...
and writer * Didrik Pining (1430–1491), explorer of the North Atlantic &
privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
* Eva von Trott (1505–1567), the royal mistress of Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, from 1522 until 1567. * Christoph Daniel Ebeling (1741–1817), scholar who studied the geography and history of North America. * Frederick Hornemann (1772–1801), German African explorer. * Philip Marheineke (1780–1846), Protestant church leader. * Christian August Brandis (1790–1867), philologist and historian of philosophy. * Moritz Güdemann (1835–1918), an Austrian rabbi, historian and
Chief rabbi Chief Rabbi () is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir ...
of Vienna. * Henry Rathbone (1837–1911), US Consul, committed to an asylum for the criminally insane after murdering his wife * Jakob Guttmann (1845–1919), chief rabbi locally, 1874 and 1892 and philosopher * Adolf Bertram (1859–1945), German Roman Catholic bishop and
cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
*
Julius Guttmann Julius Guttmann (born Yitzchak Guttmann, ; 15 April 1880 in Hildesheim – 19 May 1950 in Jerusalem), was a Germany, German-born rabbi, Jewish theologian, and philosopher of religion. Biography Julius was born to Jakob Guttmann (rabbi), Jakob Gu ...
(1880–1950), German and
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
i
rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...
, Jewish philosopher and historian * Wilhelm Koppe (1896–1975),
Obergruppenführer (, ) was a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and adopted by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) one year later. Until April 1942, it was the highest commissioned SS rank after ...
and General der Waffen-SS und Polizei * Harald Freiherr von Elverfeldt (1900–1945), a general in the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
during World War II * Karl Hamann (1903–1973), 1948–51 chairman of the LDPD and minister * Wolfram Sievers (1905–1948), Nazi war criminal and director of Ahnenerbe, executed for war crimes * Stefan Schostok (born 1964), politician, Mayor of Hanover from 2013 to 2019. * Andreas Bovenschulte (born 1965), politician,
mayor of Bremen The Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, which is one of the states of Germany, is governed by the Senate of Bremen, Senate of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. The Senate is chaired by the President of the Senate, who is the head of gov ...
since 2019 * Mauritius Wilde (born 1965), a Benedictine monk, priest, professor, podcaster, spiritual director and author. * Hubertus Heil (born 1972), politician (SPD) & Govt. minister * Prince Ernst August of Hanover (born 1983), hereditary Prince of Hannover * Christian von Hanover (born 1985) a German prince in pretense


The Arts

* Wilhelm Schmidthild (1876–1951), painter, graphic artist, illustrator and art professor. *
Erich Pommer Erich Pommer (20 July 1889 – 8 May 1966) was a German-born film producer and executive. Pommer was perhaps the most powerful person in the German and European film industries in the 1920s and early 1930s. As producer, Erich Pommer was involved ...
(1889–1966), film producer * Eberhard Schlotter (1921–2014), painter and graphic artist * Guy Stern (born 1922), American literary critic and honorary citizen of the city * Lily Franz (1924–2011), a
Sinti The Sinti (masc. sing. ''Sinto''; fem. sing. ''Sintetsa, Sinta'') are a subgroup of the Romani people. They are found mostly in Germany, France, Italy and Central Europe, numbering some 200,000 people. They were traditionally Itinerant groups i ...
writer, lived locally * Hans Raffert (1927–2005), chef, he was White House Executive Chef from 1988 to 1992. * Rudolf Schenker (born 1948),
guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...
and founding member of the
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
band
Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
* Bernd Clüver (1948–2011), crooner, sang ''The boy with the harmonica'' * Michael Schenker (born 1955), German rock guitarist, founding member of the
Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
and of the band UFO * Thomas Quasthoff (born 1959), German bass-baritone singer * Twins Wolfgang and Christoph Lauenstein (born 1962), winners of an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
in 1989 for their film ''
Balance Balance may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance, as in equality (mathematics) or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * Balance (1983 film), ''Balance'' ( ...
'' *
Petra Hartmann Petra Hartmann (born 1970 in Hildesheim) is a German novelist, journalist and author. Life Petra Hartmann grew up in Sillium, a little village near Hildesheim. She visited a humanistic secondary school in Hildesheim and studied German language and ...
(born 1970), novelist, journalist and author. * Diane Kruger (born 1976), supermodel and actress, who played Helen in the film ''
Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
''


Science & business

* Ludolph van Ceulen (1540–1610), a German-Dutch mathematicianl he emigrated to the Netherlands. * Catharina Helena Dörrien (1717–1795), botanist *
Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link (2 February 1767 – 1 January 1851) was a German natural history, naturalist and botanist. Biography Link was born at Hildesheim as a son of the minister August Heinrich Link (1738–1783), who taught him love ...
(1767–1851), naturalist and botanist. * Friedrich Adolph Roemer (1809–1869), geologist. * Ferdinand von Roemer (1818–1891), geologist. *
Adolf Hurwitz Adolf Hurwitz (; 26 March 1859 – 18 November 1919) was a German mathematician who worked on algebra, mathematical analysis, analysis, geometry and number theory. Early life He was born in Hildesheim, then part of the Kingdom of Hanover, to a ...
(1859–1919),
mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...
, worked on algebra, analysis, geometry and number theory. * Heinrich Nordhoff (1899–1968), engineer, Chairman of
Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...
and key figure in the VW Beetle's history * Sir Hans Adolf Krebs FRS (1900–1981), physician and biochemist, Physiology and Medicine in 1953 * Oskar Schindler (1908–1974), German industrialist, died in Hildesheim,
Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...
, about whom the book Schindler's Ark was written; see also the film '' Schindler's List'' * Fuad El-Hibri (1958–2022), a German-American businessman and philanthropist, founded
Emergent BioSolutions Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is an American multinational specialty biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland. It develops vaccines and antibody therapeutics for infectious diseases and opioid overdoses, and it provides m ...


Sport

* Wolfgang Danne (born 1941), figure skater, team bronze medallist at the
1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. The 1968 Winter Games marked the first time ...
* Björn Schnake (born 1971), Paralympic table tennis player, team bronze medallist at the
2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the Inte ...
* Maik Taylor (born 1971),
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
and
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
footballer, played 502 games and 88 for
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
* Sara Harstick (born 1981), freestyle swimmer, bronze medallist at the
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
and
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...


Gallery

MarktplatzHildesheimKugelPanorama.jpg, Spherical Panorama of the Market Place Knochenhaueramtshaus 1900.jpg, Knochenhaueramtshaus before the destruction on 22 March 1945 St-andreas.jpg, St Andreaskirche, Hildesheim, 114 m high steeple Hildesheim-St-Godehard-Nordseite-Panorama.jpg, Basilica of St Godehard Hildesheim-St- Lamberti-Neue Turmhaube-001-Hildesia.jpg, St Lamberti, Hildesheim, 2007, with the new spire HildesheimMarktplatz.jpg, Market Place (Markt) on an autumn evening KlSteuer5.jpg, St Mauritius Church Keßlerstraße 92 Hildesheim 20060930 001.jpg, Half-timbered houses in Keßlerstraße Hildesheim Hinterer.Brühl.Timberframe.House.04.JPG, Half-timbered houses in street "Hinterer Brühl" Hildesheim Himmelthür Orthodox church.JPG, Abbey of the
Dormition of the Theotokos The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the '' Theotokos'' ("Mother ...
Hildesheim um 1900.jpg, The town hall around 1900


See also

* Metropolitan region Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg


References


External links


The city's own website.



Article about Hildesheim from the early 1900s


{{Authority control 815 establishments Cities in Lower Saxony Jewish communities in Germany Hildesheim (district) Members of the Hanseatic League