Hildesheim
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content
Hildesheim
Coat of arms Location
Coat of arms of
Hildesheim (Germany)
Hildesheim
Administration
Country Germany
State Lower Saxony
District Hildesheim
Mayor Kurt Machens
Basic statistics
Area 92.96 km² (35.9 sq mi)
Elevation 78 m  (256 ft)
Population 103,249  (31/12/2006)
 - Density 1,111 /km² (2,877 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate HI
Postal codes 31101–31141
Area code 05121
Website www.hildesheim.de

Coordinates: 52°09′0″N 09°57′0″E / 52.15, 9.95

Hildesheim (help·info) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river. It may be reached from Autobahn A7, which links Kassel, Göttingen and Hanover, and routes 1, 6, 243 and 494.

Contents

History

The town became the seat of the Bishopric of Hildesheim in 815. For four centuries the clergy ruled Hildesheim, before a town hall was built and the citizens gained some influence. In 1367 Hildesheim became a member of the Hanseatic League. It became part of the Kingdom of Hanover after the Napoleonic Wars, but was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia after the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 and made part of the Province of Hanover.

The city was heavily damaged by air raids in 1945, especially on March 22. The centre, which had retained its medieval character until then, simply ceased to exist. After the war, it was rebuilt in a completely different style and concrete structures took the place of the destroyed buildings. Fortunately, most of the major churches, two of them now UNESCO World Heritage Site, were rebuilt soon after the war. In the 1980s reconstruction of the historic centre began. Some of the unattractive concrete buildings around the marketplace were torn down and replaced by replicas of the original buildings. In the fall of 2007, a decision has been made to reconstruct the "Umgestülpter Zuckerhut" ("Upended Sugarloaf"), an iconic half-timbered house famous for its unusual shape. It is scheduled to be completed in 2009.

In the 1970s, the University of Hildesheim was founded.

Main sights

Town hall of Hildesheim.
Town hall of Hildesheim.
Marketplace with town hall and Rolandbrunnen.
Marketplace with town hall and Rolandbrunnen.
Tempelhaus.
Tempelhaus.
  • The historic Marketplace (Markt) was once considered one of the most beautiful marketplaces in the world. It was reconstructed in 1984-1990 to its former splendour, after its destruction in the 1945 air raid. The more noteworthy buildings in the square are:
    • The Knochenhauer-Amtshaus ("Butchers' Guild Hall"), once known as a beautiful and fine specimen of half-timbered building. Destroyed in 1945, it was reconstructed from 1987 to 1989 according to original plans. The facade is sumptuously decorated with colorful paintings and German proverbs. Today the building houses a restaurant and the City Museum.
    • The Town Hall, erected in the 13th century in Gothic style. Partly destroyed in 1945, it was rebuilt between 1954 and 1989.
    • The Tempelhaus, a late-Gothic 15th-century patrician house, which today houses the tourist information office. It suffered some damage during the second world war but was restored in 1952.
    • The Wedekindhaus, a 16th-century patrician house, is characterized by its high, ornately carved storeys including their ledges with depictions of allegorical figures.
  • The Romanesque St. Mary's Cathedral, with its ancient bronze doors (Bernward's door) (c. 1015). The church was built in the 9th century, but almost completely destroyed in 1945; it was reconstructed soon after the war. It is in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. The Thousand-Year-Old Rosebush is a 1,000 years old rose, allegedly the world's oldest living rose. It continues to flourish on the wall of the Cathedral.
    • Museum of the Cathedral: Cathedral Treasure.
  • St. Michael's Church (UNESCO World Heritage Site) – a noteworthy early Romanesque church in Germany and a unique example of Ottonian architecture. It was built from 1010 to 1022.
  • The Andreaskirche (St. Andrew's church), a 12th-century church with the highest church steeple of Lower Saxony.
  • The Roemer-und-Pelizaeus-Museum, with significant collections from the ancient Egypt and Peru and spectacular special exhibitions organized every year.

Other places of interest include the Theatre, offering opera, operetta and musicals, drama, ballet and concerts, the medieval-appearing half-timbered houses and the old Jewish quarter.

Districts

¹ one district
² districts with two districts

Incorporations

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

Population history

Year Population
1400 ca. 6,000
1450 ca. 8,000
1648 ca. 5,500
1803 11,108
1825 12,630
1849 14,651
1871 20,801
December 1, 1875 ¹ 22,581
December 1, 1890 ¹ 33,481
December 1, 1900 ¹ 42,973
December 1, 1910 ¹ 50,239
October 8, 1919 ¹ 53,499
June 16, 1925 ¹ 58,522
June 16, 1933 ¹ 62,519
May 17, 1939 ¹ 72,101
September 13, 1950 ¹ 65,531
June 6, 1961 ¹ 96,296
December 31, 1970 93,400
June 30, 1975 106,000
June 30, 1980 102,700
June 30, 1985 100,900
January 1, 1989 103,512
June 30, 1997 105,700
December 31, 2002 103,448

¹ census data

List of mayors of Hildesheim

Twinnings

Basilica of St. Godehard.
Basilica of St. Godehard.

Events of international interest

Economy

Hildesheim is home to notable multinational corporations – besides many strong medium-sized companies – in Hildesheim are Blaupunkt, Bosch, Krupp, Thyssen, Fairchild and Coca-Cola.

Transportation

Hildesheim has an efficient traffic infrastructure: it is a regional hub for interstate roads and railroad (InterCityExpress), is connected to the motorway (Autobahn), has a harbor at the artificial waterway Mittellandkanal and an airport.

Notable residents

Gallery

Knochenhauer-Amtshaus, ca. 1895
Half Timbered house (Umgestülpter Zuckerhut), ca. 1900; destroyed in 1945. Reconstruction is planned for 2009.
St. Michael's Church, UNESCO World Heritage
St. Andreas, 114 m high spire.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
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Towns and municipalities in Hildesheim district
Coat of Arms of Hildesheim district
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