Hildesheim

Hildesheim

Coat of arms

Coordinates: 52°09′N 09°57′E / 52.150°N 9.950°E / 52.150; 9.950Coordinates: 52°09′N 09°57′E / 52.150°N 9.950°E / 52.150; 9.950
Country Germany
State Lower Saxony
District Hildesheim
Government
  Mayor Ingo Meyer
Area
  Total 92.96 km2 (35.89 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)[1]
  Total 99,390
  Density 1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 31101–31141
Dialling codes 05121
Vehicle registration HI, ALF
Website www.hildesheim.de

Hildesheim [ˈhɪl.dəs.ˌhaɪ̯m] is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with almost 100,000 inhabitants. 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.

Hildesheim

Hildesheim Town Hall, c. 1895

Hildesheim, one of the oldest cities in Northern Germany, became the seat of the Bishopric of Hildesheim in 815 and may have been founded when the bishop moved from Elze to the Innerste ford, which was an important market on the Hellweg trade route. The settlement around the cathedral very quickly developed into a town and was awarded market rights by King Otto III in 983.[2] Originally the market was held in a street called Old Market (Alter Markt) which still exists today. The first market place was laid out around the church St. Andreas. When the city grew further, a bigger 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. When Hildesheim obtained city status in 1249, it was one of the biggest cities in Northern Germany.[3] For four centuries the clergy ruled Hildesheim, before a city hall was built and the citizens gained some influence and independence. Construction of the present City Hall started in 1268.[4] In 1367 Hildesheim became a member of the Hanseatic League. A war between the citizens and their bishop cost dearly in 1519-1523 when they engaged in a feud. Hildesheim became Lutheran in 1542, and only the cathedral and a few other buildings remained in imperial (Catholic) hands. Several villages around the city remained Catholic as well. In 1813, after the Napoleonic Wars, the town became part of the Kingdom of Hanover, which was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia as a province after the Austro-Prussian War 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.

The city was heavily damaged by air raids in 1945, especially on 22 March. Although it had little military significance, two months before the end of the war in Europe the historic city was bombed as part of the Area Bombing Directive in order to undermine the morale of the German people. 28.5% of the houses were completely destroyed and 44.7% damaged. 26.8% of the houses remained undamaged. The centre, which had retained its medieval character until then, was almost levelled. As in many cities, priority was given to rapid building of badly needed housing, and concrete structures took the place of the destroyed buildings. Fortunately, most of the major churches, two of them now UNESCO World Heritage Sites, were rebuilt in the original style soon after the war. During the war, valuable world heritage materials had been hidden in the basement of the city wall. 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 fall of 2007, a decision was made to reconstruct the Umgestülpter Zuckerhut ("Upended Sugarloaf"), an iconic half-timbered house famous for its unusual shape. In 2015 the town celebrates 1200 years from 815 to 2015 with the Day of Lower Saxony.

Religions

In 1542, most of the inhabitants became Lutherans. Today 28.5% of the inhabitants are Roman Catholics (Hildesheim Diocese) and 38.3% are Protestants (Lutheran State Church of Hanover). 33.0% of the inhabitants are adherents of other religions or do not have a religion at all. The Serbian Orthodox bishop (Central European Diocese) has his seat in Himmelsthür (a locality of Hildesheim).

Main sights

Spheric Panorama of the Market Place
Bakers' Guild Hall and Butchers' Guild Hall in the Market Place
Historic Market Place with City Hall and market fountain
Saint Michael's Church and the tower of St. Andreas seen from St. Magdalena's Garden
Tempelhaus in the Historic Market Place
The Wernersches House (1606) is a half-timbered house with wood carvings in its façade
Half-timbered houses in Lappenberg Street
Tower Kehrwiederturm (14th century)
Renaissance bay window in Alter Markt Street
River Innerste and Saint Magdalena's Church
Baroque park Magdalenengarten
Vineyard in Magdalenengarten.
Alte Kemenate, a medieval store house (15th century)
St. Magdalena's Church
Half-timbered house (1981) built on the medieval city wall in Mühlenstraße

Other places of interest include the Theatre, offering opera, operetta and musicals, drama, ballet and concerts.

Incorporations

Demographics

Population history

Historical population
YearPop.±%
14006,000    
14508,000+33.3%
16485,500−31.2%
180311,108+102.0%
182512,630+13.7%
184914,651+16.0%
187120,801+42.0%
187522,581+8.6%
189033,481+48.3%
190042,973+28.4%
191050,239+16.9%
191953,499+6.5%
192558,522+9.4%
193362,519+6.8%
193972,101+15.3%
195065,531−9.1%
196196,296+46.9%
197093,400−3.0%
1975106,000+13.5%
1980102,700−3.1%
1985100,900−1.8%
1989103,512+2.6%
1997105,700+2.1%
2002103,448−2.1%
2013100,708−2.6%

Largest minority groups

The following list shows the largest foreign groups in the city of Hildesheim as of 2013:[8]

Rank Nationality Population (2016)
1 Turkey 5,334
2 Poland 764
3 Serbia 474
4 Italy 442
5 Iraq 299
6 Syria 268
7 Russia 254
8 Bulgaria 243

List of mayors of Hildesheim

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Hildesheim is twinned with:

Events of international interest

Economy

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

Transport

Hildesheim has an efficient traffic infrastructure: it is a regional hub for interstate roads and railway (Hildesheim Hauptbahnhof is served by InterCityExpress services), is connected to the motorway (Autobahn), has a harbour at the artificial waterway Mittellandkanal and an airport.

Culture

The community has the headquarters of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Central Europe.[11]

Notable residents

Gallery

See also

References

  1. Landesbetrieb für Statistik und Kommunikationstechnologie Niedersachsen, 102 Bevölkerung - Basis Zensus 2011, Stand 31. Dezember 2013 (Tabelle K1020014)
  2. Neigenfind, W.: Unsere schöne Stadt, p.46. Hildesheim 1964.
  3. Neigenfind, W.: Unsere schöne Stadt, p.38. Hildesheim 1964.
  4. Borck, Heinz-Günther: Der Marktplatz zu Hildesheim, p.24. Hildesheim 1989.
  5. Segers-Glocke, Christiane: Baudenkmale in Niedersachsen, Band 14.1. - Hildesheim, p.109. Hameln 2007.
  6. Segers-Glocke, Christiane: Baudenkmale in Niedersachsen, Band 14.1. - Hildesheim, p.108. Hameln 2007.
  7. Stadtgeschichte auf dem Hinterhof. - Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung, 23 June 2009, p.9.
  8. "Stadt Hildesheim Statistische Daten 2014" (PDF). Stadt Hildesheim. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  9. "National Commission for Decentralised cooperation". Délégation pour l’Action Extérieure des Collectivités Territoriales (Ministère des Affaires étrangères) (in French). Retrieved 2013-12-26.
  10. (unitary authority based in Weston-super-Mare)
  11. "Kontakdaten." Diocese of Central Europe. Retrieved on 27 February 2011. "Obere Dorfstr. 12 D - 31137 Hildesheim-Himmelsthür"

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hildesheim.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Hildesheim.
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