Hildesheim
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[Hildesheim] is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 25 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.
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.
The city was heavily damaged by air raids in 1945, especially on March 22. The centre, which had retained its medieval character until then, ceased to exist. It was rebuilt in a completely different style, and concrete houses took the place of the destroyed buildings. In the late 1970s reconstruction of the historic centre began: the concrete buildings were torn down and replaced by copies of the old buildings.
Also in the 1970s, the University of Hildesheim was founded.
The cathedral of Hildesheim is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built in the 9th century, but damaged in 1945; it was reconstructed soon after the war. Entwined around the apse is a rose tree, claimed to have been planted simultaneously with the foundation of the church. It was also destroyed in 1945, but the roots survived and began to sprout anew.
The Romanesque St. Michael's Church, built from 1010 to 1022, is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Districts
- 001 Mitte (central)
- 002 Neustadt
- 003 Nord (north) with Steuerwald
- 004 Süd (south)
- 005 Ost (east)
- 006 Galgenberg and Marienburger Höhe
- 007 Drispenstedt ¹
- 008 West (west)
- 009 Moritzberg
- 010 Neuhof with Hildesheimer Wald ²
- 011 Ochtersum ¹
- 012 Marienrode ²
- 013 Sorsum ¹
- 014 Himmelsthür ¹
- 015 Bavenstedt ¹
- 016 Einum ¹
- 017 Achtum-Uppen ¹
- 018 Itzum ¹
- 019 Marienburg
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 |
List of mayors of Hildesheim
- 1803-1843: Georg Otto Ferdinand Lohde
- 1843-1848: Dr. 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: Dr. Ernst Ehrlicher
- 1945-1946: Erich Bruschke
- 1946-1950: Albin Hunger
- 1950-1952: Friedrich Lekve
- 1952-1958: Albin Hunger, reelected
- 1958-1959: Dr. 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-present: Kurt Machens, reelected
Twinnings
- - Angoulême, France, since 1965
- - El Minia, Egypt, since 1975
- - Weston-super-Mare, England, since 1983
- - Padang, Indonesia, co-op city since 1988
- - Halle, Saxony-Anhalt (Germany), friend partnership since 1990
- - Gelendjik, Russia, since 1992
- - North Somerset, England, since 1997
- - Pavia, Lombardy, Italy, since 2000
Main sights
- The historic Marketplace (Markt), once considered the most beautiful marketplace in the world. It was reconstructed in 1984-1990 to its former splendour, after its destruction in the 1945 air raid. The more noteworthy building in the square are:
- *The Knochenhauer-Amtshaus ("Butchers' Guild Hall"), once known as the most beautiful and finest specimen of half-timbered building in the world. 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 a bookshop and the tourist information office. It suffered some damage during the World war II 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). 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) - one of the most beautiful early romanic churches in Germany and a unique example of Ottonian architecture.
- The Andreaskriche (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.
Events of international interest
- M'era Luna Festival, Europe's most important event of the gothic and wave scene
- Jazz festival every May or June
Economy
Hildesheim is home to notable multinational corporations - besides many strong medium-sized companies - in Hildesheim are Blaupunkt, Bosch, Krupp, Thyssen, Fairshild, Phoenix and Coca-Cola.Transportation
Hildesheim has an afficient traffic infrastructure: it is a regional hub for interstate roads and railroad (high speed railroad station), is connected to the motorway (Autobahn), has a harbor at the artificial waterway Mittellandkanal and an airport.Notable people from Hildesheim
- Saint Godehard, also known as St. Gotthard, bishop of Hildesheim
- St. Bernward, bishop of Hildesheim
- Didrik Pining, who traveled to The Americas in 1473 - 20 years before Christopher Columbus
- Frederick Hornemann, African explorer
- Henry Rathbone, U.S. Consul, historical personage imprisoned in Hildesheim.
- Sir Hans Adolf Krebs, Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1953
- Jakob Guttmann (1845-1919), chief rabbi, philosopher, pedagoge
- Julius Guttmann (1880-1950), German and Palestinian rabbi, Jewish philosoph historian
- Thomas Quasthoff, bass-baritone singer
- The twins Wolfgang and Christoph Lauenstein. The were winner of the Academy Awards in 1989 for their movie Balance
- André Schneider, actor
- Diane Kruger, supermodel and actress, who played in Troy
- The pedigrees of Hildesheimer
- Maik Taylor, Northern Ireland and Birmingham City footballer
External links
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