Hildesheim

Hildesheim
Hilmessen / Hilmssen (Low German)
Clockwise from top: St. Mary's Cathedral (UNESCO World Heritage Site), half-timbered houses at the Brühl street, St. Andrews Church, St. Michael's Church (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum and the Historic Market Place
Location of Hildesheim within Hildesheim district
Hildesheim
Hildesheim
Coordinates: 52°09′N 09°57′E / 52.150°N 9.950°E / 52.150; 9.950
CountryGermany
StateLower Saxony
DistrictHildesheim
Government
  Lord mayor (202126) Ingo Meyer (Ind.)
Area
  Total
92.29 km2 (35.63 sq mi)
Elevation
81 m (266 ft)
Population
 (2023-12-31)
  Total
98,299
  Density1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
31134–31141
Dialling codes05121
Vehicle registrationHI, ALF
Websitewww.hildesheim.de
St Mary's Cathedral and St Michael's Church at Hildesheim
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Ottonian architecture in St. Michael's Church
CriteriaCultural: i, ii, iii
Reference187
Inscription1987 (11th Session)
Area0.58 ha
Buffer zone157.68 ha

Hildesheim (German pronunciation: [ˈhɪldəsˌhaɪm] ; Low German: Hilmessen or Hilmssen; Latin: Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km (19 mi) southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the Leine River.

The Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Pious 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 and the St. Michael's Church, Hildesheim became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

In 2015 the city and the diocese celebrated their 1200th anniversary.