Hildesheim is one of the oldest cities in North Germany. The city may have been founded when the bishop moved from Elze to the Innerste ford, where it was an important market on the Hellweg trade route. The settlement soon grew into a town which was granted market rights by King Otto III in 983.[2] Originally the market was held on a street called Old Market (Alter Markt), which still exists today. The first market place was laid out around Saint Andrew's Church. As the city grew larger, a larger market place became more important. The current market place in Hildesheim was made at the start of the 13th century when the city had a population of about 5,000. When Hildesheim obtained city rights in 1249, it was one of the largest 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] and 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 Protestant 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. In 1813, after the Napoleonic Wars, the town became part of the Kingdom of Hanover, which was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia after the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 as a province.
The city was bombed in World War II, but the bombing had little importance in the course of the war. 28.5% of the houses were destroyed and 44.7% damaged. 26.8% of the houses had no damage. The center, which still had 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 center began. Some of the new concrete buildings near the marketplace were torn down. Replicas of the original buildings were built in their place.
Population history
Year
Population
1400
around 6,000
1450
around 8,000
1648
around 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
Images of the city
Knochenhauer-Amtshaus before the destruction on 22 March 1945.
