Hildesheim

Historic and commercial city in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the River Innerste (a tributary of the Weser), 29 km/18 mi southeast of Hannover; population (2005 est) 102,600. It is linked to the Mittelland Canal. Products include electronics and hardware. A bishopric from the 9th century, Hildesheim became a free city of the Holy Roman Empire in the 13th century, and was one of the original members of the Hanseatic League. It was under Prussian rule from 1866 to 1945.

Features The churches built by Bishop Bernward and his successors from the late 10th century onwards gave Hildesheim an abundance of Early Romanesque architecture. There were also many half-timbered buildings. Bombing in March 1945, towards the end of World War II, destroyed much of the city's architectural heritage and it now has has a largely modern character, although some buildings have been restored or rebuilt. The 11th-century Romanesque cathedral has been restored, and the adjoining Diocesan Museum contains the cathedral treasury, housing the silver Cross of St Bernard. More rebuilding has taken place around the market, including the Knockenhauer-Amtshaus (Butchers' Guild House), originally built in the 15th century.

The Roemer-Pelizaeus Museum contains the most important German collection of Egyptology outside Berlin. In 1868 a unique collection of Roman silver plate, dating to the time of Emperor Augustus (63 BC–AD 14), was found in the Galgenburg, east of the town.

The city is the seat of Hildesheim University.