This historic German town houses remarkable medieval churches and cathedrals from the 11th century. Students bring energy to local festivals, while craft beer flows in traditional pubs.
In Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, you can touch the 1,000-year-old bronze doors of St. Mary's Cathedral and look up at the medieval ceiling paintings in St. Michael's Church. The Market Square's reconstructed Butchers' Guild Hall takes you back to medieval times, while in the Magdalenen Garden, you'll find roses blooming beside grape vines used for small-batch wine production. Walking through Keßlerstraße and Knollenstraße reveals original half-timbered houses that survived World War II intact.
UNESCO World Heritage Churches
At St. Mary's Cathedral, you can examine the bronze doors from 1015 with their biblical scenes. Inside, a bronze column winds Christ's life story in a spiral pattern, similar to Rome's Trajan Column. St. Michael's Church has preserved its 13th-century wooden ceiling painting - a 27-meter-long Tree of Jesse spread across 1,300 oak planks.
Walking the Rose Route
Follow 150 ceramic roses embedded in the ground through Hildesheim's center. You'll pass the Kehrwiederturm, a 14th-century tower tucked into a narrow alley, and the Wernerhaus with its detailed 1606 wood carvings. The route connects both UNESCO churches and leads to the Roemer-Pelizaeus Museum with its collection of Egyptian artifacts.
Historic Market Square
Between 1984 and 1990, workers reconstructed the Market Square's medieval buildings. Today, you can visit the city museum in the Knochenhauer-Amtshaus (Butchers' Guild Hall) and learn about the UNESCO sites at the Tempelhaus, built in 1350. From November through December, wooden stalls fill the square for the Christmas market.
Gardens and Cultural Sites
The Magdalenengarten, dating from 1720-1725, grows more than 1,800 rose bushes next to a preserved section of medieval city wall. Its small vineyard produces 100-200 bottles of wine each year. Summer brings festivals like Jazztime during Pentecost and the M'era Luna Festival, where 25,000 gothic and alternative music fans gather each August.
Getting Around
ICE trains connect Hildesheim's Hauptbahnhof to major German cities. The compact city center makes walking between attractions easy. Local buses reach all main sites. Drivers can access the city via the A7 motorway, connecting to Hamburg in the north and southern Germany.
