Editing Hildesheim (section)

== History ==
=== Early years ===
According to tradition, the city was named after its founder ''Hildwin''. The city is one of the oldest cities in [[Northern Germany]], became the seat of the [[Bishopric of Hildesheim]] in 815 and may have been founded when the bishop moved from [[Elze]] to the [[ford (crossing)|ford]] across the River [[Innerste]], which was an important market on the [[Hellweg]] trade route. The settlement around the cathedral very quickly developed into a town and was granted [[Market town|market rights]] by [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor|King Otto III]] in 983.<ref>Neigenfind, W.: ''Unsere schöne Stadt'', p.46. Hildesheim 1964.</ref> Originally the market was held in a street called {{lang|de|Alter Markt}} ({{lit |old market}}) which still exists today. The first marketplace was laid out around the church [[St. Andreas, Hildesheim|St. Andreas]]. When the city grew further, a larger market place became necessary. The present market place of Hildesheim was laid out at the beginning of the 13th century when the city had about 5,000 inhabitants.

=== Middle Ages ===
When Hildesheim obtained [[town privileges|city status]] in 1249, it was one of the biggest cities in Northern Germany.<ref>Neigenfind, W.: ''Unsere schöne Stadt'', p.38. Hildesheim 1964.</ref> For four centuries the clergy ruled Hildesheim, before a town Hall was built and the citizens gained some influence and independence. Construction of the present Town Hall started in 1268.<ref>Borck, Heinz-Günther: ''Der Marktplatz zu Hildesheim'', p.24. Hildesheim 1989.</ref> In 1367 Hildesheim became a member of the [[Hanseatic League]]. A war between the citizens and their bishop cost dearly in 1519–23 when they engaged in a feud.

=== Reformation to 17th century ===
[[File:Karte von Hildesheim (1761).tif|thumb|Map of Hildesheim (1761)]]
Hildesheim became [[Lutheran]] 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.

During the [[Thirty Years' War]], Hildesheim was besieged and occupied several times: in 1628 and 1632 by imperial troops; and in 1634 by troops from Brunswick and Lüneburg.<ref>Gerhard Schön, Deutscher Münzkatalog 18. Jahrhundert, Hildesheim Stadt, Nr. 17</ref>

=== 19th century ===
In 1813, after the [[Battle of Leipzig]] in the [[Napoleonic Wars]], the town became part of the [[Kingdom of Hanover]], which was annexed by the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] as a [[Province of Hanover|province]] after the [[Austro-Prussian War]] in 1866. In 1868 a highly valuable trove of about 70 Roman silver vessels for eating and drinking, the so-called [[Hildesheim Treasure]], was unearthed by Prussian soldiers.

=== Early 20th century and World War II ===
[[File:SC 335309 - City square of Hildesheim, Germany. (52240573993).jpg|thumb|Hildesheim city square in April 1945]]

Early in [[World War II]], Nazi roundups of the Jewish population began, and hundreds of Hildesheim's Jews were sent to [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camps]]. Hildesheim was the location of a [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] subcamp of the Nazi prison in [[Celle]], and a subcamp of the [[Neuengamme concentration camp]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1826|title=Außenkommando des Zuchthauses Celle in Hildesheim|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=9 January 2024|language=de}}</ref><ref name=ushm>{{cite book|last=Megargee|first=Geoffrey P.|year=2009|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume I|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|pages=1147–1148|isbn=978-0-253-35328-3}}</ref> After the dissolution of the latter, the surviving prisoners were sent on a [[Death marches during the Holocaust|death march]] to [[Hanover|Ahlem]].<ref name=ushm/> The city was heavily damaged by [[Bombing of Hildesheim in World War II|British air raids]] in 1945, especially on 22 March. Although Hildesheim had little military significance,<ref name="bb44i">{{cite Q |Q131176036 |mode=cs1}}</ref>{{rp|i,356}} two months before the end of the war the historic city was [[Strategic bombing during World War II|bombed]] as part of Britain's [[Area Bombing Directive]] in order to undermine German civilian morale. As a result, 29% of the houses were destroyed and 45% damaged, while only 26% of the houses remained undamaged. The centre, which had retained its medieval character until then, was almost leveled. Destruction in the city as a whole was estimated at 20 to 30 percent.<ref>http://archiv.nationalatlas.de/wp-content/art_pdf/Band5_88-91_archiv.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref> Around 200 out of 800 half-timbered framed houses survived.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hildesheimer-geschichte.de/die-bauwerke/geb%C3%A4ude-und-bauwerke/ | title=Gebäude und Bauwerke }}</ref>
 
During the war, valuable world heritage materials had been hidden in underground cellars. After the war and its aftermath, priority was given to rapid building of housing, and concrete structures took the place of the wrecked historic buildings. Most of the major churches – two of them now UNESCO World Heritage sites – were rebuilt in the original style soon after the war.

=== Late 20th century and present ===
In 1978, the [[University of Hildesheim]] was founded. In the 1980s a reconstruction of the historic centre began. Some of the unattractive concrete buildings around the market place were torn down and replaced by replicas of the original buildings. In the autumn of 2007, a decision was made to reconstruct the [[Upended Sugarloaf, Hildesheim|Upended Sugarloaf]] ({{lang|de|Umgestülpter Zuckerhut}}), an iconic half-timbered house famous for its unusual shape. In 2015 the city and the diocese celebrates their 1200 anniversary with the [[Day of Lower Saxony]].