Hello Hildesheim! As uncomplicated as the journey to the city of 100,000 inhabitants (there are hourly ICE connections between Frankfurt a.M. and Berlin), as relaxed is the arrival: From the main train station you can reach one of the centrally located hotels in a few minutes on foot. attractive package deal for two nights. After check-in, it's time to stretch your feet and take a walk to Hohnsensee, which is located south of the new town.
This is how you get to Hildesheim by train: Plan arrival.
What could be better than ending a warm summer evening by the water? The 500-meter-long and 250-meter-wide bathing lake is perfect for a short walk followed by a sundowner on the casual restaurant terrace on the shore. A dinner in Mediterranean flair - no one will be longing for the sea anymore ...
Rise and shine, enter the UNESCO World Heritage Site! In Hildesheim's "Guter Stube," one magnificent half-timbered house follows the next, the most famous being the Knochenhauer-Amtshaus: hundreds of carved and painted works of art adorn the former guild house and today's city museum. Each beam is unique. Another architectural highlight is the Temple House from 1350, which now houses the UNESCO World Heritage Hildesheim experience exhibition and the tourist information office. There you will learn that the entire half-timbered ensemble was destroyed in the war, but everything was reconstructed in original beauty. Like the town hall, whose bells play "Brother Jacob" in the morning. Fit for a movie! By the way, the Hollywood actress Diane Kruger is a true Hildesheim native.
Time for a change of perspective. Those who climb the 364 steps of the stone spiral staircase of the St. Andrew's church tower are rewarded with an impressive panoramic view over Hildesheim's roofs and into the region. Even the Brocken mountain comes within reach from Lower Saxony's highest church tower.
"Hildesheim to get to know"is the name of the two-hour city tour that traditionally starts at the market square. The tour takes you to the two UNESCO World Heritage churches of St. Michaelis and the cathedral, Hildesheim's main attractions. But what makes them so special? Let's start with the St. Mary's Cathedral which impresses with its mighty dimensions alone - and with unique art treasures. For example, the gilded candelabra from the Middle Ages with a diameter of six meters! Or the so-called Bernward door - a masterpiece of bronze casting art. But it is not only the architecture that is marveled at here. A (selfie) star is the "1000-year-old rosebush".
Your guide will tell you about the legend that dates back to the origin of the bishopric in 815 and literally surrounds this place. But listen for yourself ...
A short walk along Burgstrasse - and already the next highlight: the more than thousand-year-old St. Michael's Church. Together with St. Mary's Cathedral, it was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1985. Its slightly elevated position, the thick towers and walls give the former Benedictine monastery something of a fortress: defiant on the outside, harmonious on the inside. A three-nave basilica, all symmetrical, with red and white patterned arches. You will feel the good vibrations of this sacred jewel.
This clerical crash course is followed by dolce vita - there are plenty of ice cream parlors in the city center. So, on your marks, get set ... lick away!
There is still time to stroll through the cozy shopping streets and browse for souvenirs. The good thing is that the distances are short and the stores can be reached quickly and easily on foot. Whether owner-operated traditional stores or branches of well-known companies, whether concept store or culinary temple: the offer is huge.
It's raining? No problem, you can continue your shopping trip in the covered Arneken Galerie. Or give your tired feet a break in one of the cozy restaurants around the historic market square. This is a particularly atmospheric place to dine in the evening.
After breakfast at the hotel, we set out to explore the Hildesheim Rose Route. As you learned the day before at the rosebush at the cathedral, this flower stands for the development and continuity of the city - and as a symbol for the tour, which is available as an accompanying brochure at the tourist information on the market square. The route is marked by over 150 ceramic roses embedded in the ground on numbered paving stones. The two-hour basic tour is supplemented by topics such as "half-timbered houses" and "gardens" - Hildesheim for advanced learners, so to speak. And that's where you belong now. So, off to the Godehard quarter with its historic half-timbered houses and the Basilica of St. Godehard.
Half-timbering at its finest, coupled with roses climbing up the facades, make Keßlerstraße an eye-catcher. At the end of the street, where the tinkers used to live, you'll come across the Kehrwieder tower, a remnant of the city's fortifications. Tip: stroll along the Kehrwiederwall, an old fortification planted with linden trees, and let the many impressions pass in review.
No visit to Hildesheim without stopping by the Ancient Egyptians. The exhibits of the Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum (named after the founders) belong to one of the most important collections worldwide. Not only on bad weather days is this trip to the realm of the pharaohs worthwhile. In addition to magnificent coffins, mummy masks and burial objects, for example, the life-size statue of Hemiunu can be seen, who was responsible, among other things, for the construction of the largest pyramid in the world.
The museum also houses treasures from ancient Peru, Chinese porcelain and an extensive paleontological collection. Tip: In the museum store, you'll find nifty souvenirs like a mini Tutankhamun or a building block box Basilica of St. Michael - for those at home. Speaking of which, time to head back. From here, it's about a 20-minute walk to the main train station, once again passing many of the now familiar sights of an impressive summer weekend in Hildesheim.
Cover photo: Romantic: Dinner under the open sky on the historic market square © Hildesheim Marketing GmbH, Photo D. Schwelle
