Hildesheim [ˈhɪl.dəs.ˌhaɪ̯m] is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with almost 100,000 inhabitants. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, which is a small tributary of the Leine River.
Hildesheim, 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 Innerste ford, which was an important market on the Hellweg trade route. The settlement around the cathedral very quickly developed into a town and was awarded market rights by King Otto III in 983. Originally the market was held in a street called Old Market (Alter Markt) which still exists today. The first market place was laid out around the church St. Andreas. When the city grew further, a bigger 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. When Hildesheim obtained city status in 1249, it was one of the biggest cities in Northern Germany. 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. 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 Lutheran in 1542, and only the cathedral and a few other buildings remained in imperial (Catholic) hands. Several villages around the city remained 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 as a 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.
Hildesheim is one of the 299 single member constituencies (German: Wahlkreis) used for the German parliament, the Bundestag. One of thirty constituencies in the state of Lower Saxony, it is coterminous with the county of Hildesheim. The constituency elects one representative under the mixed member proportional representation (MMP) system. Under the current constituency numbering system, it is designated as constituency 48.
The constituency was created as Hildesheim-Stadt und Land for the 1949 election, the first election in West Germany after World War II. It assumed its current name for the 1965 election. After wins for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the early elections, it was gained by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) at the 1969 election. At the 2013 election, the CDU candidate Ute Bertram gained the constituency. This was the CDU's first win in the constituency since 1965.
The district's boundaries have remained relatively stable throughout its existence. The Hildesheim-Stadt und Land constituency consisted of the Hildesheim-Marienburg county and the city of Hildesheim. In 1974 these were combined to form the current Hildesheim county. For the 1976 election the Nordstemmen municipality was removed. Since the 1980 election the constituency has been coterminous with Hildesheim county.
Hildesheim is a district (Landkreis) in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Hanover, Peine, Wolfenbüttel, Goslar, Northeim, Holzminden and Hamelin-Pyrmont.
In 1885 the Prussian government established districts within the Province of Hanover. The present territory of the district was occupied by four districts: Hildesheim, Alfeld, Gronau and Marienburg. In 1932 the district of Gronau joined Alfeld, and the number of districts was reduced to three.
When the state of Lower Saxony was founded in 1946, the districts were reorganised: Hildesheim became an urban district, the remaining district of Hildesheim and Marienburg were merged to the new district of Hildesheim-Marienburg. The district of Alfeld remained in its former borders.
In 1974 the city of Hildesheim lost its status as an urban district and became part of the surrounding district, which was renamed to Hildesheim. The districts of Hildesheim and Alfeld were merged in 1977.