Christmas Markets in Hildesheim

Hildesheim was founded in the early ninth century and grew to prominence as an episcopal seat under the Ottonian dynasty, becoming one of medieval Germany's most important centers of Christian art and culture. Bishop Bernward, who served around the turn of the first millennium, commissioned extraordinary works including the cathedral's bronze doors and is associated with the Thousand-Year Rose, a wild rosebush climbing the cathedral apse said to be among the oldest living rose plants in the world. The city suffered severe damage during the Second World War but undertook a remarkable reconstruction of its historic core. Hildesheim was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985 in recognition of its cathedral and St. Michael's Church. The city's Christmas market is centered on the historic market square, where the restored Knochenhauer-Amtshaus and surrounding half-timbered facades provide a distinctive backdrop rooted in medieval character.