Bombing of Hildesheim in World War II - After The War

After The War

As people were suffering, 34,000 people or 46% of the city's population had remained homeless; as in many cities, preference was given to quickly build housing, and concrete structures took the place of the destroyed buildings. Fortunately, the churches, two of them now UNESCO World Heritage Sites, were all rebuilt in the original style after the war. The reconstruction of the Cathedral took ten years (1950-1960). Saint Michael's Church, another World Heritage Site, was rebuilt from 1946-1960. During the war, the valuable world heritage had been hidden in the basement of the city wall. In the 1980s a reconstruction of the historic centre began. Some of the unattractive concrete buildings around the historic market place were torn down and replaced by replicas of the Butchers' Guild Hall and the other original buildings. In the fall of 2007, a decision was made to reconstruct the "Umgestülpter Zuckerhut" ("Upended Sugarloaf"), an iconic half-timbered house famous for its unusual shape. It was completed in October 2010.