UNESCO World Heritage Day

For peace and understanding

Under this motto, Hildesheim celebrates on June 7, 2026 Its World Heritage! As every year, you are invited to rediscover Hildesheim's World Heritage with the many partners involved, including St. Michael's Church, the Diocese, and Hildesheim Cathedral. A comprehensive and engaging program awaits visitors of all ages, featuring numerous exciting free activities and hands-on events.

On World Heritage Day, we want to not only highlight the daily function of our World Heritage site, but also strengthen its role as a mediator of the UNESCO idea on World Heritage Day.

UNESCO World Heritage Day website Flyer including overview map

The program for World Heritage Day 2026

St. Michaelis

Information booth of the Michaelis Foundation

full-time

“We are exploring the church space”

Activities for children and families offered by the church education team of St. Michael's Parish. Explorations in the
Church space and a stand with materials to decorate Bishop Bernward's precious cross.

11.30am to 15.30pm

“New Perspectives in World Heritage”

Photo walk with Jens Kotlenga – approx. 90 minutes
Prior registration required at kotlenga@michaeliskirche-hildesheim.de.

14.00 pm

Themed tours: Discovering hidden places

5:00 PM | 5:30 PM | 6:00 PM

Special guided tour: “St. Michaelis – ‘A Tower of Light for Germany and America’”

The destruction of St. Michael's Church and the miracle of its reconstruction with the help of the proactive citizens of Hildesheim, the energetic pastor Kurt Degener, and the willingness to reconcile shown by the American Jew Mr. BR Armour.

12.30:14.30 p.m. | XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.

St. Mary's Cathedral

Church service (Corpus Christi – with procession)

10.00 pm

"Consultation hour" in the cathedral

13.00am to 15.30pm

Concert in the Cathedral – Cathedral Music

Ensemble: C2O – cello x cello x organ

15.30 pm

Cathedral Museum

Guided tour “Shared History”

A new look at the artworks in the cathedral treasury.

11.00 pm

"Consultation hour" at the Cathedral Museum

Invitation to a discussion about the treasures of our World Heritage.

13.00am to 16.30pm

Drawing in the Cathedral Museum

Drawing exercises using selected works of art.

(Institute for Fine Arts and Art History of the University of Hildesheim Foundation)

14.00am to 16.00pm

Workshop for Kindergarten

Printmaking workshop: Inspired by the artworks from the cathedral museum, we will make stamps and design a fabric bag.

15.00am to 16.00pm

Cathedral Library

Bound together in the book

In the cathedral library, visitors learn how ideas, trade, and understanding shaped and continue to shape our shared heritage.

11.00am to 16.00pm

Guided tours in the cathedral library

12:00 pm: Guided tour on the history and special holdings of the Cathedral Library
2:30 p.m.: Guided tour on the topic "Bound together in a book – how ideas, trade and understanding shaped and continue to shape our common heritage"

Diocesan Archives

Diversity in the Hildesheim Diocesan Archive

The diocesan archive will once again open its doors this year, offering insights into its diverse work as a vibrant institution of historical memory. It houses a wide variety of historical records: documents, official registers, files, plans, and much, much more. Visitors can expect special events on World Heritage Day, focusing on this year's theme, "Together for Peace and Understanding." We look forward to welcoming you.
For example, one can browse through church registers and church newspapers from the period after the end of the wars in 1918 and 1945, or one can learn something about the "ground of peace" and find out what is actually behind it.

11.00am to 15.00pm

Hildesheim City Guides Guild eV

UNESCO World Heritage Discovery Tour: Treasures for eternity and an angel made of stonen

A unique World Heritage Site: If these stones could talk! What stories are told about the legendary "Devil's Horn" at Hildesheim Cathedral? And what is the secret of the golden "Celestial Sphere" high above St. Michael's Church? Or perhaps you've always wanted to ring a real church bell? The discovery tour of Hildesheim's UNESCO World Heritage Site makes it possible!

11:00 and 15:00 (each session lasts 60 minutes)
In front of the Mariendom

Free tickets

Discover Hildesheim's World Heritage – St. Michaelis, Mariendom and Cathedral Museum

A guided tour of the extraordinary evidence of Ottonian-Romanesque culture in Hildesheim.
We'll tell you about the concept and origins of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and visit St. Michael's Church, St. Mary's Cathedral, and the Cathedral Museum. Prepare to be amazed!

2:00 PM (Duration: 2 hours)
In front of St. Michael's Church

Free tickets

St. Andrew's Church Tower

The World Heritage Site from above

Passing the carillon and the old clockwork, a 360° panoramic view of the UNESCO World Heritage Site awaits at a height of 75 meters.

The tower opens at 11 a.m., the last ascent is at 16 p.m.

Tickets for the ascent

2025: A look back at the major World Heritage anniversary

Last year, Hildesheim celebrated a very special World Heritage Day! The 40th anniversary of Hildesheim's designation as a World Heritage Site, the 20th anniversary of World Heritage Day itself, and the hosting of the nationwide opening ceremony were all celebrated in Hildesheim during a spectacular World Heritage weekend. Among those present were representatives from politics and culture, the UNESCO Commission, many German World Heritage sites, and, of course, numerous interested visitors.