Hildesheim - Goethegymnasium and Surrounding Towns

Located in Lower Saxony, Germany, lies the city Hildesheim.  Founded in the 9^th century A.D., Hildesheim is one of the oldest cities in northern Germany.  Hildesheim is famous for its beautiful market square and historical churches such as the Church of Saint Michael (St. Michaeliskirche) and Saint Mary’s Cathedral (Mariendom “Der Dom”).  The Roemer- and Pelizahus- Museum is also located in Hildseheim.  The museum is famous for its impressive 100 year old Egyptian collection.  Hildesheim also offers attractions for those who love to enjoy nature, such as the Hohnsen Lake recreation area where in the summer some people go swimming in the lake, while in the winter the lake turns into a natural ice-skating rink.  For those who enjoy a more peaceful vicinity, the Ernst-Ehrlicher Park is the place to go to.

The Goethegymnasium Hildesheim is located in, yes you guessed it, Hildesheim.  Founded in 1858, the Goethegymnasium is a public secondary school, and it currently has around 1,300 students enrolled in the school.  A gymnasium could be compared to a prep school.  Basically a gymnasium is like a high school only academically it’s much harder than a regular high school.  The regular classes there are about the same as the honors/AP classes here, and the final year students (year 13) have to take a very difficult test called the “Abitur”.

 In the district of Hildesheim, sits a town called Schellerten.  Schellerten is about 10 km east of the actual city Hildesheim.  There are around 8,000 current residents in Schellerten.  The town was named in 1244.  In 1837, a sugar factory was built in the town, but then in 1964 the sugar factory merged with another factory in the town of Rethen.  In 1974 the town expanded now has 12 different districts in it.  The following is a list of the districts in the town: District Ahstedt, Bettmar, Dinglebe, Dinklar, Farmsen, Garmissen-Garbolzum, Kemme, Oedelum, Ottbergen, Schellerten (county seat), Wendhausen, and Wöhle.     

Also sitting east of Hildesheim is the small town called Einum.  Einum is around 4 km away from Hildesheim.  There are currently around 1,000 people living in the town of Einum. The first recorded documentation of Einum is from 996.  The town is heavily influenced by the church and agriculture.  Half of the residents are Catholic, while around a third of the residents are Protestants.  Some of the attractions in Einum are the Lady Chapel, which was restored in 1875, and the Catholic Church of St. Mary is also another attraction.  The stone in the Church of St. Mary dates to around 1325.