Hildesheim is a medium-sized town in Lower Saxony, around 30 km southeast of state capital Hanover and one of the nine major regional centres of the federal state. The town situated along the Innerste river, has a population of 99.364 (status 31st of October 2013).

The seat of the diocese Hildesheim, was an independent town until 1974. With the territorial reform, in that year, Hildesheim became a large independent town in Lower Saxony and forms since then, with the area of the former rural district Hildesheim-Marienburg, the rural district Hildesheim and is also the district town. The former rural district of Alfeld joined in 1977. From 1885 to 1978, there was an independent administrative district Hildesheim. The regional advisor for the Leine-Weser-area, which covers the whole, in 2004 dissolved administrative district Hanover, has been residing in the town since 2014.

Hildesheim is the location of three colleges. Of those, the university Hildesheim is the youngest, founded in 1989. The foundation university, which changed to an education place in 2003, stands with the tradition of the educational college Alfeld, founded in 1946: it was moved to Hildesheim in 1970. There is also the university of applied science and art (HAWK), which goes back to the technical college Hildesheim, created in 1971, as well as the North-German university of jurisdiction (from 1979 to 2007 FHVR).