World Heritage Route – Hildesheim

Hildesheim‘s World Heritage Sites now “shine“ even more: The project “UNESCO Welterbeband“ was awarded the German Lighting Design Prize 2015! In the category “Outdoor Lighting / Public Areas“ the project was convincing through the lighting design along the World Heritage route (Welterbeband), as well as through the staging of the Mariendom as one of the most famous World Heritage Sites in Hildesheim.

The team from Studio DL is very happy about the award and would like to thank the project partners for the successful cooperation as well as the jury for their appreciation of the project.

In addition to comprehensive preservation and renovation measures at Mariendom and Michaeliskirche as part of a grant program from the Federal Government and the State of Lower Saxony for the national UNESCO World Heritage Sites, further improvements for the surrounding urban environment were planned and carried out. The goal of this project is to better connect the individual World Heritage Sites and downtown Hildesheim. This also serves for orientation and to brighten the surroundings. The landscape architectural planning is supported by the lighting design. Together with a uniform band of panels which form the route, the lighting design creates visual unity and can be clearly recognized as a guide especially at night. The focus is on both the modern and elegant daytime effect of the luminaire, as well as the functional “ambient luminescence“.

The Mariendom, as one of the most well known world culture sites in Hildesheim, was comprehensively restored. The developed lighting scheme subtly places the cathedral as the focal point in the cathedral square and, as the most important monument, sets it in the limelight.

<wpml.nbsp /> The Mariendom is the center of the Domhof which is bordered by buildings used by the church and thus creates its own city quarter. The lighting design highlights this neighborhood as a cohesive ensemble, creating a homogeneous image of it. In accordance with the overriding concept, the surrounding buildings are uniformly and discreetly illuminated as a space-defining boundary.

In compliance with the wishes of the client, the cathedral is highlighted as the dominant feature of the cathedral courtyard without, however, accenting any part of it too strongly.

This was successfully accomplished using a recessed floor luminaire, which was modified according to the special needs of the concept and enables full-surface illumination of the entire facade area. By using a special satinized glass, the luminaire was particularly economical needing only 20 watts, despite the large surfaces. Moreover, the floor-level light spot not only covers the facade surface but creates a hint of the window shape. A special accent was placed on the clerestory windows. Here, in addition to the subtly indicated window and door shapes, the recessed floor luminaires are intended to emphasize the arch rhythm in the upper part of the building.