The Kaiserhaus in Hildesheim
The Kaiserhaus in Hildesheim is probably the most extraordinary example of civic representation in Germany from the artistic flourishing between the Reformation and the Thirty Years War. With its stone façade and the sculptures of the World’s Four Empires, it stands out from contemporary architecture. The most important images were probably made by members of the Wolf family from Hildesheim which were among the most sought-after artists in Lower Saxony around 1600. The Kaiserhaus is one of the most important reminders of Hildesheim’s architecture, which survived in parts the bombardment of 1945. The remains of one of its façades were integrated into a new building in 1998 and give now again an impression of the former splendour of town houses in Hildesheim.
The essays focus on the most important aspects of the building, the architectural history of the former complex, its builder Caspar Borcholt, a self-confident jurist, the art historical context, the extraordinary image programme, the inscriptions, the former polychromy, and the reconstruction of the building after World War II.
