Origins

On 1st of September 2003 the Hornemann Institute became a part of the University of Applied Sciences und Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen.

The previous holder of the institute, the non-profit Verein zur Bewahrung und Erhaltung des Weltkulturerbes e.V. (Association for the Preservation and Conservation of World Cultural Heritage) is since September 2003 a supporting body to the Hornemann Institute.

Friedrich Konrad Hornemann

The Institute focuses on the dissemination of knowledge through traditional and modern media. By relying on the combination of scientific and cultural resources present in Hildesheim, it gains its particular strength. It bears the name of the first German explorer of Africa, Friedrich Konrad Hornemann, who was born in Hildesheim in 1772.

Domiciles in Hildesheim

When the Hornemann Institute started up on 1 Nov 1998, it established its offices in the so-called "Kaiserhaus" ("Imperial House") in Hildesheim for its first three years. The show facade of the old Kaiserhaus, which was destroyed on 22 March 1945, has been integrated in its west side. The history of the house's construction, its artistry and its development in the course of time, its former coloration, as well as its owner's need for a prestigious building style has been dealt with in a book which was published in spring 2000, as the first volume of the series of publications by the Hornemann Institute. After a long time in a post-war building, we moved into rooms in the so-called Logenhaus, a very important architectural monument of the city.

EXPO 2000 "World Cultural Heritage - A Global Challenge"

In December 1998, the Hornemann Institute was registered as main part of the official project for EXPO 2000 titled: "World Cultural Heritage - A Global Challenge". For EXPO 2000, the Hornemann Institute

• organized, within the framework of the European Union's "Euro-Mediterranean Program", and in cooperation with the city of Hildesheim, an exhibition on current methods of conserving cultural heritage in the Mediterranean countries,

• prepared an exhibition about the preservation and the history of the construction, the art and the conservation-restoration of the cloister of St. Michael's Church, Hildesheim, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site,

• presented a regional cultural heritage route which predominantly deals with special questions of conservation and restoration of medieval churches.

Since 2001 the Hornemann Institute has been an ENCoRE partner (ENCoRE = European Network for Conservation-Restoration Education).

Since 2009 the Hornemann Institute is a member of the "German Initiative for Network Information"“ (DINI).