Thousand-year Rose

The Thousand-year Rose (German: Tausendjähriger Rosenstock, literally: Thousand-years rosebush) is also known as the Rose of Hildesheim. It grows on a wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral, a Catholic cathedral in Hildesheim, Germany, that is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. The cathedral and the adjacent St. Michael's Church have been on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites since 1985.

The rose that climbs on the wall of the cathedral's apse is believed to be the oldest living rose in the world. A Rosa canina, commonly known as a wild dog rose, it grows against the eastern apse of the cathedral, which is around 21 metres (69 ft) high and 9 metres (30 ft) wide. The rose bush reaches a height of around 10 metres (33 ft) and documentation verifies its age at approximately 700 years. Slight variations arise in the tale of the establishment of the diocese by King Louis the Pious at Hildesheim in 815 but the rose bush is a common theme in all versions. The Cathedral was destroyed by Allied bombers in 1945 during the Second World War, but the roots of the rose bush survived and it blossomed again among the ruins. According to legend, while the rose bush flourishes, Hildesheim will prosper.

A poem about the rose was published in 1896. In the early twentieth century, after visiting the Cathedral and seeing the rose, author Mabel Wagnalls was inspired to write a book, which went on to form the basis of a silent film.

The rose at Hildesheim is a Rosa canina, also called a dog rose. According to legend, it dates back to the establishment of the diocese of Hildesheim, around 815. The buildings were constructed around the area in which the rose was growing.

Dog roses, the Caninae section of the genus Rosa, have around 20–30 species and subspecies, which appear in a variety of shapes and occur mostly in Northern and Central Europe. The rose that grows on the Saint Mary Cathedral belongs to the Rosa canina and it shows the specific features of a canina, being a deciduous shrub normally ranging in height from one to three metres; however occasionally it can climb if given support. The stems are covered with small, sharp, hooked spines to assist it in climbing. The leaves have between five and seven leaflets. The flowers are usually pale pink, fragrant, four to six centimetres in diameter with five petals, and develop into oval 1.5–2 centimetre red-orange coloured hips. The fruit is noted for its high vitamin C level and is used to make tea and marmalade. The rose hips are used in traditional folk medicine as a remedy for inflammatory-related diseases.

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