What is the name of the historically significant rose in Germany that may be over 1,000 years old?

The historically significant rose in Germany that may be over 1,000 years old is the Rose of Hildesheim. It grows on the apse of Hildesheim Cathedral in Lower Saxony and is also known as the Thousand-year Rose.

The rose is a wild dog rose, Rosa canina. Local tradition connects it with the founding of the Hildesheim bishopric around 815, when a rose reportedly marked the place where a cathedral should be built. The exact age is uncertain: some documentation supports an age of roughly 700 years, while the older date comes from legend.

The plant became especially famous after Allied bombing damaged the cathedral in 1945. Although its above-ground growth was destroyed, its roots survived, producing new shoots in spring 1945. This survival helped reinforce its reputation as a symbol of Hildesheim's endurance. The Rose of Hildesheim is not the same as the Gallica, Damask, or White Rose.