Gießen
Encyclopedia
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
(Bundesland) of Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, capital of both the district of Gießen
Gießen (district)
Gießen is a Kreis in the middle of Hessen, Germany. Neighboring districts are Marburg-Biedenkopf, Vogelsbergkreis, Wetteraukreis, Lahn-Dill.-History:...
and the administrative region of Gießen
Gießen (region)
Gießen is one of the three Regierungsbezirke of Hesse, Germany, located in the middle of the state.- External links :*...
. The population is approximately 76,000, with roughly 24,000 university students.
The name comes from Giezzen, as it was first referred to in 1197, which refers to the position of the town between several rivers, lakes and streams. The largest river in Gießen is the Lahn
Lahn
The Lahn River is a -long, right tributary of the Rhine River in Germany. Its course passes through the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia , Hesse , and Rhineland-Palatinate ....
, which divides the town in two parts (west and east), roughly 50 kilometres north of Frankfurt am Main.
History
Gießen came into being as a moated castle in 1152, built by Count Wilhelm von Gleiberg, although the history of the community in the northeast and in today's suburb called "Wieseck" dates back to 775. The town became part of Hesse-MarburgHesse-Marburg
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Marburg was a German landgraviate, and independent principality, within the Holy Roman Empire, that existed between 1485 and 1500, and between 1567 and 1604/1650....
in 1567, passing to Hesse-Darmstadt
Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was a member state of the Holy Roman Empire. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse between the four sons of Philip I, the last Landgrave of Hesse....
in 1604. The University of Gießen
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
was founded in 1607. Gießen was included within the Grand Duchy of Hesse
Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine , or, between 1806 and 1816, Grand Duchy of Hesse —as it was also known after 1816—was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German...
, created in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, it was part of the People's State of Hesse.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
was located in the town. Heavy bombing destroyed about 75% of Gießen in 1944, including most of the town's historic buildings. It became part of the modern state of Hesse after the war.
In 1977 Gießen was merged with the neighbouring city Wetzlar
Wetzlar
Wetzlar is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. Located at 8° 30′ E, 50° 34′ N, Wetzlar straddles the river Lahn and is on the German Timber-Framework Road which passes mile upon mile of half-timbered houses. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis on the north edge of...
to form the new city of Lahn
Lahn, Hesse
Lahn was city which was created on January 1, 1977 when the two cities of Gießen and Wetzlar were merged. It was named after the river Lahn to make the merger one of equals...
. However, this attempt to reorganize the administration was reversed in 1979.
An American military base was located in Gießen after World War II. The U.S. Army Garrison of Gießen, has a population of 500 Americans. The base is a converted German Army Air Field, which is reflected in some of the buildings, including the housing area. A theatre, known as the Keller Theatre, is a converted German army Officer's Club. As of September 28, 2007, the Gießen Depot, and all other communities in the greater Gießen area were turned back over to the local German authorities.
After the war, the city was twinned with Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, UK.
Twin towns — sister cities
Gießen is twinned with:| Hradec Králové Hradec Králové Hradec Králové is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Hradec Králové Region of Bohemia. The city's economy is based on food-processing technology, photochemical, and electronics manufacture. Traditional industries include musical instrument manufacturing – the best known being PETROF pianos... , Czech Republic Czech Republic The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest.... (since 1990) Gödöllő Gödöllo Gödöllő is a town situated in Pest county, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary, about northeast from the outskirts of Budapest. Its population is about 31,000 according to the 2001 census. It can be easily reached from Budapest with the suburban railway . Gödöllő is home to the Szent István... , Hungary Hungary Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... (since 1988) Netanya Netanya Netanya is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north.Its of beaches have made the... , Israel Israel The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... (since 1978) Ferrara Ferrara Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... (since 1998) |
San Juan del Sur San Juan del Sur San Juan del Sur is a municipality and coastal town on the Pacific Ocean, in the Rivas department in south-west Nicaragua. San Juan del Sur is popular among surfers and is a vacation spot for many Nicaraguan families and foreign tourists.... , Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean... (since 1986) Winchester Winchester Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of... , United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... (since 1962) Waterloo Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two... , Iowa Iowa Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New... , United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... (since 1981) Wenzhou Wenzhou Wenzhou is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. The area under its jurisdiction, which includes two satellite cities and six counties, had a population of 9,122,100 as of 2010.... , People's Republic of China People's Republic of China China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres... (since 2011) |
Points of interest
- Akademischer Forstgarten GießenAkademischer Forstgarten GießenThe Akademischer Forstgarten Gießen is historic arboretum and botanical garden located in the Schiffenberger Wald on Schiffenberger Weg, Gießen, Hesse, Germany. It is open daily without charge....
- Botanischer Garten GießenBotanischer Garten GießenThe Botanischer Garten Gießen , more formally the Botanischer Garten der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, is a historic botanical garden maintained by the University of Giessen. It is the oldest botanical garden in Germany still at its original site, with an entrance at Senckenbergstraße 6,...
, established in 1609, the oldest botanical gardenBotanical gardenA botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
in Germany still at its original location. - Old Cemetery, German: Alter Friedhof, resting place of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen and Hugo von Ritgen.
- Liebig Museum, established in 1920, to honor the chemist Justus von LiebigJustus von LiebigJustus von Liebig was a German chemist who made major contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry, and worked on the organization of organic chemistry. As a professor, he devised the modern laboratory-oriented teaching method, and for such innovations, he is regarded as one of the...
. - MathematikumMathematikumThe Mathematikum is a Science museum, located in Gießen, Germany, which offers a huge variety of mathematical hands-on exhibits, it was founded by Albrecht Beutelspacher, a German Mathematician....
, established in 2002, offering a huge variety of mathematical hands-on exhibits.
Notable people
- Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-DarmstadtLandgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-DarmstadtElisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt was a princess of Hesse-Darmstadt and wife of the Prince-elector of the Palatinate.-Biography:...
(1635–1709), Electress PalatineElectressAn Electress was the consort of an Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, one of the Empire's greatest princes.The Golden Bull of 1356 established by Emperor Charles IV settled the number of Electors at seven...
, ancestress of most of today's royals - Johann Georg RosenmüllerJohann Georg RosenmüllerJohann Rosenmüller , a German divine and professor of theology, was born at Ummerstadt in Hildburghausen, on December 18, 1736. He was appointed Professor of Theology at Erlangen in 1773, Primarius Professor of Theology at Erlangen in 1773, Primarius Professor of Divinity at Giessen in 1783, and...
(1736–1815), professor of theology at the university - Justus von LiebigJustus von LiebigJustus von Liebig was a German chemist who made major contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry, and worked on the organization of organic chemistry. As a professor, he devised the modern laboratory-oriented teaching method, and for such innovations, he is regarded as one of the...
(1803–1873), chemist, professor. The official name of the University of Gießen is now Justus Liebig University - Samuel AdlerSamuel Adler (rabbi)Samuel Adler was a leading German-American Reform rabbi, Talmudist, and author...
(1809–1891), a noted rabbi in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, attended the University of GießenUniversity of GiessenThe University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of... - Georg BüchnerGeorg BüchnerKarl Georg Büchner was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose. He was the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchner. Büchner's talent is generally held in great esteem in Germany...
(1813–1837) studied two years at the University of Gießen - Wilhelm LiebknechtWilhelm LiebknechtWilhelm Martin Philipp Christian Ludwig Liebknecht was a German social democrat and a principal founder of the SPD. His political career was a pioneering project combining Marxist revolutionary theory with practical, legal political activity...
(1826–1900), founder of the Social Democratic Party of GermanySocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
, was born on March 29, 1826 in Gießen - Adolph HansenAdolph HansenKarl Adolph Hansen was a German botanist. He graduated in 1887 at the University of Würzburg on a thesis entitled "Geschichte der Assimilation und Chlorophyllfunktion" . He was professor of botany at the Justus Liebig-Universität Gießen 1891-1920. He had very broad academic interests, including...
(1851–1920), botanist and professor at University of GiessenUniversity of GiessenThe University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of... - Wilhelm Conrad RöntgenWilhelm Conrad RöntgenWilhelm Conrad Röntgen was a German physicist, who, on 8 November 1895, produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range today known as X-rays or Röntgen rays, an achievement that earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901....
(1845–1923), physicist, professor of physics from 1879 until 1888 at the university of Gießen. He was buried at the "Alte Friedhof", where his tomb can still be found - Alfred Milner (1854–1925), British statesman
- Wilhelm SieversWilhelm SieversFriedrich Wilhelm Sievers was a German geologist and geographer. He served as professor of geography at the university of Giessen.Sievers was born into a merchant family in Hamburg...
(1860–1921), geographer, explorer, professor at the university - Marie WittichMarie WittichMarie Wittich was a German operatic soprano. She was a Kammersängerin of the Dresden Royal Opera where she sang for 25 years and was known for the power, vibrancy and dramatic quality of her voice.. She created the leading female roles in the world premieres of several operas, most famously, the...
(1868–1931), opera singer - Sigmund LivingstonSigmund LivingstonSigmund G. Livingston was a Jewish attorney working in Chicago, Illinois. Livingston was the founder and first president of the Anti-Defamation League, and the author of the book Must Men Hate...
(1872–1946), American lawyer, founder and first president of the Anti-Defamation LeagueAnti-Defamation LeagueThe Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects... - Friedrich KellnerFriedrich KellnerAugust Friedrich Kellner was a mid-level official in Germany who worked as a justice inspector in Mainz and Laubach. During the First World War, Kellner was an infantryman in a Hessian regiment...
(1885–1970), Chief Regional Auditor in Gießen 1948-1950, and Chief Justice Inspector of Laubach, where he wrote his secret WWII diary. The Holocaust Research Unit of Justus Liebig University of Gießen has established the Kellner Project - Fritz HeichelheimFritz HeichelheimFritz Moritz Heichelheim was a German-born ancient historian, who specialized in ancient economic history, at the University of Gießen and as Professor of Greek and Roman History at the University of Toronto....
(1901–1968), economist - James J. O'DonnellJames J. O'DonnellJames Joseph O'Donnell is a classical scholar and the Provost of Georgetown University. O'Donnell previously served as Vice Provost for Information Systems and Computing at the University of Pennsylvania...
(b. 1950), American scholar and University administrator, born in Giessen - Stefan BellofStefan BellofStefan Bellof was a racing driver who is famous for setting the fastest lap ever on the Nordschleife configuration, at the Nürburgring, setting the time in a Porsche 956 in 1983...
(1957–1985), Formula OneFormula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
and SportscarWorld Sportscar ChampionshipThe World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
driver, who died during a race held in Spa-Francorchamps - Chris LiebingChris LiebingChris Liebing is dj, producer, radio host of a weekly show and the driving force behind the labels CLR and Spinclub Recordings. His sound has continuously evolved during his dj career, always true to his Techno roots. He was one of the first djs that used the new possibilities in the course of the...
(b. 1968) techno/electronic music producer and DJ - Demis NikolaidisDemis NikolaidisThemistoklis "Demis" Nikolaidis was the forty second president of AEK Athens F.C., and is considered one of the finest footballers Greece has ever produced. In his early childhood and teenage years he lived in the city of Alexandroupoli, in the north-east part of Greece...
(b. 1973), Greek footballer - Wangari MaathaiWangari MaathaiWangari Muta Mary Jo Maathai was a Kenyan environmental and political activist. She was educated in the United States at Mount St. Scholastica and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as the University of Nairobi in Kenya...
, Nobel Laureate 2004 - JuliJuli (band)Juli a German alternative pop band from Gießen, Hesse, consisting of singer Eva Briegel, guitarists Jonas Pfetzing and Simon Triebel, bassist Andreas "Dedi" Herde and drummer Marcel Römer...
, rock band - Jonathan KochJonathan Koch (rower)Jonathan Koch is a German light-weight rower.Until the end of 2010 Jonathan Koch was rowing for his hometown club Gießener Rudergesellschaft 1877...
(b. 1985), rower
Education
- University of GießenUniversity of GiessenThe University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
- Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences
- MBML: The International Graduate Programme "Molecular Biology and Medicine of the Lung" of the University of Giessen Lung Center
- University Clinic, Giessen-Marburg.
Manisch
ManischManisch
Manisch refers either to a dialect of rotwelsch or a speaker thereof . The term Manisch however, is also understood primarily throughout much of the German state of Hesse and parts of the Rhineland-Palatinate to refer to the Manisch/Jenisch elements of their vernacular...
is a dialect of rotwelsch
Rotwelsch
Rotwelsch or Gaunersprache is a secret language, a cant or thieves' argot, spoken by covert groups primarily in southern Germany and Switzerland.-Origin and development:...
spoken in and around Gießen by people in lower income neighbourhoods, some of which are known as "Eulenkopf", "Gummiinsel", "Heyerweg" and "Margaretenhütte". Approximately 700–750 residents spoke the dialect fluently as of 1976. Although the dialect still influences the Gießen vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
, it is nearly extinct in terms of fluent speakers.