Giessen, spelled Gießen in German (), is a town in the German

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

(''Bundesland'') of

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...

, capital of both the district of Giessen and the administrative region of Giessen. The population is approximately 90,000, with roughly 37,000 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 The Lahn is a , right (or eastern) tributary of the Rhine in Germany. Its course passes through the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (23.0 km), Hesse (165.6 km), and Rhineland-Palatinate (57.0 km). It has its source in t ...

, which divides the town in two parts (west and east), roughly north of

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

. Giessen is also home to the

University of Giessen University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (german: Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is named after its most famous faculty member, Justus von ...

. In 1969, the town hosted the ninth ''

Hessentag The Hessentag (; en, Hesse Day) is an annual event, both fair and festival, organized by the German state of Hesse to represent the different regions of Hesse. The events are shown for a week to the visitors, with an emphasis on cultural disp ...

'' state festival.

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-Marburg The Landgraviate of Hesse-Marburg (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Marburg) was a German landgraviate, and independent principality, within the Holy Roman Empire, that existed between 1458 and 1500, and between 1567 and 1604/1650. It consisted ...

in 1567, passing to

Hesse-Darmstadt The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse betwee ...

in 1604. The

was founded in 1607. Giessen was included within the Grand Duchy of Hesse created in 1806 during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. After the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, it was part of the

People's State of Hesse The People's State of Hesse (german: Volksstaat Hessen) was one of the constituent states of Germany from 1918 to 1945, as the successor to the Grand Duchy of Hesse (german: Großherzogtum Hessen) after the defeat of the German Empire in World W ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp was in the Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Licher Straße. Heavy bombing destroyed about 75 percent 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 () is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. It is the twelfth largest city in Hesse with currently 55,371 inhabitants at the beginning of 2019 (including second homes). As an important cultural, industrial and commercial center, the un ...

to form the new city of

. However, this attempt to reorganize the administration was reversed in 1979. It was part of the Darmstadt region (regierungsbezirk) between 1945 and 1981, until the

Giessen (region) Giessen (''Gießen'' in German) is one of the three Regierungsbezirke of Hesse, Germany, located in the middle of the state. It was created from counties (kreise) of Giessen, Lahn-Dill, Limburg-Weilburg and Vogelsbergkreis in Darmstadt and Marbu ...

was founded on 1 January 1981. A U.S. military base was located in Giessen after the Second World War. The U.S. Army Garrison of Gießen had a population of up to 10,000 American soldiers and their families. Gießen was also the site of the central US army depot for all of Europe as well as the site of a special ammunition depot. 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 Officers' Club. As of 28 September 2007, the Giessen Depot and all other U.S. facilities in the greater Giessen area were returned to local German authorities. The former U.S. Army buildings were used to house refugees after the large influx of 2016. After the war, the city was twinned with Winchester, UK.

International relations

Giessen is twinned with:

Points of interest

* Akademischer Forstgarten Gießen, botanical gardens * Botanischer Garten Gießen, established in 1609, is the oldest

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe 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, an ...

in Germany still at its original location. * Old Cemetery, (German: Alter Friedhof), is the resting place of

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen Wilhelm may refer to: People and fictional characters * William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm" * Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Other uses * Mount ...

and Hugo von Ritgen. * Liebig-Museum was established in 1920 to honor the chemist Justus von Liebig. *

Mathematikum The 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. The Mathematikum opened its doors to visitors on ...

was established in 2002, offering a wide variety of mathematical hands-on exhibits. *

* Rubber Island is a residential area near the

Lahn River The Lahn is a , right (or eastern) tributary of the Rhine in Germany. Its course passes through the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (23.0 km), Hesse (165.6 km), and Rhineland-Palatinate (57.0 km). It has its source in ...

Sport

Giessen is home to the

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

club

Giessen 46ers The JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers (formerly GIESSEN 46ers) is a professional basketball club based in Gießen, Germany, that plays in the Basketball Bundesliga. Their home arena is Sporthalle Gießen-Ost, with a capacity of 4,003 people. History The b ...

, five-time champion of the Basketball Bundesliga. Its home games take place at the Sporthalle Gießen-Ost. Also, Giessen has an American football team called Giessen Golden Dragons.

Religion

The

Catholic Scouts of Europe The Katholische Pfadfinderschaft Europas (KPE; roughly ''Catholic Guides and Scouts of Europe'') is a German Catholic Scouting organization with 2,500 members. It is part of the International Union of Guides and Scouts of Europe. ''Katholische Pfa ...

were founded in Giessen in 1975.

Gallery

File:Marktplatz in Giessen (gezeichnet von P. Weber).jpg, Historical drawing of the marketplace, 1844 File:Akademischer Forstgarten Giessen Plan.jpeg, Historical drawing of the Akademischer Forstgarten Gießen, 1877 File:Botanical garden Giessen Germany 01.jpg, Botanical garden Gießen File:2005-08 Gießen - Theater.jpg,

Theater Gießen The Theater Gießen, official name Stadttheater Gießen (Gießen Municipal Theatre), is a theatre in Gießen, Germany, a cultural center for the university city and the region. The main building was designed in Neo-classical style with influences ...

File:Giessen-arch1.jpg, Architecture in Gießen File:Denkmal Röntgen (Gießen) 01.JPG, Röntgen memorial File:PSM V74 D619 Liebig laboratory at giessen.png, Liebig laboratory, 1909 File:Gießen ElephantLoo766.jpg, Multiway pedestrian bridge "Elefantenklo" ("Elephant loo")

Notable people

* Samuel Adler (1809–1891), noted rabbi in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, attended the

Annika Beck Annika Beck (; born 16 February 1994) is a German former professional tennis player. She started playing tennis at the age of four when introduced to the game by her parents. A baseliner whose favorite shot is forehand, and favorite surface is ...

(born 1994), professional tennis player *

Stefan Bellof Stefan Bellof (20 November 1957 – 1 September 1985) was a German racing driver. Bellof was the winner of the Drivers' Championship in the 1984 FIA World Endurance Championship, driving for the factory Rothmans Porsche team. His lap record ...

(1957–1985),

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

and

Sportscar A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

driver, who was killed during a race held in Spa-Francorchamps *

Christa Blanke Rev. Christa Blanke-Weckbach (born September 18, 1948 in Giessen, Germany) is a German Lutheran theologian and animal welfare activist. She is the founder of the European animal protection organisation Animals’ Angels. From 1995 to 1998 she ...

(born 1948), theologist, founder of Animals' Angels e.V. * Volker Bouffier (born 1951), politician (CDU) *

Helge Braun Helge Reinhold Braun (born 18 October 1972) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Between 2018 and 2021, he served as Head of the Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Affairs in the fourth coalition governmen ...

(born 1972), politician (CDU) *

Georg Büchner Karl Georg Büchner (17 October 1813 – 19 February 1837) was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose, considered part of the Young Germany movement. He was also a revolutionary and the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büch ...

(1813–1837) studied two years at the University of Gießen *

Daniel Davari Daniel Davari ( fa, دانیال داوری; born 6 January 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. Born in Germany of Iranian and Polish descent, he represented the Iran national team at internati ...

(born 1988), Iranian footballer. * Ernst Dieffenbach, born Johann Karl Ernst Dieffenbach (1811–1855), German physician, geologist and naturalist * Georg Christian Dieffenbach (1822–1901), German poet and theologian *

Johann Friedrich Dieffenbach Johann Friedrich Dieffenbach (1 February 1792 – 11 November 1847) was a German surgeon. He was born in Königsberg and died in Berlin. Dieffenbach specialized in skin transplantation and plastic surgery. His work in rhinoplastic and maxillof ...

(1792–1847), German surgeon *

Walter Dornberger Major-General Dr. Walter Robert Dornberger (6 September 1895 – 26 June 1980) was a German Army artillery officer whose career spanned World War I and World War II. He was a leader of Nazi Germany's V-2 rocket programme and other projects a ...

(1895–1980), rocket scientist * Peter Düttmann (1923–2001), Luftwaffe Ace *

Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt en, Elizabeth Amelia Magdalena of Hesse-Darmstadt , image= Elisabeth Amalia Magdalena im Jahr 1705.jpg , caption= Portrait by Jan Frans van Douven, c. 1705. , succession = Electress Palatine , consort=yes , reign=26 May 1685 - 2 September 1690 , ...

(1635–1709), Electress Palatine *

Charles Friedek Charles Michael Friedek (born 26 August 1971 in Gießen) is a German triple jumper who became world champion in 1999 with a jump of 17.59 metres. He had already won the World Indoor Championships the same year, with an indoor PB of 17.18 metres. ...

(born 1971), triple jumper, gold medallist at the

1999 World Championships in Athletics The 7th World Championships in Athletics, a World Athletic Championships event held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Estadio Olímpico, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and Augu ...

Jesko Friedrich Jesko Friedrich (born 2 April 1974 in Gießen) is a German comedy television actor and writer. Early life and career Friedrich grew up in Lübeck and has a doctorate in German studies at the Georg-August-Universität in Göttingen. Friedrich st ...

(born 1974), comedy television actor and writer * Adolph Hansen (1851–1920), botanist and professor at

Fritz Pfeffer Friedrich "Fritz" Pfeffer (30 April 1889 – 20 December 1944) was a German dentist and Jewish refugee who hid with Anne Frank and her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. He perished in the Neuengamme concentration camp in ...

(1889–1944), dentist, hid in the

Anne Frank House The Anne Frank House ( nl, Anne Frank Huis) is a writer's house and biographical museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank. The building is located on a canal called the Prinsengracht, close to the Westerkerk, in central Amsterda ...

during WWII * Fritz Heichelheim (1901–1968), economic historian *

August Wilhelm von Hofmann August Wilhelm von Hofmann (8 April 18185 May 1892) was a German chemist who made considerable contributions to organic chemistry. His research on aniline helped lay the basis of the aniline-dye industry, and his research on coal tar laid the g ...

(1818–1892), chemist *

Juli Juli may refer to: * Juli (band), a rock/pop band from Germany * "Juli", by Ryan Adams from the album '' Prisoner (B-Sides)'' * Juli District, one district of the province Chucuito in Puno Region, Peru ** , the capital of Juli District * Juli (foo ...

, rock band * Friedrich Kellner (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 *

Karl Kling Karl Kling (; 16 September 1910, Gießen – 18 March 2003, Gaienhofen on Lake Constance, Germany) was a motor racing driver and manager from Germany. He participated in 11 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 4 July 1954. He achieved 2 podiums - ...

(1910–2003), racing driver and head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport * Jonathan Koch (born 1985), rower *

Harald Lesch Harald Lesch (born 28 July 1960) is a German physicist, astronomer, natural philosopher, author, television presenter, professor of physics at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) and professor of natural philosophy at the Munich Un ...

(born 1960), physicist, astronomer, natural philosopher, author, television presenter, professor of physics *

Chris Liebing Chris Liebing (born Christopher Liebing on 11 December 1968) is a German techno DJ, music producer and radio host and the founder of the record label CLR. Liebing was born in Gießen, Hesse. In the early 1990s, he became active on the Frankfur ...

(born 1968) techno/electronic music producer and DJ * Justus von Liebig (1803–1873), chemist, professor. The official name of the University of Giessen is now ''Justus Liebig University'' *

Wilhelm Liebknecht Wilhelm Martin Philipp Christian Ludwig Liebknecht (; 29 March 1826 – 7 August 1900) was a German socialist and one of the principal founders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).Social Democratic Party of Germany, was born on March 29, 1826, in Giessen * Sigmund Livingston (1872–1946), American lawyer, founder and first president of the Anti-Defamation League *

Christopher Ludwick Christopher Ludwick, known also as Ludwig, Ludowick, Ludwigg (17th October 1720, Germany– 17th June 1801, United States) was a German immigrant to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and worked as a baker general for the Continental Army during the A ...

(1720–1801) Baker General for the American Revolutionary War Army – Philadelphia *

Alfred Milner Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner, (23 March 1854 – 13 May 1925) was a British statesman and colonial administrator who played a role in the formulation of British foreign and domestic policy between the mid-1890s and early 1920s. From De ...

(1854–1925), British statesman *

Demis Nikolaidis Themistoklis "Demis" Nikolaidis ( el, Ντέμης Νικολαΐδης; born 17 September 1973) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker. He was the forty second president of AEK Athens, and is considered one of the fi ...

(born 1973), Greek footballer * James J. O'Donnell (born 1950), American scholar and university administrator, born in Giessen * Albert Osswald (1919–1996), politician *

(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 *

Johann Georg Rosenmüller Johann Georg Rosenmüller (18 December 1736 – 14 March 1815), a German Protestant theologian, was born at Ummerstadt in Hildburghausen, on 18 December 1736. He was appointed Professor of Theology at Erlangen in 1773, Primarius Professor of T ...

(1736–1815), professor of theology at the university *

Jochen Schropp Jochen Alexander Schropp (born 22 November 1978 in Lahn-Giessen, Hesse) is a German actor and television host. Biography Schropp was born in 1978 as the child of a teacher and a medical assistant in the former municipality of Gießen in the city ...

(born 1978), German actor and television entertainer *

Til Schweiger Tilman Valentin Schweiger (; born 19 December 1963) is a German actor, voice actor and filmmaker. He runs his own production company, Barefoot Films, in Berlin. Early life Schweiger was born in Freiburg, West Germany, to two teachers. He grew ...

(born 1968), actor, director and producer. Grew up, went to school and started studying in Giessen * Wilhelm Sievers (1860–1921), geographer, explorer, professor at the university * Henrietta Skelton (1839/1842–1900), social reformer, writer, organizer, lecturer * Dieter Strack, retired German professional basketball player *

Marie Wittich Marie Wittich (27 May 1868 – 4 August 1931) 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 t ...

(1868–1931), opera singer * Willy Zschietzschmann (1900–1976), Classical archeologist and author

Education

* MBML: The International Graduate Programme "Molecular Biology and Medicine of the Lung" of the University of Giessen Lung Center * University hospital Giessen und Marburg * Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences *

Manisch

Manisch is a dialect of

rotwelsch Rotwelsch (, ''" beggar's foreign (language)"'') or Gaunersprache ( ''" crook's language"'') also Kochemer Loshn (from Yiddish "", "tongue of the wise") is a secret language, a cant or thieves' argot, spoken by groups (primarily marginalized gr ...

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.Hans-Günter Lerch, "Tschü lowi...Das Manische in Gießen", 1976/2005, pages 16-22. Although the dialect still influences the Giessen

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

, it is nearly extinct in terms of fluent speakers.

Geography

Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

subtype for this climate is " Cfb". (Marine West Coast Climate).

References

;Notes

External links

*
City Services Giessen (SWG)

Express Magazine – Current events and news from Giessen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giessen Grand Duchy of Hesse