Giessen, spelled in German (), is a town in the
German state () of
Hesse, 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, which divides the town in two parts (west and east), roughly north of
Frankfurt am Main. Giessen is also home to the
University of Giessen.
In 1969, the town hosted the ninth ''
Hessentag'' 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 in 1567, passing to
Hesse-Darmstadt in 1604. The
University of Giessen was founded in 1607. Giessen was included within the
Grand Duchy of Hesse created in 1806 during the
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
. After the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, it was part of the
People's State of Hesse.
During the
Second World War, 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 to form the new city of
Lahn. 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) 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 in Germany still at its original location.
* Old Cemetery, (German:
Alter Friedhof), is the resting place of
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen and
Hugo von Ritgen.
*
Liebig-Museum was established in 1920 to honor the chemist
Justus von Liebig.
*
Mathematikum was established in 2002, offering a wide variety of mathematical hands-on exhibits.
*
University of Giessen
*
Rubber Island is a residential area near the
Lahn River.
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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
club
Giessen 46ers, 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 Church, Catholic Scouting organization with 2,500 members. It is part of the International Union of Guides and Scouts of Europe. ...
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
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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, attended the
University of Giessen
*
Werner A. Baum (1923–1999), meteorologist and college administrator
*
Annika Beck (born 1994), professional tennis player
*
Stefan Bellof (1957–1985),
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
and
Sportscar driver, who was killed during a race held in
Spa-Francorchamps
*
Christa Blanke (born 1948), theologist, founder of Animals' Angels e.V.
*
Volker Bouffier (born 1951), politician (CDU)
*
Helge Braun (born 1972), politician (CDU)
*
Georg Büchner (1813–1837) studied two years at the University of Gießen
*
Daniel Davari (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 (1792–1847), German surgeon
*
Eduard Dingeldey (1886-1942), lawyer and politician
*
Walter Dornberger (1895–1980), rocket scientist
*
Paul Karl Ludwig Drude (1863–1906)
physicist specializing in
optics
*
Peter Düttmann (1923–2001), Luftwaffe Ace
*
Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt (1635–1709),
Electress Palatine
*
Charles Friedek (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 de Sevilla, Seville, Spain, between the Augus ...
*
Jesko Friedrich (born 1974), comedy television actor and writer
*
Adolph Hansen (1851–1920), botanist and professor at
University of Giessen
*
Paul Gordan (1837–1912), mathematician, known for work in
invariant theory
*
Fritz Pfeffer (1889–1944), dentist, hid in the
Anne Frank House during WWII
*
Fritz Heichelheim (1901–1968), economic historian
*
August Wilhelm von Hofmann (1818–1892), chemist
*
Juli, 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 (1910–2003), racing driver and head of
Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
*
Jonathan Koch (born 1985), rower
*
Harald Lesch (born 1960), physicist, astronomer, natural philosopher, author, television presenter, professor of physics
*
Chris Liebing (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 (1826–1900), founder of the
Social Democratic Party of Germany
*
Sigmund Livingston (1872–1946), American lawyer, founder and first president of the
Anti-Defamation League
*
Christopher Ludwick (1720–1801) Baker General for the American Revolutionary War Army – Philadelphia
*
Alfred Milner (1854–1925), British statesman
*
Demis Nikolaidis (born 1973), Greek footballer
*
James J. O'Donnell (born 1950), American scholar and university administrator, born in Giessen
*
Albert Osswald (1919–1996), politician
*
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (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 (1736–1815), professor of theology at the university
*
Jochen Schropp (born 1978), German actor and television entertainer
*
Til Schweiger
Tilman Valentin Schweiger (; born 19 December 1963) is a German actor and filmmaker. He became known in the 1990s for films such as '' Manta, Manta'', '' Der bewegte Mann'' and '' Knockin' on Heaven's Door''. He went on to star in international ...
(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
*
Julian Theobald (born 1984), racing driver
*
Tabea Waßmuth (born 1996), footballer
*
Marie Wittich (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
*
University of Giessen
Manisch
Manisch is a dialect of
rotwelsch 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, 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 subtype for this climate is "
Cfb". (Marine West Coast Climate).
See also
*
Giessen station
*
Giessen 46ers — Basketball club
*
Giessen emigration society — founded 1833
References
;Notes
External links
*
City Services Giessen (SWG)Express Magazine – Current events and news from Giessen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giessen