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

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

() of

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

, 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 States of Germany, federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (23.0 km), Hesse (165.6 km), and Rhineland-Palatinate (57.0 km). ...

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

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. Giessen is also home to the

University of Giessen University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the German-speaking world. It is named afte ...

. In 1969, the town hosted the ninth ''

Hessentag The Hessentag (; ) 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 displays and exhibi ...

'' 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 () 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 of the city of Marburg and the surroun ...

in 1567, passing to

Hesse-Darmstadt The Landgraviate of Hesse-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 among the four sons of Landgrave Philip I. ...

in 1604. The

was founded in 1607. Giessen was included within the

Grand Duchy of Hesse The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine () was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The grand duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 as the Grand Duchy of Hesse (). It assumed the name ...

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 The People's State of Hesse () was one of the constituent states of Weimar Republic, Germany from 1918 to 1945, as the successor to the Grand Duchy of Hesse () after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, on the territory of the curren ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, a subcamp of the

Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; 'beech forest') was a German Nazi concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimar, Nazi Germany, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within the Altreich (pre-1938 ...

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 ( in German) is one of the three of Hesse, Germany, located in the middle of the state. It was created on 1 January 1981 from the districts () of Giessen, Lahn-Dill and Limburg-Weilburg and the , all formerly belonging to Darmstadt, and ...

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 Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

, 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. is ...

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 * Wilhe ...

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

Justus von Liebig Justus ''Freiherr'' von Liebig (12 May 1803 – 18 April 1873) was a Germans, German scientist who made major contributions to the theory, practice, and pedagogy of chemistry, as well as to agricultural and biology, biological chemistry; he is ...

. * Mathematikum 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 ...

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 The GIESSEN 46ers (formerly GIESSEN 46ers) is a professional basketball club based in Gießen, Germany, that plays in the ProA. Their home arena is Sporthalle Gießen-Ost, with a capacity of 4,003 people. History The biggest achievements in clu ...

, five-time champion of the

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the German basketball league system, highest level Sports league, league of professional club basketball in German ...

. 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

* Werner A. Baum (1923–1999), meteorologist and college administrator *

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 (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 The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), informally referred to as Spa, is a motor-racing circuit located in Francorchamps, Stavelot, Wallonia, Belgium, about southeast of Spa. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, ho ...

* Christa Blanke (born 1948), theologist, founder of Animals' Angels e.V. *

Volker Bouffier Volker Bouffier (born 18 December 1951) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as Minister President of the German state of Hessen from 31 August 2010 to 31 May 2022. From 1 November 2014 until 31 October 201 ...

(born 1951), politician (CDU) *

Helge Braun Helge Reinhold Braun (born 18 October 1972) is a German physician and 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 coali ...

(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 Büchn ...

(1813–1837) studied two years at the University of Gießen * Daniel Davari (born 1988), Iranian footballer. *

Ernst Dieffenbach Johann Karl Ernst Dieffenbach (27 January 1811 – 1 October 1855), also known as Ernest Dieffenbach, was a German physician, geologist and naturalist, the first trained scientist to live and work in New Zealand, where he travelled widely under th ...

, 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 maxill ...

(1792–1847), German surgeon * Eduard Dingeldey (1886-1942), lawyer and politician *

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 *

Paul Karl Ludwig Drude Paul Karl Ludwig Drude (; ; 12 July 1863 – 5 July 1906) was a German physicist specializing in optics. He was known for the Drude model. Biography Education Born in Braunschweig, Drude began his studies in mathematics at the University o ...

(1863–1906)

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

specializing in

optics Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of optical instruments, instruments that use or Photodetector, detect it. Optics usually describes t ...

* Peter Düttmann (1923–2001), Luftwaffe Ace *

Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie Magdalene of Hesse-Darmstadt (20 March 1635 – 4 August 1709) was a German princess of Hesse-Darmstadt who became Electress Palatine as the second wife of Philip William, Elector Palatine. Biography Born at the ...

(1635–1709),

Electress Palatine The Electress of the Palatinate () was the consort of the Prince-elector of the Electorate of the Palatinate, one of the Holy Roman Empire's greatest princes. First Electorate, 1356–1648 House of Wittelsbach, Main branch, 1356–1559 Hou ...

* 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

Paul Gordan Paul Albert Gordan (27 April 1837 – 21 December 1912) was a German mathematician known for work in invariant theory and for the Clebsch–Gordan coefficients and Gordan's lemma. He was called "the king of invariant theory". His most famous ...

(1837–1912), mathematician, known for work in

invariant theory Invariant theory is a branch of abstract algebra dealing with actions of groups on algebraic varieties, such as vector spaces, from the point of view of their effect on functions. Classically, the theory dealt with the question of explicit descr ...

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 and the Van Pels family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. He perished in the Neuengam ...

(1889–1944), dentist, hid in the

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

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, rock band *

Friedrich Kellner August Friedrich Kellner (1 February 1885 – 4 November 1970) was a German mid-level official and diarist who worked as a justice inspector in Laubach from 1933 to 1945. Kellner was an infantryman in a Hessian regiment during the First Wor ...

(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 – 18 March 2003) was a German racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One at 11 Grands Prix from to . An employee of Daimler-Benz since the mid-1930s, Kling made his Formula One debut a ...

(1910–2003), racing driver and head of

Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Throughout its long history, Mercedes-Benz has been involved in a range of successful motorsport activities, including sportscar racing, touring car racing, Grand Prix racing, and rallying. It is currently active in GT racing, and Formula One. Mer ...

* 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 (born 1968) techno/electronic music producer and DJ *

(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 activist and politician. He was one of the principal founders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together w ...

* Sigmund Livingston (1872–1946), American lawyer, founder and first president of the Anti-Defamation League *

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

(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 politician, statesman and colonial administrator who played a very important role in the formulation of British foreign and domestic policy between the mid-189 ...

(1854–1925), British statesman *

Demis Nikolaidis Themistoklis "Demis" Nikolaidis (; 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 greatest forwards Greece has produced. I ...

(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 ...

(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 *

Manisch

Manisch is a dialect of

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

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 Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...

, 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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

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