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

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

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 ...

, 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 i ...

, 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 it ...

. 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'' 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 be ...

in 1604. The

was founded in 1607. Giessen was included within the

Grand Duchy of Hesse The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (german: link=no, Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein) 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 18 ...

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 Fre ...

. After the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, it was part of the People's State of Hesse. 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 Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...

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

. 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 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 Nation ...

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

Justus von Liebig Justus Freiherr von Liebig (12 May 1803 – 20 April 1873) was a German scientist who made major contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry, and is considered one of the principal founders of organic chemistry. As a professor at th ...

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

* 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 (appr ...

club Giessen 46ers, five-time champion of the

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) ( English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL seas ...

. Its home games take place at the

Sporthalle Gießen-Ost Sporthalle Gießen-Ost is an indoor sporting arena located in Gießen Giessen, spelled Gießen in German (), is a town in the German state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of both the district of Giessen and the administrative region of Gi ...

. Also, Giessen has an American football team called Giessen Golden Dragons.

Religion

The Catholic 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 (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, attended the

* Annika Beck (born 1994), professional tennis player * Stefan Bellof (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 driver, who was killed during a race held in

Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), frequently referred to as ''Spa'', is a motor-racing circuit located in Stavelot, Belgium. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, hosting its first Grand Prix in 1925, and has he ...

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 c ...

(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 2015 ...

(born 1951), politician (CDU) * Helge Braun (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 Büc ...

(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 t ...

, 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 * Walter Dornberger (1895–1980), rocket scientist * Peter Düttmann (1923–2001), Luftwaffe Ace * Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt (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 * Jesko Friedrich (born 1974), comedy television actor and writer * Adolph Hansen (1851–1920), botanist and professor at

* Fritz Pfeffer (1889–1944), dentist, hid in the Anne Frank House 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 ...

(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 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 *

(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 The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been ...

, was born on March 29, 1826, in Giessen * Sigmund Livingston (1872–1946), American lawyer, founder and first president of the

Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...

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 Amer ...

(1720–1801) Baker General for the American Revolutionary War Army – Philadelphia * Alfred Milner (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 James Joseph O'Donnell (born 1950) is a classical scholar and University Librarian at Arizona State University. He formerly served as University Professor at Georgetown University (2012-2015) and as Provost of Georgetown University from 2002– ...

(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, 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 Friedrich Wilhelm Sievers (3 December 1860 – 11 June 1921) was a German geologist and geographer. He served as professor of geography at the University of Giessen. His field work focussed on South America, and his ''Allgemeine Länderkunde'' ...

(1860–1921), geographer, explorer, professor at the university * Henrietta Skelton (1839/1842–1900), social reformer, writer, organizer, lecturer *

Dieter Strack Dieter Strack (born in Gießen, West Germany) is a retired German professional basketball player who had a nine-year career at LTi Gießen 46ers where plays in the Basketball Bundesliga the highest German basketball division. Overall Gießen got ...

, retired German professional basketball player * 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 The University Hospital of Giessen and Marburg (') is a German university hospital based in Giessen Giessen, spelled Gießen in German (), is a town in the German state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of both the district of Giessen ...

* Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences *

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 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, nota ...

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