Giessen Explained

Type:Stadt
Giessen
German Name:Gießen
Image Coa:Wappen Gießen.svg
Coordinates:50.5833°N 48°W
Image Plan:Landkreis Gießen Gießen.png
State:Hessen
Region:Giessen
District:Giessen
Elevation:159
Area:72.56
Postal Code:35390–35398
Area Code:0641, 06403
Licence:GI
Gemeindeschlüssel:06 5 31 005
Divisions:6 Stadtteile
Website:www.giessen.de
Mayor:Frank-Tilo Becher[1]
Leader Term:2021 - 27
Bürgermeistertitel:Oberbürgermeister
Party:SPD

Giessen, spelled Gießen in German (pronounced as /de/), is a town in the German state (Bundesland) 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.[2]

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 50km (30miles) 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,[3] 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. After the First World War, 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.[4] [5] [6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

Largest groups of foreign residents
Nationality Population (2011)
1,922
569
425

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany.

Giessen is twinned with:[9]

Points of interest

Sport

Giessen is home to the basketball 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 were founded in Giessen in 1975.[12]

Notable people

Education

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.[14] 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

References

Notes

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ergebnisse der letzten Direktwahl aller hessischen Landkreise und Gemeinden. de. 5 September 2022. Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt. XLS.
  2. Web site: Einwohnerstatistik . 2024-08-05.
  3. Giessen. 12. 4.
  4. Edward Victor. Alphabetical List of Camps, Subcamps and Other Camps.
  5. http://www.tenhumbergreinhard.de/05aaff9bed0fa4003/05aaff9bfd089e02d/index.html 1933-1945 Lager G
  6. http://www.lagis-hessen.de/de/subjects/idrec/sn/nstopo/id/2314 Hessian Regional History Information System (LAGIS)
  7. https://www.giessener-allgemeine.de/giessen/us-depot-mythen-reportage-fuehrung-12053967.html Das US-Depot als Ort der Mythen: Reportage und Führung
  8. Web site: USAG Giessen Folds Up Tent. 2008-05-08.
  9. Web site: Gießen: Städtepartnerschaften. Giessen: Twin towns. Stadt Gießen. 2013-08-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20130413071750/http://giessen.de/Rathaus_und_Service/Stadtinformationen/St%C3%A4dtepartnerschaften/ . 2013-04-13. de.
  10. Web site: Netanya – Twin Cities. 2013-08-01. Netanya Municipality. https://web.archive.org/web/20130201094809/http://www.netanya.muni.il/Eng/?CategoryID=1779. 2013-02-01.
  11. Web site: Twin Towns in Hampshire . Www3.hants.gov.uk . 2009-11-06 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091130120441/http://www3.hants.gov.uk/localpages/twintown.htm . 2009-11-30 .
  12. Web site: Pfadfinder – KPE.
  13. Book: Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896 . Marquis Who's Who . 1967.
  14. Hans-Günter Lerch, "Tschü lowi...Das Manische in Gießen", 1976/2005, pages 16-22.

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