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Wikipedia / Giessen

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. 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. 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.

The city's civilian regional airport, having opened in 1924, was militarized following the establishment of the National Socialist Government in Germany in 1933, and became the founding place of the infamous Kampfgeschwader 55 Luftwaffe bomber unit during World War II. Closing the end of the European theatre of World War II, units of the 1st US Army reached Giessen by early April 1945. The captured airfield would be classified as "Advanced Landing Ground Y-84", briefly used for casualty evacuation and combat resupply by the X Air Service Command, Ninth Air Force. Following German capitulation on May 8th 1945, it was re-designated as "Army Air Forces Station Giessen" until June 1945, whereas the Ninth Air Force vacated the premises to allow the 56th Quartermaster Battalion of the United States Army Quartermaster Corps to converted it to the Giessen Army Depot. The Giessen Army Depot 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 housing buildings were converted for civilian use.

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, due to unpopularity by both cities' population. It was then part of the Darmstadt region (Regierungsbezirk) between 1945 and 1981, until the Giessen (region) was founded on 1 January 1981.

After the war, the city was twinned with Winchester, UK.

International relations

Giessen is twinned with:

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.

The handball club TV Lützellinden has won the women's Bundesliga several times, but was disbanded in 2006.

Religion

The Catholic Scouts of Europe were founded in Giessen in 1975.

Gallery

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 700750 residents spoke the dialect fluently as of 1976. 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

  1. Notes