University of Göttingen Institute of Computer Science University of Göttingen Center of Computational Sciences Home  Staff  Open Positions  Research Groups  Publications  Education (ZfI)   News (ZfI)   Staff Open Positions Research Groups Publications Education (ZfI) News (ZfI) Portrait of Göttingen Tradition in Göttingen: Doctoral graduates kissing the Gänseliesel. 360° Göttingen From the Middle Ages to Modern Times Göttingen today would probably be an insignificant country town if the Elector George Augustus had not founded the university in 1737. Students still represent the heart and soul of the city and are central to the townscape: almost a quarter of the 130,000 inhabitants in Göttingen study and work at the George Augustus University. What attracts many to move to this provincial region is the university’s outstanding reputation and centuries-old tradition. The Ingredients of Academic Stars Alongside Tübingen, Heidelberg and Freiburg, Göttingen is one of the best known and oldest German university towns. Marble inscriptions located throughout the quaint and romantic old town attest to the city’s rich heritage in academic scholars while simultaneously serving to inspire younger generations of students. More than 40 Nobel Peace Prize winners and many historic personas have lived, studied and worked in Göttingen. The Grimm brothers are famous for their collection of German fairytales. Otto von Bismarck, founder of the German Reich and imperial chancellor, was also once a student. In addition, the features of the mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss were once the most widely encountered in Germany, when his face adorned the ten German Mark banknote up until the introduction of the Euro. In the late 18th century the university was the center of the Göttinger Hain, a circle of poets who were forerunners of German Romanticism. In the late 19th century its mathematical institute, headed over the years by famous mathematicians such as Carl Friedrich Gauss, Bernhard Riemann and David Hilbert, attracted students from all over the world. In the 20th century its physics faculty included Max Born, Werner Heisenberg and Max von Laue. Historic Idyll Göttingen was fortunate: contrary to many other cities following the Second World War, Göttingen encountered little destruction. Still today the historic center is marked by its gothic churches, striking renaissance facades and century old residences, with rust red roofs and halftimbered buildings, contained within the old city wall. For the university, the historic center has long since become too crowded. Today it is located on the city outskirts and is composed of functional structures from the 60’s and 70’s and postmodern architectural works made up of glass and steel. The “most kissed girl” Göttingen’s most famous girl is also closely associated with the university: the Gänseliesel or “little geese girl” statue is the landmark of the university town, who smilingly looks down from the market fountain. Tradition has it that doctoral graduates are to kiss the cool copper beauty following graduation. For the city inhabitants there is no doubt that the Gänseliesel is the most kissed girl in the world. Source: campus-germany, sponsered by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung.

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