Gießen
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Gießen (IPA: [ˈgiËsÉ™n]) is a town in the German federal state (Bundesland) of Hessen, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen. The population is approximately 71,000, with roughly 22,000 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.[citation needed] The greatest stream in Gießen is the river Lahn, that divides the town in two parts (west and east), roughly 50 kilometres north of Frankfurt.
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[edit] 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 Hessen-Marburg in 1567, passing to Hessen-Darmstadt in 1604. The University of Gießen was founded in 1607. Gießen was included within the Grand Duchy of Hessen, created in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. After World War I, it was part of the People's State of Hesse.
During World War II, a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp was located in the town.[1]. Heavy bombing destroyed about 75% 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 neighboring city Wetzlar to form the new city of Lahn; however, this attempt to reorganize the administration was reversed in 1979.
An American military base was located in Gießen after World War II. The U.S. Army Garrison Gießen, has a population of 500 Americans. The base is a converted German Army Air Field, which is reflected in some of the buildings, including the housing area. A theater, known as the Keller Theater, is a converted German army Officer's Club. As of September 28th, 2007, the Gießen Depot, and all other communities in the greater Gießen area were turned back over to the local German authorities. [2]
[edit] People
[edit] Education
[edit] Manisch
Manisch is a dialect of rotwelsch spoken in and around Gießen by people in lower income neighborhoods, some of which are known as "Eulenkopf", "Gummiinsel", "Heyerweg" and "Marienhütte". Approximately 700-750 residents spoke the dialect fluently as of 1976.[4] Although the dialect still influences the Gießen vernacular, it is nearly extinct in terms of fluent speakers.
[edit] References
