Göttingen: A university with a city

Winding alleys in the old town centre, cafes and bars but first of all lots of students - that's what Göttingen is like. Should be fun to study in this lively and multicultural town!

by Katharina Mutz

Göttingen at a glance

The 'Gänseliesel' (Goose Lizzy), Photo: Tourist Info Göttingen

Göttingen was first mentioned in 953. The small village was an agricultural community until George II, King of England and Elector of Hannover, decided to establish a university there, which opened its doors in 1737. The excellent reputation of the institution not only put Göttingen on the map, it saved the city from being bombed by Allied troops in the Second World War - being put on the same level as Oxford or Cambridge.
Until reunification in 1990, Göttingen was a border town, only a stone's throw away from the 'Iron Curtain' that divided Germany into two parts for almost half a century. Yet unlike other cities, Göttingen was never marginalized - thanks to the international connections of its university. Despite its small size, the city has a cosmopolitan flair to it. Guests from other parts of the world are nothing out of the ordinary and foreign languages can be heard everywhere.
Just like Tübingen, Heidelberg or Freiburg, Göttingen is a city whose character has been forged by its university. It's the prototypical student town, bustling with pubs and street cafes, thousands of bicycles and even more students. Academic genius is commemorated everywhere - on statues and memorial plaques all over the romantic center of the town. Göttingen is a unique town with an intriguing combination of idyllic tranquility and a strong sense of activity.

Universities - Overview

Georg-August Universität of Göttingen

The university's auditorium, Photo: Schulz, Presse-und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit Uni Göttingen

Founded in 1737, the University of Göttingen has developed into a modern university, offering a wide range of courses in 170 departments. In addition to the traditional departments like physics, chemistry, law and medicine, there are four Max-Planck Institutes and countless special research institutes, including the newly founded Göttingen Center for Molecular Organic Sciences and the Center for Tropical Research.
The university extends into the sphere of daily life in Göttingen, as much due to its sheer size as anything else. The university and the hospital alone employ more than 13,000 people, and at the moment more than 24,000 students are enrolled at the university, of which 12% are international students. Take into account that the city has only 120,000 residents and you can imagine the effect of the university on the city.

University of Applied Sciences Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen
The 'HAWK' educates engineers in the high-demand technology, natural sciences and resource management sectors. It's spread over three cities and offers 16 bachelor degree and 16 master degree courses of study in six faculties and one department. Currently, some 5,500 students are enrolled, and they're taken care of by an impressive number of 200 professors and many more assistant lecturers. It's a family-friendly university with a model day-care service.

The Private University of Applied Sciences Göttingen (PFH)
This is a private, state-accredited university that offers both practice-oriented teaching and research in the areas of management, innovation and technology. It's aimed at training qualified junior managers, and as university rankings in newspapers such as DIE ZEIT show, it's one of the leading universities in the field of economics.

Recreation in Göttingen

Göttingen Kiessee (Gravel Lake), Photo: Tourist Information Göttingen

Although Göttingen is a small town, nobody has to suffer from boredom. Friends of culture as well as partypeople can enjoy a lot of different activities. Göttingen offers to his visitors not less than three theatres, from which the renowned Deutsches Theater presents at least ten premiers in one repertory season. Even during the break of repertory season in summer fans of theatre don’ t have to renounce new plays: During the cultural festival Göttinger Kultursommer there are lots of different ensembles performing. That way the waiting time to the winter repertory season won’t be too long. The ''Kultursommer'' is not the only festival Göttingen has to offer: Around Pentecost the International Händel Festival takes part - the oldest festival for old music worldwide. In summer the celebration of the historic city with a lot of live music bands attracts visitors, in autumn, shortly after the ''Frankfurter Buchmesse'' the literal festival Göttinger Literaturherbst takes part and in the beginning of November there’s a festival of jazz music.
In the evenings, too, Göttingen has a lot to offer: Plenty of pubs, bars and discos are waiting for all students and other partypeople. The Savoy, a disco that won the first price in the ''German Disco Award'', is especially popular with young people. You also gonna like the JT Keller, where you can hear guitar music, but also HipHop, Indie, latin and lots of other stuff.
Those, who prefer to relax, can find calm in one of Göttingen’s three botanical gardens. The Stadtwald with its Bismarckturm, too, is a very popular destination for a little trip in nature. If you aren’t afraid climbing the thirty meters high tower, you are gonna be rewarded by a spectacular view on the Göttinger Land and the valley of the river Leine.

Interview with Janja from Slovenia

Janja Kaucic is studying law at the University of Göttingen. She shared her experiences with study-in.

Janja, Photo: private

What made you decide to study in Göttingen?
Actually I didn't consciously decide to study in Göttingen but rather to study in Germany in general. To Göttingen I got by case.

How do you like your degree course?
I'm very satisfied with it. All my profs are very kind and helpful. No matter what: they are always theere for you. The employees in the secretary, too, show us foreign students always understanding. So far I made only positive experiences.

Do you have any plans for your future?
First of all I want to get my master's degree. What will come then, I don't know yet. In any case I will search for opportunities to stay longer in Göttingen. I like the town so much, that I don't want to go away from here.

What is it that you like so much about Göttingen?
The town is very beautiful and relatively small, so that one can find one's way easily. At the same time Göttingen is very international: You can meet here people from all over the world and get to know their culture. I love that. The citizens of Göttingen make the town so special.

Do you have any favourite places in Göttingen?
Everywhere in the centre of Göttingen it's nice. In summer you can barbecue in a park. Because the university offers a lot of opportunities regarding sports and language courses you have always the chance to meet new people.