Göttingen: A university with a city

'Extra Gottingam non est vita' - outside of Göttingen, there's no life. This statement, which is inscribed in the town hall's Ratskeller, sounds odd coming from such a small city, but Göttingen's 120,000 inhabitants have good reasons to be proud. At the top of the list: the university. An internationally acclaimed institution with a long history of academic success, it has been shaping Göttingen's daily life for almost 300 years. There's some truth to the notion that Göttingen isn't a city with a university but rather a university with a city.

Göttingen introduced

Göttingen, Photo: Flickr (cc) Moritz2803 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.

Overview of the universities

Mensa uni goettingen Flickr cc Bjoernstar Georg-August Universität of Göttingen
After its foundation in 1737, the University of Göttingen quickly attained a leading position in the academic world. As early as 1823, over 1,500 students studied here, making it one of the best-attended universities in Europe. Its history of attracting academic genius is just as impressive: 45 Nobel Prize laureates have studied or lectured in Göttingen as well as many other famous professors or students, such as Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Otto von Bismarck and Wilhelm von Humboldt, who later set up the University of Berlin.
The academic tradition continues today. The University of Göttingen has developed into a modern university, offering a wide range of courses in 170 departments and a comfortable study environment in the new campus just outside the old city center, where most classes are held. 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.

What Göttingen is like

Flórez Weidinger, Lope Andrés Lope Andrés Flórez Weidinger came to Göttingen after completing his Bachelor in Biology at Bogotá. Having a German mother, he decided to pursue graduate studies in her native country and went for the international PhD program in Molecular Biology in Göttingen.

Was Göttingen the right choice for you?

I had no idea what it would be like, but I quickly realized that I had made the perfect choice. I appreciate the combination between excellent science and leisure activities. The slogan 'City of Science' [Stadt, die Wissen schafft] wasn't chosen randomly. But Göttingen has everything else a student could ask for to enjoy life - with the added convenience of being a small and affordable city.

How are foreign students taken care of?

In my program, English was a prerequisite for admission. Göttingen is very international and with a good level of English it is possible to accomplish most of the tasks of daily life. German lessons are offered, if needed, but there is no better substitute than mixing with other students that speak the language or want to learn as well. We are well taken care of in Göttingen.

What about the cost of living?

As a city for students, I would certainly consider Göttingen affordable. The city is small so you don't need to spend much on transportation. The rents are usually low and most of the pubs and restaurants have prices that every student can pay. There are also many 'Mensas' [canteens] with very low prices.

What is Göttingen's nightlife like?

At first I thought I would miss that aspect, coming from a city as big as Bogotá, but I came to realize that Göttingen has everything a student can ask for: bars, restaurants, discos... there's even a bar where you can learn and dance Salsa! You can go out every night if you want, even on a low budget, and will always find a pub or disco open for you.

What's your favorite spot?

My favorite place is called Monroe's Park, which is a bar where you can play billiards, darts and other games with your friends while having a beer or two. If you are into soccer, you can also watch the important games on a big screen. I spent many wonderful evenings with my closest friends there and it will certainly be a place I would miss if I left Göttingen.

Did you know?

Gänseliesl, Photo: Flickr (cc) ShmiShmoo The 'most-kissed girl in the world' comes from Göttingen. It's a statue called 'Gänseliesel' and it stands smiling on the fountain in the market place. By tradition every post-graduate student who attains his doctorate must kiss the cool beauty.
Göttingen Mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss was one of the most familiar faces to Germans until 2002. His portrait graced the 10-Deutschmark bill, but his fame vanished with the introduction of the Euro in 2002.

Things to check out

Göttingen's town hall is the architectural gem of the city. The building dates back to the 13th century and it has been altered and expanded time and time again throughout the centuries. There are many decorative details worth seeing. The town council moved into new offices in 1978 and now the old building serves as headquarters of the Tourist Office. The 'Café Botanik' is a popular place to have breakfast. It's situated within the confines of the Botanical Gardens near the center of the city, which makes for nice post-meal walks. Just keep in mind that the place is usually packed. The 'theater for young audiences' (Junges Theater) caters to Göttingen's student crowd. It's the city's second theater venue after the more traditional 'Deutsches Theater' and the shows tend to be more experimental. Sometimes these experiments include the audience - so don't blame us for not warning you.