'''Gottingen'''[http://www.eng.goettingen.de/] is a city in the southernmost part of the German state of Lower Saxony, bordering Hesse and Thuringia. The population of Gottingen in 2004 was 129,446, of which around 30,000 are students. It is best known for being the home of the Georg-August-Universitat Gottingen [http://www.uni-goettingen.de/?lang=en], as well as the site where the prestigious Max Planck Society (a German organization for scientific research) was founded in 1948. The Max Planck Institutes for Dynamics and Self-Organization, for Experimental Medicine, for Biophysical Chemistry, and for History are all located in Gottingen. 44 Nobel Prize winners [http://www.gpneuro.uni-goettingen.de/download/NobelGoeList.pdf] have studied or taught in the city, and these and other notable former Gottingen residents are commemorated by white plaques on many buildings throughout the town. Its nickname is therefore the ''Stadt der Wissenschaft'' (City of Science). Today, Gottingen is a charming university town, off the radar screen for most English-speaking tourists but well worth a visit.

Get in

Gottingen lies in the very center of Germany and is easily accessible from most parts of the country. It has no airport, but can be easily reached by train [http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en] or car from larger cities that do. Gottingen's Hauptbahnhof is a stop on the ICE (Inter City Express) train line between Hamburg and Munich and also on the ICE line between Berlin and the South of Germany. Gottingen is approximately half an hour south of Hanover, two hours south of Hamburg, two hours west of Berlin, four hours north of Munich, and two hours north of Frankfurt.

Get around

Gottingen has an extensive bus network which criss-crosses the city center and extends out to the surrounding. Information about the city bus network is available from the Goettingen Verkehrsbetriebe [http://www.goevb.de] (under Fahrplanauskunft, click "Netzplan" for a map and "Einzelfahrplane" for schedules). A single ride within Gottingen costs ?1.80; for multiple trips, save money by asking for the ?5.90 "Viererkarte" (four tickets at once).

See

There is a nice self-guided City Walk on the city's tourism website [http://www.eng.goettingen.de/city/index.htm], which takes you by all the main sites. Highlights include:

  • '''Altes Rathaus''' (town hall), Marktplatz. Built 1369-1444, the Altes Rathaus was the town hall until 1978, and it now houses the Tourist Office. The coats of arms of other members of the Hanseatic League are painted on the walls.
  • '''Ganseliesel''' (goose girl), Marktplatz. This fountain outside the Altes Rathaus is Gottingen's most famous figure. She is known as the "most kissed girl in the world" since every local student who receives a Ph.D. gives her a kiss (after being dressed up with a silly graduation hat and wheeled to the statue in a handcart).
  • '''Churches'''. Four of Gottingen's churches can be seen from the metal "Vier Kirchenblick" (four churches view) in front of the Altes Rathaus (James's, John's, Alban's, and Michael's). Mary's is also worth a peek inside.
  • *'''Jacobikirche''' (St. James's Church), Jacobikirchhof and Weender Str. Built 1361-1461, St. James's has the most interesting interior of Gottingen's churches, with fascinating original paintwork (not unlike that of a barbershop) and modern stained-glass windows. The Ott organ is also impressive. It is sometimes possible to climb the tower, although the last set of stairs to the view may be blocked off - ask before paying a euro.
  • *'''Johanniskirche''' (St. John's Church), Johanniskirchhof. Originally built around 1200, St. John's is the oldest of Gottingen's churches, although it was mostly rebuilt in the 14th century (the north-side doorway dates from 1245). The interior is plain, although one of the two towers can sometimes be climbed.
  • *'''Albanikirche''' (St. Alban's Church), Albanikirchhof. Built 1423-1467, St. Alban's stands on the site of an earlier mission chapel. Hans von Geismar painted the altarpiece in 1499, and he added himself to the scene of Mary's death as the 13th apostle.
  • *'''St. Michael Kirche''' (St. Michael's Church), Kurze Str. Built 1787-1789, St. Michael's was Gottingen's first Catholic church after the Reformation.
  • *'''Nikolaikirche''' (St. Nicholas's Church), Nikolaistr. An English Catholic mass is held here every second Friday at 7 pm. The area around the church is also used for flea markets on weekend mornings in the summer.
  • *'''Marienkirche''' (St. Mary's Church), Neustadt and Groner-Tor-Str. The church bell tower used to be the gate into the neighboring city Neustadt (new city), which Gottingen bought in 1319. St. Mary's is probably older than that; it was formerly the church of the Teutonic Knights. The altar triptych was carved by Bertold Kastrop in 1524.
  • '''Georg-August University'''. The university is actually spread out in many sections around the city, though you see a couple of its buildings (the Auditorium and Aula) on the self-guided tour. Former staff and students include Gauss, Riemann, Dirac, Bismarck, Oppenheimer, Born, Hilbert, Teller, and Weyl.
  • '''Botanical Gardens''', access behind the Auditorium at Weender Str. and Nikolausberger Weg. These gardens, established in 1736, are well worth a visit for plant-lovers. The former city wall around the Altstadt (old city) is also a circular green area, popular with joggers. '''Gauss's grave''' is located on the southwest side.
  • '''Synagogue Memorial''', Obere-Masch-Str. and Untere-Masch-Str. This memorial, designed by Corrado Cagli in 1973, stands on the site of a synagogue that was destroyed in 1938. The names of Gottingen's Jewish residents who were "murdered" during the "dark time" are listed below an abstraction of the Star of David.
  • '''Half-timbered houses'''. Since Gottingen was not bombed during WWII, it still has many original buildings. Particularly impressive are the 1549 Schrodersches House (Weender Str. 62), the 1497 house at Paulinerstr. 6, the 15th century Junkernschanke (corner of Judenstr. and Barfuserstr.), the 1536 house on Barfuserstr. (between Judenstr. and Weender Str.), and the 16th century house at Groner-Tor-Str. 28, which was only recently revealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. (Half-timbering was regarded as unfashionable from the Baroque era into the 20th century, and many beautiful old buildings have only recently been discovered.)
  • Do

  • Check the city calendar [http://www.goettingen.de/kultur/index_calendar.html] for local events, or pick up a schedule in the Tourist Office in the old town hall. The symphony orchestra is impressive for such a small town.
  • One of Gottingen's public swimming pools, '''Badeparadies Eiswiese''' [http://www.badeparadies.de/eiswiese.html], is a roughly 20-minute walk south of the city (or a ten minute bus ride on line 4 or 14). But if you enjoy the water, they offer a plethora of swimming pools (indoor, outdoor, large, small, hot, cold), saunas, jacuzzis, and solaria.
  • The Gottingen forest (follow Herzberger Landstr. east) is full of pleasant hiking trails, as well as the Bismarck Tower, which you can climb for a gorgeous view in the summer (though you may need to ask directions, since the tower is hard to find).
  • Buy

  • '''Weender Str.''' is the main pedestrian shopping street, cutting north-south through the middle of the old town. In addition to the regular stores, there are often vendors out in the street, selling everything from jewelry to bowls to handmade furniture.
  • The weekly '''Wochenmarkt''' is on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings; look for signs into the square from Kurze Str. or Lange-Geismar-Str. It's the best place in town to buy local produce from Gottingen and the surrounding region. (Addendum, July 2008: Perhaps this should say "the second-best place", as today there is a health food store within the old town walls (and a second outlet just a few blocks to the east) that sells organically grown produce - and a lot of what you find there is gown by the people who run the store, and may have been picked that same morning. Boyer's Heath Food Store (Bioladen), Burg Strasse, between Friedrich Strasse and Theater Strasse. --> Added by a satisfied customer.)
  • In December there are two '''Christmas markets''' [http://www.weihnachtsmarkt-deutschland.de/weihnachtsmarkt-goettingen.html], one small one outside the train station and the other sprawling from the Marktplatz area to behind the old town hall and St. John's Church. You can buy a variety of traditional German gifts, mulled wine (''Gluhwein''), and German foods.
  • Eat

  • '''Anatre ''', Simon-Dach-Str. 113, Phone [0] 551 / 1760, deutsches Essen, you get served for 5-10 Euro/ person, Open Mo-So from 17.00 - 24.00,
  • '''Angkor ''', Weinstr. 110, Phone [0] 551 / 25173, thai food, 20-40 Euro/ person, without wine Open Mo-Sa from 12.00 - 23.00,
  • '''Austria ''', Hannoversche 57, Phone [0] 551 / 20055, deutsches Essen, that's where the locals go Open Mo-So from 12.00 - 23.00,
  • '''Belluno ''', Fredericiastrase 86, Phone [0] 551 / 20500, italian food, voted best deli in town Open Mo-So from 16.00 - 23.00,
  • '''Bua-Thai ''', Aberlestrase 37, Phone [0] 551 / 18599, thai food, >30 Euro, Open Mo-So from 18.00 - 23.00,
  • '''nastraj''', Dircksenstrasse 5, Phone [0] 551 / 11055, this place serves international food, that's where the locals go Open Mo-So from 11.00 - 24.00,
  • '''Rapido ''', Pfaffengrund 21, Phone [0] 551 / 2921, italian food, not too hungry person 10-15 Euro/ person, Open Mo-So from 16.00 - 23.00,
  • '''Risotto''', Rudolf Weg 45, Phone [0] 551 / 2025, deutsches Essen, $ 14 Euro/ person, Open Mo-So from 12.00 - 24.00,
  • '''Senti ''', Sredzkistrasse 48, Phone [0] 551 / 19100, deutsches Essen, >30 Euro, Open Mo-So from 12.00 - 23.00,
  • '''Zankynthos ''', Clayallee 75, Phone [0] 551 / 26932, greek cuisine, that's where the locals go Open Mo-So from 17.00 - 23.00,
  • '''Cafe Botanik''', Untere Karspule 1, 49-(0)551-2502858. This Persian cafe has huge bowls of spiced tea and delicious yogurt dips. The breakfasts are traditional German, not Persian, but are also excellent.
  • '''Cron & Lanz''', Weender Str. 25, 49-(0)551-56022. ''The'' place for delicious ''Kaffee & Kuchen'' (coffee & cake).
  • '''Da Claudio Eiscafe''', defintely the best icecream in town, Lange-Geismar-Str. 39 and Goethe Allee 25, 49-(0)551-5177452. Delicious Italian gelato for 80 cents.
  • '''Doner'''. Ask ''anyone'' in Gottingen and they will recommend their personal favourite of the many Doner kebab shops in the city. Highly recommended are '''Ararat Imbiss''' (Weender Str.), which offers a large variety of kebab dishes and great outdoor seating, and '''Euphrat''' (Dustere Str.), which has the cheapest Doner in town (?1.50).
  • '''El Sol''', Kurze-Geismar-Str. 9 (opposite the Junges Theater), 49-(0)551-5085725, [http://goettingen.el-sol.net/]. Reasonable Tex-Mex restaurant. (Addendum: The food is horrible. I had a decent Margarita there once.) Popular thanks to its extensive happy hours, during which it's possible to buy huge cocktails for ?4.
  • '''Maharadscha''', Gartenstr. 25, 49-(0)551-4886125. Good Indian dishes for around ?10. (Addendum: Prices have gone up a little since that was written, but the food is still good.)
  • '''Nudelhaus''', Rote Str. 13, 49-(0)551-44263. Although the sign might lead you to think it is Asian, the noodle dishes here are more Italian-inspired. The Biergarten is wonderful in the summer.
  • '''Restaurante Fellini''', Groner-Tor-Str. 28, 49-(0)551-4995936. The best Italian food in Gottingen. (Addendum: Not bad, but Trattoria Salvatore (Theater Strasse) is better.)
  • '''Zum Schwarzen Baren''', Kurze Str. 12, 49-(0)551-58284. Reasonably priced (and excellent) traditional German food. If you are only eating at once place in town (and aren't sick of German food), this should be it.
  • Drink

  • '''Irish Pub''', Muhlenstr. 4, 49-(0)551-45664, [http://www.irishpub-goettingen.de/]. Probably the best place in town for live music and to meet English speaking locals and ex-pats. It's also the only pub in Gottingen to serve Strongbow and the only bar in town to offer monthly karaoke evenings and whisky-tasting sessions.
  • '''Trou''', Burgstr. 20, 49-(0)551-43971, [http://www.trou.de]. If you want a more German experience, check out this atmospheric student pub, located in an underground cavern which was once a kind of student jail.
  • '''Gartenlaube''', Markt 7, 49-(0)551-47373. The best place in town to sit with a beer and people-watch in the summer.
  • '''Alpenmax''', Weender Landstr. 3-7, 49-(0)551 - 3706130. A twisted German schlager/apres ski theme club famed for the ?0.99 night on Wednesdays.
  • '''Champs''', Rote Str. 16 (in the Borner Viertel), 49-(0)551-5311383. The best sports pub in town. (Sorry, it closed down a while back! If any one knows of an alternaitve "sports bar" please feel free to add it!)
  • Sleep

  • '''Jugendherberge''' [http://www.jugendherberge.de/jh/goettingen/] on Habichtsweg, a twenty minute walk from the centre of the city, is somewhat austere and suffers from enforcing a midnight curfew; it is is, however, the only place you'll find in town where you can get a bed for the night for less than ?20.
  • '''Hotel Berliner Hof''' [http://www.berlinerhof.de/] on Weender Landstr., opposite the Shell petrol station, might be a more realistic option, with rooms starting at ?30. It is particularly well-located for those who are in Gottingen to spend time at the University.
  • Alternatively try out couchsurfing [http://www.couchsurfing.org/], since more than 200 couchsurfers are registered here.
  • Get out

    As mentioned above, Gottingen's location at the cross of two ICE train lines makes it easy to reach most other major German cities. There are also a number of smaller towns that are worth a visit, which could be seen on a day trip from Gottingen. For the local trains that go to these towns, you can buy cheap group train tickets that can be used for up to 5 people: the ?24 Niedersachsen-Ticket is good for all-day travel within Lower Saxony on any day of the week, and the 30? Schones-Wochenende-Ticket is good for all-day travel anywhere in Germany on a weekend day. You can reach any of these places on local trains in under 2 hours:
  • Goslar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with 1000-year-old silver mines and a palace.
  • Hamelin (of pied piper fame) has weekly reenactments of the tale on summer Sundays.
  • Hannoversch Munden is a small and charming town.
  • Eisenach is home to the historical Wartburg Castle.
  • Osterode am Harz is a good starting point for hikes in the Harz mountains.