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Our ‘city tour is perfect for anyone eager to unravel Göttingen’s secrets while soaking in its most iconic sights. This adventure meanders through the heart of the old town, serving up fascinating snapshots of Göttingen’s landmarks that are not to be missed on any visit to this university city.
From the legendary Gänseliesel and the medieval Old Town Hall to the storybook half-timbered houses, the hallowed halls of universities and churches – this tour offers a comprehensive overview of the distinctive features and the cultural and historical highlights of the city center.
The Gänseliesel is rumored to be the most-kissed girl on the globe! This quirky tradition stems from the students of the Georg-August University, who, after acing their doctoral exams, parade through the city and climb up to the Gänseliesel for a celebratory smooch.
Interestingly, if it were up to the city's magistrate, the Gänseliesel wouldn't be gracing the square today. The tender design, created by Heinrich Stöckhardt and sculpted by Paul Nisse, only scored second place in the city's competition. Instead, a flashier design featuring a lion titled "In the Spirit of the Old/Virtue Fountain" by K. Mehs and H. Jehs was the magistrate's preference.
However, when the top three designs were presented to the public, the simplicity of the Gänseliesel won over the hearts of the people. They felt it was more in tune with the everyday folks, unlike the numerous statues of celebrated scholars around the Georg-August University.
On June 8, 1901, the Gänseliesel was quietly installed without any inaugural ceremony. The figure represents a young girl surrounded by geese and doesn't hold any particular connection to the city's history. Still, it was swiftly embraced by the university's students, who, back in the day, would clamber up the fountain post-enrollment to plant a kiss on the maiden. This boisterous ritual often caused a ruckus and occasional damages to the fountain, which (rather than any alleged decline in morals) was the cause for a kissing ban being implemented in 1926. Those found breaching this rule were fined 10 Reichsmark—a rule one student even challenged all the way to the Berlin Chamber Court, though he ultimately lost.
The ban technically still stands but is not enforced these days—as it was never really heeded in the first place. In 2001, the statue's centennial was celebrated with various activities, one of which was a staged council meeting that 'lifted' the kissing ban for a whole 100 minutes. Many Göttingers, students or not, seized the opportunity to peck the Gänseliesel. This 'fake' meeting, though, had no real legal impact.
Over the years, the kissing tradition has morphed. Nowadays, it's mostly doctoral students who, after passing their exams, climb the Gänseliesel fountain, adorn it with flowers, and give her a kiss for good luck. However, since 1990, it's been a replica they're smooching—the original has been replaced and now resides in the City Museum of Göttingen.
Every year since 1995, the city holds the Gänseliesel Festival. A new Gänseliesel and Mini-Gänseliesel are chosen to reign for the year. This open-Sunday event with numerous activities draws tens of thousands of visitors into the city center.
The Gänseliesel as a fairytale character owes its existence to a writing competition hosted by the Göttinger Tageblatt for the statue's 100th birthday on September 30, 2001. Sabine Lebensieg of Adelebsen won the competition, creating the one and only Gänseliesel fairytale out of more than 300 entries.
Ruft uns einfach an – unser Telefon-Service ist Montag bis Freitag von 10 bis 16 Uhr unter +49 551 499 80 0 erreichbar oder sendet uns einen Nachricht. Gerne könnt Ihr für weitere Informationen auch unsere Tourist-Information besuchen oder unserem Instagram Kanal @meingoettingen folgen.
Markt 8
37073 Göttingen
T +49 5514 99 80-0
info@tourist-info-goettingen.de
Mo bis Sa: 10 bis 18 Uhr
So (April bis Okt.): 10.30 bis 12.30 Uhr
So (Nov. bis März): geschlossen
Göttingen Tourismus und Marketing e. V.
Altes Rathaus
Markt 9
37073 Göttingen
T +49 5514 99 80-0
info@goettingen-tourismus.de
