Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [567]
There are taxi ranks at the Hauptbahnhof and at the northern end of Porschestrasse. Alternatively, call City Taxi ( 230 223). Zweirad Schael ( 140 64; Kleiststrasse 5) hires out bicycles for €15 per day.
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GÖTTINGEN
0551 / pop 121,500
Though short on sights, this historic town nestled in a corner of Lower Saxony near the Hesse border offers a good taste of university-town life in Germany’s north. It was founded as a village in the mid-10th century, and since 1734, the year the Georg-August Universität was established here, Göttingen has sent more than 40 Nobel Prize winners into the world. As well as all those award-winning doctors and scientists, the fairy-tale-writing Brothers Grimm (as German linguistic teachers) and Prussian chancellor Otto von Bismarck (as a student) could quite rightly take their place at an alumni evening of all-time greats here.
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Orientation
The circular city centre is surrounded by the ruins of an 18th-century wall and is divided by the Leinekanal (Leine Canal), an arm of the Leine River. The centre has a large pedestrianised mall, the hub of which is the Markt, a 10-minute walk east of the Hauptbahnhof.
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Information
Gö-Card (1/3 days €5/12) Discount card offering free public transport and discounts on tours and museums.
Post office Groner Strasse (Groner Strasse 15-17; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat); main post office (Heinrich-von-Stephan-Strasse 1-5; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat) Near the Hauptbahnhof.
Tourist-Information Göttingen ( 499 800; www.goettingen-tourismus.de; Altes Rathaus, Markt 9; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat, 10am-4pm Sun Apr-Oct, 9.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat Nov-Mar) Has the bilingual English-German brochure Göttingen Komplett (€1) describing walks.
Universitätsklinikum (University hospital; 390; Robert-Koch-Strasse 40) Medical services.
Waschsalon (Ritterplan 3; per wash from €3.20; 7am-10pm Mon-Sat) Laundry.
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Sights & Activities
Rather than having any urgent must-sees, Göttingen is a mosaic of attractions that you’ll most appreciate by walking around. Having existed since 953 at least, the town long had a protective network of walls and moats, and a walk around the 18th-century ramparts is recommended. These are earthy hummocks left from that time. It takes less than an hour to circumnavigate the city, the best starting point being the entrance near Cheltenham Park. This takes you past Bismarckhäuschen (Bismarck Cottages; 485 844; Im Hainberg; admission free; 10am-1pm Tue, 3-5pm Thu & Sat), where the town fathers reputedly banished 18-year-old Otto for rowdy behaviour in 1833. This incident is probably apocryphal, but it’s a matter of historical record that the future Iron Chancellor was later found guilty of witnessing an illegal duel. Nearby are two old water mills. The walk ends near the Deutsches Theater ( 496 90; Theaterplatz 11).
AROUND THE MARKT
The city’s symbol, the Gänseliesel (the little goose girl) statue is hailed locally as the most kissed woman in the world – not a flattering moniker, some might think, but enough to make her iconic. After graduating, doctoral students climb up to peck her on the cheek – in icy conditions, some graduates go straight to the local clinic to repair a broken limb.
The nearby Altes Rathaus ( 9.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Apr-Oct, closed Sun Nov-Mar) was built in 1270 and once housed the merchants’ guild; inside, later decorations added to its Great Hall include frescoes of the coats of arms of the Hanseatic cities and local bigwigs, grafted onto historic scenes.
BUILDINGS
Looking at some of Göttingen’s half-timbered buildings is a pleasant way to while away some time. Junkernschänke (Barfüsser-strasse 5) is the prettiest, thanks to its colourful 16th-century Renaissance facade, behind which is an upmarket restaurant (Click here). Haus Börner (Barfüsserstrasse 12) was built in 1536 and has the busy Börnerviertel alley