When was Göttingen first mentioned in historical documents?
Göttingen first appeared in documents as the village of Gutingi in 953 AD. Holy Roman Emperor Otto I granted property there to the Moritz monastery in Magdeburg during that same year.
Questions about Göttingen
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who founded the Georg-August-Universität and when did it open?
George II Augustus founded the Georg-August-Universität in 1737 with its first classes beginning in 1737. The university became known as Georgia Augusta and eventually attracted more visitors than any other European institution during its early centuries.
What happened to Jewish residents of Göttingen during World War II?
The synagogue in Göttingen was destroyed during Kristallnacht on the 9th of November 1938. Many Jews who lived in the town were killed in Nazi German extermination camps.
How much damage did Allied air raids cause to Göttingen compared to other cities?
Only about 2.1 percent of the city ended up being destroyed when the war concluded. Historic old town remained practically undamaged while neighboring cities like Kassel faced repeated destruction.
Which Nobel Prize winners studied or worked at the University of Göttingen?
Max Planck won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918 for his work on quantum theory. Richard Adolf Zsigmondy received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1925 for discovering colloidal gold solutions.