Giessen, Germany
| Giessen | ||
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 Giessen
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Location of Giessen within Giessen district
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| Coordinates: 50°35′0″N 8°40′0″E / 50.58333°N 8.66667°ECoordinates: 50°35′0″N 8°40′0″E / 50.58333°N 8.66667°E | ||
| Country | Germany | |
| State | Hesse | |
| Admin. region | Giessen | |
| District | Giessen | |
| Government | ||
| • Lord Mayor | Dietlind Grabe-Bolz (SPD) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 72.56 km2 (28.02 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 155-304 m (−842 ft) | |
| Population (2015-12-31) | ||
| • Total | 84,455 | |
| • Density | 1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
| Postal codes | 35390–35398 | |
| Dialling codes | 0641, 06403 | |
| Vehicle registration | GI | |
| Website | www.giessen.de | |
| Largest groups of foreign residents | |
| Nationality | Population (2011) |
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 Turkey
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1,922 |
 Greece
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569 |
 Italy
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425 |
Giessen, spelled Gießen in German (German pronunciation: [ˈɡiːsn̩]), is a town in the German federal state (Bundesland) of Hesse, capital of both the district of Giessen and the administrative region of Giessen. The population is approximately 78,000, with roughly 24,000 university students.
The name comes from Giezzen, as it was first referred to in 1197, which refers to the position of the town between several rivers, lakes and streams. The largest river in Giessen is the Lahn, which divides the town in two parts (west and east), roughly 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of Frankfurt am Main.
In 1969, the town hosted the ninth Hessentag state festival.
Giessen came into being as a moated castle in 1152 built by Count Wilhelm von Gleiberg, although the history of the community in the northeast and in today's suburb called "Wieseck" dates back to 775. The town became part of Hesse-Marburg in 1567, passing to Hesse-Darmstadt in 1604. The University of Giessen was founded in 1607. Giessen was included within the Grand Duchy of Hesse created in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. After the First World War, it was part of the People's State of Hesse.
During the Second World War, a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp was located in the . Heavy bombing destroyed about 75% of Gießen in 1944, including most of the town's historic buildings. It became part of the modern state of Hesse after the war.
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