Things To Do in Gottingen
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Gottingen Attractions
In the center of Göttingen, you can wander down narrow streets, looking at wide-eaved, half-timbered houses. Many of the facades are carved and painted, and some bear marble plaques noting the famous people who lived inside, such as the more than 40 Nobel Prize winners who temporarily made their home here.
Altes Rathaus (bus: 4, 8, 10, 11, or 14) was originally built for trade purposes around 1270, but it wasn't completed until 1443. Its highlights are the open arcade, the Gothic heating system, and the Great Hall, in which the people of Göttingen once received princes and dignitaries, held courts of law, and gave feasts. Marktplatz, in front of the Town Hall, is the most interesting section of Göttingen. Here, since 1910, stands the "most-kissed girl in the world," the smiling statue of the Ganseliesel on the market fountain. By tradition, every student who attains a degree must plant a kiss on the lips of the little goose-girl.
The Stadtisches Museum, Ritterplan 7-8 (tel. 0551/4002845; bus: 3, 8, or 9), chronicles the history and culture of southern Lower Saxony. The most intriguing exhibits are in the Göttingen history wing on the second floor. Surprisingly, the museum takes an uncompromising look at the town's Nazi past -- most German towns tend to downplay it. Everything is here, from Hitlerjugend memorabilia to pages ripped from the local Nazi-run newspaper. The museum is open Tuesday to Friday 10am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm. Admission is 2€ for adults and 1€ for children.
Gottingen Shopping
The commercial heart of town is Wenderstrasse and Grönestrasse, both of which are pedestrian malls during most of the shopping day. Here, you'll find an appealing roster of cafes and delicatessens selling sausages and cakes, as well as purveyors of the German-style good life. If you want souvenirs, the local tourist office sells T-shirts, cigarette lighters, beer mugs, and posters. Antiques are found at Bohm, Barfusserstrasse 12 (tel. 0551/4886988; www.sbohm.de). For the works of local and international painters and sculptors, try Galerie Apex, Burgstrasse 46 (tel. 0551/46886; www.apex-goe.de).
Gottingen Nightlife
The Performing Arts
The local symphony orchestra and boys choir are very active, and an annual Handel music festival is held in late May or early June. You can get information on schedules, venues, and tickets by calling tel. 0551/56700 or by contacting the tourist office. Tickets are 12€ to 133€.
For 100 years, the Deutsches Theater, Theaterplatz 11 (tel. 0551/49690; www.dt-goettingen.de), has been staging classical and contemporary drama. Its counterpart, the Junges Theater, Hospitalstrasse 6 (tel. 0551/495015; www.junges-theater.de), has produced experimental works for 40 years. Performances of both are held Tuesday to Sunday, with tickets costing 10€ to 15€ for adults and 7.50€ to 11€ for students. The box office is open Monday to Saturday 11am to 1pm and 6 to 8:30pm.
Bars
We recommend Ratskeller as the place to dine in this university center. Its beer cellar is also the most evocative spot to have a beer, or many beers if you like to drink as the locals do in this 600-year-old establishment. More half-liters are consumed here than at any other place in town. As you lift a mug, imagine that you're standing in the footsteps of previous patrons such as Otto von Bismarck, the Brothers Grimm (they were former faculty members at the university), or, more ominously, Werner Heisenberg, head of the German A-bomb project. One of the more offbeat social centers is KAZ (Kommunikations Aktions-Zentrum), Hospitalstrasse 6 (tel. 0551/53062; www.kaz-goettingen.de), where everyone from seniors to anarchists meet for drinks in one of the two on-premises pubs. One also serves traditional German cuisine; the other offers sandwiches. Within the complex, political forums, local discussion groups, and cultural associations meet regularly. Opening hours change with the seasons and the scheduling of volunteers and group discussion leaders, but in most cases, the center is open Monday to Thursday noon to 2am, Friday noon to 4am, and Saturday 11am to 1am.
Live Music
Live jazz is featured 1 night a week (exact night varies -- call for details) at the excellent Blue Note, Wilhelmsplatz 3 (tel. 0551/46907); on other nights, musicians explore blues, salsa, African, reggae, and other Caribbean styles. It's open Sunday to Thursday 10pm to 2am, Friday and Saturday to 3am. Cover for most bands is 10€ to 18€; cover when there is no live music is usually 5€. Popular with locals and students, Irish Pub, Mühlenstrasse 4 (tel. 0551/45664), hosts live music every night of the week, from local rockers to visiting Irish folk bands. The pub serves Guinness, Kilkenny, and hard cider. There's never a cover, and it's open nightly 5pm to 2am.
Student Taverns
A visit to Göttingen is traditionally capped by a trip to one of the student taverns, such as the cramped but convivial ADe, Prinzenstrasse 16 (tel. 0551/56545), open daily 6pm to 1am, or Irish Pub.
