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GIESSEN

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Originally appearing in Volume V12, Page 4 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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GIESSEN  , a See also:

town of See also:Germany, See also:capital of the See also:province of Upper See also:Hesse, in the See also:grand-duchy of Hesse-See also:Darmstadt, is situated in a beautiful and fruitful valley at the confluence of the Wieseck with the See also:Lahn, 41 M . N.N.W. of See also:Frankfort-on-See also:Main on the railway to See also:Cassel; and at the junction of important lines to See also:Cologne and See also:Coblenz . Pop . (1885) 18,836; (1905) 29,149 . In the old See also:part of the town the streets are narrow and irregular . Besides the university, the See also:principal buildings are the Stadtkirche, the provincial See also:government offices, comprising a portion of the old See also:castle dating from the 12th See also:century, the See also:arsenal (now See also:barracks) and the town-See also:hall (containing an See also:historical collection) . The university, founded in 1607 by See also:Louis V , See also:landgrave of Hesse, has a large and valuable library, a botanic See also:garden, an See also:observatory, medical See also:schools, a museum of natural See also:history, a chemical laboratory which was directed by Justus von See also:Liebig, See also:professor here from 1824 to 1852, and an agricultural See also:college . The See also:industries include the manufacture of woollen and See also:cotton See also:cloth of various kinds, See also:machines, See also:leather, candles, See also:tobacco and See also:beer . Giessen, the name of which is probably derived from the streams which pour (giessen) their See also:waters here into the Lahn, was formed in the 12th century out of the' villages Selters, See also:Aster and Kroppach, for whose See also:protection See also:Count See also:William of Gleiberg built the castle of Giessen . Through See also:marriage the town came, in 1203, into the See also:possession of the count See also:palatine, See also:Rudolph of See also:Tubingen, who sold it in 1265 to the landgrave See also:Henry of Hesse . It was surrounded with fortifications in 1530, which were demolished in 1547, but rebuilt in 156o . In 18o5 they were finally pulled down, and their site converted into promenades .

See O . See also:

Buchner, Fiihrer See also:fur Giessen and das Lahntal (1891) ; and Aus Giessens Vergangenheit (1885) .

End of Article: GIESSEN
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JOHANN KARL LUDWIG GIESELER (1792–1854)
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GODFREY GIFFARD (c. 1235—1302)

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