Göttingen

Göttingen (http://www.eng.goettingen.de/) is a city in the southernmost part of the German state of Lower Saxony, bordering Hesse and Thuringia. The population of Göttingen in 2004 was 129,446, of which around 30,000 are students. It is best known for being the home of the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (http://www.uni-goettingen...), as well as the site where the prestigious Max Planck Society a German organization for scientific research was founded in 1948. The Max Planck Institutes for Dynamics and Self-Organization, for Experimental Medicine, for Biophysical Chemistry, and for History are all located in Göttingen. 44 Nobel Prize winners (http://www.gpneuro.uni-go...) have studied or taught in the city, and these and other notable former Göttingen residents are commemorated by white plaques on many buildings throughout the town. Its nickname is therefore the Stadt der Wissenschaft City of Science. Today, Göttingen is a charming university town, off the radar screen for most English-speaking tourists but well worth a visit.