Last day of the O-phase. Today we did a tour around the main campus. Visited the bibliothek (library). The library is enormous. I have not explored it entirely but they've got funny looking machines that are supposedly scanners but they look amazingly sci-fi. And then there is a part where it's just rows of rooms on the left and right down an aisle. You can actually book a room (not sure if it's just for pHd students but...) here and well, it becomes like your home, to do your studies and so forth. You get electricity so you can power your laptop or make some tea and there is a table with lights and all. A personal study room basically. With a key to lock yourself in. :)
I suppose the most interesting part was in the afternoon where we met one Mrs Sauter. She is well informed and a rather brilliant tour guide I must say. But of course, she is the wife of one of the Professors here and she is British so her English is exquisite. I think "we" gained a whole lot more info about Goettingen after having been on this tour.
So first off was to the old town hall at the centre of the city. She spoke of two great booms in this city. First was during the middle ages where trade was good (given its location) and was further boosted by the textile industry back in the days. Second was when the Georg-August University was founded.
We were given special access into one chamber in the old town hall where the council of the old would meet. Magnificent wall paintings, floor heating and hideaway safes decorate the room. The floor heating was something of a luxury back in the days as she puts it. The heating were through holes that were bored in the floor connecting the heating chamber located beneath. How it works is, a few days before the council gets together, the heating would be prepared by burning some firewood in the heating chamber below. After the fire settles, the toxic fumes get vacated through the holes (on the floor) into the upper chamber. Once that is done, everything is cleaned and put in order for the meeting. And finally, the heating can be used. It is also rather amazing how they go about with it. Given the robe-like attire they used (back in the days), a council member would sit with his robe covering the hole on the floor. Opening the lid on the hole would then release a rather nice warmth into his robe and warming the person up. Marvellous!
Then there was the history and traditions of Gänseliesel. It is widely debated that she is probably the most kissed girl in the world. And later, we went to the barfüßerstraße, which literally means barefoot street. Again, given the insightful tour guide we had, she explained to us that at every barfüßerstraße, there used to be or still exist an old Friar monastery along the street. Sadly though, the one here at Göttingen is no longer around.
She also showed us the jail that was used back in the days by the university. Back before the Third Reich (also known as Nazi Germany), there were three main courts: the common court, the military court and the university's own court (hence, the jail). It was a rather complex system where a commoner, a soldier and a student of a university could be tried at those three separate courts. One great story was that of a Canadian student. You see, when war was declared (WWII), friends became enemies overnight. So in order to save this fellow student from being thrown into some concentration camp (which might not guarantee his survival), the President of the university decided to lock him up under this university jurisdiction instead (which probably saved his life). He was the longest to stay in the cell which was for about two months (average students get a sentence of two weeks).
A little art from the students. This is one of eight cells, all with fabulous wall decos to match.
Back in the days sometime around 1838 to about 1938, these rooms were used by the university to keep misbehaved students. It became a kind of a right of passage, that one has not really "studied" here in Goettingen unless one has spent a night locked up in one of these rooms. Students would do bad things just to spend time here and away from classes.
And last but not least, we visited
St Jacobi Kirche. This church is amazing. It was of Catholic origin but after the
Reformation, the church was converted to one for the Protestants. As you know, protestants do not like images of Saints et cetera, but remarkably, parts of the old Catholic identity remained. It is indeed a weird place to be (a part Catholic-part Protestant church). I also noted an Easter candle which I don't think is one of the Protestants. Our tour guide explained that paintings and figures were used aplenty back in the days especially in churches to relay messages. In the olden days, people could not read, so this was a way of showing and relaying messages of the testament. Come to think of it, that does make a lot of sense.
If you do come to this small city. You must check out this church. It's amazing (second time I'm saying that). The Americans call it a candy shop and the Germans, a circus tent. And it's obvious why. The church required funding back in the days and scientific programmes were the best source. So one can imagine why the interior of the church (and possibly the exterior) is strange enough to be described as a circus tent. There are many optical illusions present in the church. So be marvelled when you do visit!