Gänseliesel

Geschichte

The Gänseliesel is a fountain which was erected in 1901 in front of the mediaeval town hall of Göttingen, Germany. Although rather small in size, the fountain is the most well-known landmark of the city. Today, it is an essential part of graduation celebrations, for every student who finishes a doctorate at the George August University Göttingen has to climb the fountain and kiss the statue of the goose girl.A Gänseliesel is also situated in Monheim am Rhein, Hanover's Steintor Square and Berlin's Nikolsburger Square.HistorySince the 18th century, a fountain was located on the site of the Gänseliesel. However, the old fountain was partially pulled down in the early 19th century due to deterioration. In 1898, the city council decided to construct a new fountain, for which sculptors from all over Germany presented their proposals. From all designs, the neo-gothical proposal "Im Geiste der Alten/Tugendbrunnen" ("In the Spirit of the Ancients/Fountain of Virtue") by the sculptors Mehs and Jehs was favoured while the goose girl design by the architect Heinrich Stöckhardt was only ranked second place. However, after the official ranking the three best designs were put on exhibition. The citizens of Göttingen widely preferred the simpler design of the goose girl, probably because the simple girl image best represents the common people - in contrast to the numerous statues of famous university scientists found in the city. After long discussion, the Gänseliesel, then designed by the architect Heinrich Stöckhardt and created by the sculptor Paul Nisse, was finally put up in 1901 without any official ceremony. The Gänseliesel fountain does not have any particular connection to the history of the town. The Original of the sculpture is today in the Town Museum (Städtisches Museum)