Gießen is a city in the federal state of Hessen, 70 kilometers north of Frankfurt.

Hessen is Wisconsin’s sister state.

The University of Gießen, which was founded in 1607, now bears the name of the famous 19th century chemist Justus von Liebig.

Gießen has 72.000 inhabitants and a student population of 26.000, the highest student density of any city in Germany.

From 1958 to 1960, Elvis Presley was stationed in the US Army near Gießen, in the neighboring town of Friedberg. Although Elvis didn’t give any concerts in Germany, German teenagers idolized him and viewed him as a rebel.

The scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen taught at the University of Gießen. Röntgen is best-known for his discovery of X-rays, which are still occasionally referred to as “Röntgen rays” in German-speaking countries.

The Gießen 46ers are one of the most successful teams in Germany’s top professional basketball league.

Germany’s oldest dance-school (Tanzschule Bäulke) was founded in Gießen in 1787.