Gottingen

an old Hanseatic town in the Prussian province of Hanover. It is situated in the valley of the Leine, fifty-nine miles southeast of Hanover. Its commercial prosperity was destroyed practically by the Thirty Years' War. It is at present a city of about 30,000 inhabitants. It is noted chiefly for the celebrated university of the same name. The university was founded in 1734 by George Augustus of Hanover, George II of England. It was attended by many English and American students. Many noted men have been connected with this institution. Among those best known to Americans are the brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, who were expelled from the faculty for political reasons. Gottingen was the first German university to attract American students. Ticknor, Everett, and Bancroft studied here. The names of Emerson and Longfellow appear in the roll of the American colony. Motley, the American historian, and Bismarck, the German statesman, formed a friendship for life at Gottingen. The library contains 400,000 volumes and 5,000 manuscripts. A botanical garden and a museum are connected with the university. There are about 1,000 students in attendance.