Founded in 1734 by George II, King of Great Britain and Elector ofHanover, and starting classes in 1737, the university is the oldest inthe state of Lower Saxony and the largest in student enrollment, whichstands at around 26,000. The university is highly renowned andrespected both in Germany and throughout the world. This reputation hasthus shaped Göttingen into a university city with a high student andfaculty population.

In 1734, King George II of Great Britain, who was also Elector of Hanover, gave his Prime Minister in Hanover, Gerlach Adolph von Münchhausen, the order to establish a university in Göttingen to propagate the ideas of academic freedom and enlightenment at the times of the European Enlightenment.