The bronze goose girl was set up in 1901 in front of the Altes Rathaus on the market square. She has become the symbol of Göttingen, mostly because of the post-doctoral tradition that has earned her the unofficial title of 'most kissed girl in the world' — every new PhD graduate is supposed to climb the fountain railings and kiss her after their successful viva.
The market square around her is the centre of the Altstadt: cafés, the late-Gothic town hall, weekly markets, and a procession of students cutting through on their way between faculties.