56 Pons (Latin ›bridge‹) refers to the old Camsdorf Bridge. Built in 1480, it was one of Germany’s largest bridges at the time. Originally, the bridge even boasted its own chapel. After its destruction in 1945, the bridge was completely rebuilt one year later and then fully restored in 2005. Vulpectula turris (Latin ›fox tower‹) is the keep of the former Kirchberg Castle on the hill opposite to Jenzig Mountain. According to a legend, the mountain is the little finger of a huge child which was buried under mountains by its mother due to its disobedience. It is illuminated at night offering an excellent point of orientation during the night. A walk up to this spot is one of the best ways to take a break from the stress and travails of student life. Weigeliana domus (Latin ›The Weigel House‹) refers to a house torn down in 1898 close to the city church (in today’s Johannisstraße). It gained its name from the seventeenth century professor of mathematics Erhard Weigel. The house had a wine pipe which transported wine directly up from the cellar, while sealed tubes and windows even allowed stargazing during the daytime. JOHANNISTOR AND HANFRIED Any guide to Jena would not be complete without these two famous local student superstitions: Students should not pass under the Johannistor arch, otherwise they will fail their next exam! The Johannistor, situated at the end of Johannisstraße and the only remaining city gate, used to be a favourite route for accessing Wagnergasse. The latter has been home to bars and inns for centuries. Anyone who passed through the Johannistor was guaranteed a hangover in the morning and probably a head far too fuzzy to pass an exam. Students should only cross the Market Square to one side of Hanfried—the one holding a book! You should never pass it on the sword side! Unfortunately, the origins of this legend have been lost over the decades. This is probably a nod of respect towards the Elector John Frederick, the founder of the University, and recognition that students should keep to the books instead of warring with a sword. STUDENT SONG: UND IN JENE LEBT SICHS BENE A folk and student song which has become synonymous with Jena is In Jene lebt sich’s bene. Although unmistakably historic (the water source mentioned in it is the Leutra, which is no longer used for washing the dirt of the city centre into the Saale), some of the perks of student life mentioned in the song still ring remarkably true.
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