Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg |
The Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg (German Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; also known
as simply University of Heidelberg) was established in the town of Heidelberg in the Rhineland in 1386. The Latin name is Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis.
It is a member of the Coimbra Group and the LERU.
History
It was founded at the behest of the Count Palatinate and Elector of the
Holy Roman Empire, Ruprecht I, in order to provide faculties for
the study of philosophy, theology, jurisprudence, and medicine. The Great Schism in 1378, which split European Christendom into two hostile groups, was initiated by the election of two popes after
the death of Pope Gregory XI in the same year. One successor was in
Avignon (elected by the French) and the other in Rome (elected by the Italian cardinals). The German secular and spiritual leaders voiced their support for the
successor in Rome, which had far reaching consequences for the German students and teachers
in Paris: they lost their stipends and had to leave. Palatine Elector Ruprecht I recognized the opportunity and
initiated talks with the Curia, which ultimately lead to the creation of the Papal Bull of Foundation which can be considered the
establishment of the University of Heidelberg. On October 18, 1386 a ceremonial fair
commemorated the opening of the doors of the university. As a motto for the seal, Marsilius von Inghen, the first Rector of the
university chose "Semper apertus" - the book of learning is always open. At this point in time the city of Heidelberg could not have had more than 3500 inhabitants and in the first year of
existence the university had almost 600 enrolled. On October 19, 1386 the first lecture was held. Thus, the University of
Heidelberg is the oldest University within the current borders of Germany (not to be
confused with the oldest german university, which would be the University of Prague, founded in 1348 in the Holy Roman Empire of the German natio.
During the second half of the 16th century the University underwent a
flowering time and was converted into a calvinistic institution. It attracted
scholars from all over the continent and developed to a cultural and academic centre of Europe. However, with the beginning of the Thirty
Years' War in 1618, the intellectual and fiscal wealth of the university declined. In
1622 the then world-famous Bibliotheca Palatina, the library of the university, was
stolen from the Heiliggeistkirche (the University Cathedral) and brought to Rome.
It was not until 1803 that this decline stopped. In this year, the University was
reestablished as a state-owned institution by [[Grand Duke|Großherzog]] Karl-Friedrich of
Baden and since then bears his name together with the one of Ruprecht I. During the late
19th century, the Ruperto Carola housed a very liberal and open-minded
spirit which was deliberatly fostered by Max Weber, Ernst Troeltsch and a circle
colleagues around them. In the Weimar Republic, the University was
widely recognized as a centre of democratic thinking, coined by professors like Karl Jaspers,
Gustav Radbruch, Martin Dibelius and Alfred Weber. Unfortunately, there were also dark forces working within the
university: Nazi physicist Philipp
Lenard was head of the physical institute during that time. Following the assassination of Walther Rathenau he refused to half mast the national flag on the institute, thereby provocing its storming by communist students.
With the advent of the third reich the University, just lika all other
german universities, lost many of its professors (among them Emil Gumbel and
went into decline. But since Heidelberg was for the most part spared from destructions during the war, the reconstruction of the
University was realised rather quickly. With the foundation of the Collegium Academicum, Heidelberg became the home of
Germany's first and, until today, only self-governed student hall. Newly laid statutes obligated the University to "the living
spirit of truth, justice and humanity".
During the sixties and seventies, the
University grew dramatically in size. On the outskirts of the city, in the Neuenheimer Feld Area, a large campus for
Medicine and natural
sciences was constructed. Today, most buildings of the arts and humanities faculties are located in the old part of the town
while the largest parts of the natural sciences and medicine faculties buildings, including three large university hospitals, are situated in the Neuenheimer Feld.
Left-wing Student Protests
During the 1960s and 70s, the university developed slowly but ultimately to one of the core cells for the political rumors
among students (see student
protests), eventually even creating connections to the Red Army
Faction.
In 1975, a massive police force arrested the entire student parliament "AStA". Shortly thereafter, the "Collegium Academicum",
a progressive college in immediate vicinity to the universities main grounds was stormed by over 700 police officers and closed
once and for all. Although political actions of Heidelberg students have seldom occurred since then, the city still has one of
the highest ratios of policemen per capita in Germany and the student body has kept a
rather left-wing orientation. During the first and second gulf wars, the headquarters of the United States Army Forces in Europe, situated in the southern part of Heidelberg, was the
destination of numerous (peaceful) demonstrations by students, pupils and citizens.
Structure
Today, about 25,000 Students are enrolled for studies at the Ruperto Carola. More than 15,000 academics and over 400
Professors make it one of Germany's larger universities. After a structural reformation, the University, as of 2003 consists of 12 faculties:
Each faculty offers a range of different degrees which will change drastically in the upcoming years as a consequence of the
Bologna process. Apart from the faculties, a number of independent
research insitutes take part in the educational tasks. A very incomplete list of
them might include
- the German cancer research centre (DKFZ - Deutsches
Krebsforschungszentrum)
- the European Molecular Biology Laboratory EMBL
- Max-Planck-Institutes for Astronomy, nuclear physics, medical research and comparative public law and
international law.
- an interdisciplinary centre for scientific calculations (IWR
- Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für wissenschaftliches Rechnen)
- an institute for astronomical calculations (ARI - Astronomisches Recheninstitut)
- the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences (Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften)
As one can see from the aforementioned lists the Ruperto Carola is strongly dedicated towards fundamental research in
humanities, natural sciences and medicine. Although there are some links to commercial sponsors, the University depends mostly on
financial support by the state.
Alumni
Thinkers associated with the university
Scientists
Literates
See also: Mediaeval university
External link
|