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University of Leipzig


State-supported university in Leipzig, Germany, founded in 1409. In the 1500s it was a centre of Reformation thought, and in the 18th and 19th centuries it became one of Europe's leading literary and cultural centres, attracting such students as Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, and Richard Wagner. Between 1953 and 1990 it was named Karl Marx University of Leipzig.

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Columbia Encyclopedia: University of Leipzig,
at Leipzig, Germany; founded 1409 when German scholars withdrew from Charles Univ. It was reorganized in 1946, and in 1953 its name was changed officially to Karl Marx Univ. Since German reunification, it is again known as the Univ. of Leipzig. Its divisions include economics, law, philosophy, history, political science, cultural sciences, theoretical and applied linguistics, sciences, mathematics and computer sciences, and medicine.

 
Wikipedia: University of Leipzig

University of Leipzig
Universität Leipzig
Uni_Leipzig_-_Siegel.png
Latin: Alma mater Lipsiensis
Established 1409
Type Public
Rector Franz Häuser
Faculty 14
Staff 3,196 (2005)
Students 29,668 (winter 2006/2007)
Location Leipzig, Germany
Website www.uni-leipzig.de/

The University of Leipzig (German Universität Leipzig), located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony (former Kingdom of Saxony), Germany, is one of the oldest universities in Europe. It has a long tradition of globally orientated and culturally comparative historical research and third-level teaching.

The university was founded on December 2, 1409 by Frederick I, Elector of Saxony and his brother William II, Markgraf of Meißen, and originally comprised four faculties. Since its inception the university has enjoyed almost 600 years of uninterrupted teaching and research.

History

Founding

The university was modelled on the University of Prague, from which the German-speaking faculty members withdrew to Leipzig after the Jan Hus crisis and the Decree of Kutná Hora. The Alma mater Lipsiensis opened in 1409, after it had been officially endorsed by Pope Alexander V in his Bull of Acknowledgment on (September 9 of that year). Its first rector was Johann von Münsterberg.

Between 1953 and 1991, the university was called Karl-Marx-University.

University Library

The University Library of Leipzig was established in 1543. It is one of the oldest German university libraries and it serves as a source of literature and information for the University of Leipzig as well as the general public in the region. Its extensive historical and special collections are nationally and internationally recognized. The library consists of the main building "Bibliotheca Albertina" and forty branches situated near their respective academic institutions. The current stock comprises 5 million volumes and about 7.700 periodicals. Collections range from important medieval and modern manuscripts to incunabula, papyri, autographs, ostraka and coins.

Campus

The university's urban campus comprises several locations. The main building in the center of Leipzig went under construction in 2005; the blueprints for the new university building were drafted by Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat. The estimated total cost for the renovation project is 140 million euros. The new building is set to finish in 2009, right in time for the university's 600th anniversary celebrations.

Besides the faculties and institutions, there are several other bodies that serve the university: University Library, a university archive and administration, as well as a museum for music instruments and a university clinic. The university's Botanicher Garten (=botanical garden) was established in 1542 and it is the second oldest botanical garden in Europe. All in all, the university is present in 38 locations in Leipzig.

Former main building in front of MDR skyscraper

University library Bibliotheca Albertina

Academics

Today, the university has 14 faculties. With over 29,000 students, it is Saxony's second-largest university. There are now more than 150 institutes and the university offers 190 study programs leading to Bachelor's degrees, Master's degrees and Ph.D.s. Arguably, the Faculty of Medicine is the university's most renowned faculty.

The university offers a number of courses in English and there are several programs allowing foreign students to study abroad at the university. Current exchange partner universities include, among others, University of Arizona, University of Houston, University of Alberta, and University of Edinburgh.

There are two Master's programs taught in English: American Studies and Global Studies. American Studies Leipzig is one of the most distinguished programs of its kind in Europe. In the last three years alone, it has been awarded three prestigious international professorships: The Fulbright-Leipzig Chair for American Studies, the DAAD Professorship for American and International Studies, and the Picador Chair for Literary Studies. Erasmus Mundus Global Studies on the other hand, is a interdisciplinary, research-based Master offered by a consortium of four European universities: University of Leipzig, The London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Vienna, and University of Wroclaw.

Faculties

Anatomy auditorium of the Faculty of Medicine
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Anatomy auditorium of the Faculty of Medicine

The original four facilities were the Faculty of Arts, Theology, Medicine, and Law. Today, the university comprises the following 14 faculties:

People associated with the University of Leipzig

Notable faculty

Notable alumni

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Chancellor Angela Merkel
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Chancellor Angela Merkel

See also

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "University of Leipzig".  Read more

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