Marburg University

University of Marburg
Philipps-Universität Marburg

Latin: SCHOLA MARPVRGENSIS
Established	July 1, 1527
Type	Public university
President	Prof. Dr. Katharina Krause
Admin. staff	ca. 7,500 (incl. hospital staff - 2005)
Students	ca. 21,000
Location	Marburg, Germany
Website	http://www.uni-marburg.de

The Philipp University of Marburg was founded in 1527 by Landgrave Philip I of Hesse as the world's oldest university dating back to a Protestant foundation. As a modern state university it has no religious affiliation anymore.It was the main university of the principality of Hesse and remains a public university of that German state. It now has about 20,000 students and 7,500 employees, making Marburg, a town of 83,000 inhabitants, the proverbial "university town" (Universitätsstadt). Though most subjects are grouped, the University of Marburg is not a campus university in the broader sense.

Marburg is home to one of Germany's most traditional medical faculties. The German physicians' union is called "Marburger Bund".The department of psychology enjoys an outstanding reputation and reached Excellence Group status in the Europe-wide CHE Excellence Ranking 2009.

In 1609, the University of Marburg established the world's first professorship in chemistry. In 2012 it opened the first German chemistry participation museum, called "Chemicum". Its experimental courses program is aimed at encouraging young people to pursue careers in science.

History

The University of Marburg is one of the most historic of German universities. It was founded in 1527 during the Reformation by the 23-year-old Landgrave Philipp the Magnanimous as the second Protestant university (the oldest Protestant university existed from 1526 to 1530 in Liegnitz in Silesia). On July 1, 1527, the universale studium Marburgense commenced with 11 professors and 84 students in the former monasteries of the city. The goal of the institution was to educate "learned, able, and God-fearing persons, preachers, and officials for Christian benefit and the good of the common land." In addition to the leading theological faculty, faculties for jurisprudence, medicine, and philosophy were also established from the beginning.

Throughout the first three centuries of the university's changeful history, the number of students vacillated between 30 and 300. In 1866, both the university and the city of Marburg experienced a renascence when the province of Hesse was annexed by Prussia and the Philipps-Universit„t became a royal Prussian university. Within twenty years, the number of students in Marburg quadrupled, while the university premises expanded to include the clinics and institutes for natural science and medicine in the north quarter of the city. The so-called Alte Universit„t (Old University) on Rudolphsplatz, designed in the neo-Gothic style, was completed in 1879 on the site of the former Dominican monastery. A decade later, the Aula was added with its wall paintings depicting the history of the city and university. Over 1000 students were registered in 1887, 2000 in 1909, and 3000 immediately following World War I.

Like most universities in Germany, the Philipps-University underwent a decisive expansion after 1960 as increasing numbers of secondary school graduates sought to pursue a university education. At the same time-if not in the same proportion-the teaching staff was augmented and new buildings erected, including the auditorium and lecture hall building, the humanities complex on the Lahn river, and the university library, as well as the central Mensa (cafeteria), the Studentendorf dormitory, and the Konrad-Biesalski-Haus as the first dormitory for disabled students in the Federal Republic of Germany. In addition, the new complex on the hills above Marburg (the Lahnberge), built to accommodate most of the natural science institutes and the university clinic, was established as a second center for the university.

The long list of significant scholars and scientists associated with the University of Marburg throughout its nearly 500-year history includes the following:

Denis Papin, the French naturalist and inventor,
Christian Wolff, der Aufklärer, the Enlightenment thinker whose lectures in all branches of knowledge drew many students to Marburg even from abroad,
the Renaissance man Johann Heinrich Jung,called Stilling, founder and member of the institute for political science,
the legal historian Friedrich Carl von Savigny,
the chemist Robert Bunsen,
the neo-Kantian philospher Hermann Cohen,
der physicist Karl-Ferdinand Braun, inventor of the Braun tube (oscilloscope),
der geophysicist Alfred Wegener, who developed the theory of continetal drift during his time in Marburg,
Emil von Behring, founder of serology and recipient of the first Nobel Prize for medicine (1901),
the existential philosopher Martin Heidegger and
the New Testament scholar Rudolf Bultmann, leading proponent of the demythologization of Christianity.

Among the numerous Marburger students who attained notoriety are the following:

the composer Heinrich Schütz,
Michail Lomonossow, Russian Renaissance man and founder of the univeristy of Moscow, who married a woman from Marburg in 1740,
the Brüder Grimm,
the Spanish philosopher Ortega y Gasset,
the poets Boris Pasternak and Gottfried Benn,
the philologist Konrad Duden, pioneer of German unified orthography,
the chemist Otto Hahn,
the surgeon Ferdinand Sauerbruch,
the theologian Karl Barth, as well as
the statesman Wilhelm Liebknecht,
Rudolf Breitscheid and
Gustav W. Heinemann, friend of the later much-respected political economist Wilhelm Röpke.
One of the first woman admitted to the university in 1908 was Gertrud von Le Fort. Today, over 56 % of students in Marburg are female.

"I owe Marburg an der Lahn at least half of my hopes and perhaps all of my intellectual discipline," wrote Ortega y Gasset regarding his studies at the Philipps-University. Today, his words continue to motivate the alma mater philippina to develop and improve its scientific and scholarly profile.

The University of Marburg, established in 1527, is located in Marburg, Germany. The university is known as Philipps-Universitat Marburg in German. The university was founded by Landgrave Philip I of Hesse. This is the world’s oldest Protestant university. The university underwent an expansion after 1960. The University of Marburg's recent enrollment have been more than 19,000 students. The university offers undergraduate and graduate programs of study through the following academic divisions:

Biology
Business Administration and Economics
Chemistry
Education
Foreign Languages and Cultures
Geography
German Studies and History of the Arts
History and Cultural Studies
Law
Mathematics and Computer Science
Medicine
Pharmacy
Physics
Protestant Theology
Psychology
Social Science and Philosophy

The students of the university are involved in sports such as baseball, boxing, aikido, football, handball, judo, rugby, chess, volleyball, fencing, and badminton. The Marburg student symphony orchestra and Marburg university choir perform on a regular basis.

The notable alumni of the university include personalities such as Jurgen Habermas, sociologist and philosopher; Heinrich Anton de Bary, microbiologist, mycologist and surgeon; Daniel Gralath, physicist; Wolfgang Justin Mommsen, historian; and many others.

Faculties

Almost all scientific disciplines, with the exception of the engineering sciences, are represented at Philipps-Universität Marburg. The different disciplines are assigned to different faculties (formerly 21, today only 16, cf. Development of Schools and Subjects).

FB 01 - Faculty of Law
FB 02 - Faculty of Business Administration and Economics
FB 03 - Faculty of Social Science and Philosophy
European ethnology / humanities; philosophy including ethics; political science including social studies, politics and economics; religious science; sociology; ethnology; peace and conflict research.
FB 04 - Faculty of Psychology
Methodology and IT; general and biological psychology; pedagogical and development psychology; differential psychology and psychological diagnostics; clinical psychology and psychotherapy; social, work and organizational psychology
FB 05 - Faculty of Protestant Theology
Old Testament; New Testament; church history (including Christian archaeology and Byzantine art history; history of the Eastern Church); systematic theology, social ethics, history of religion; practical theology (including the Institute for Church Construction and Contemporary Ecclesiastical Art).
FB 06 - Faculty of History and Cultural Studies
Prehistory and early history; classical archaeology; ancient history; medieval history; recent history; Eastern European history; social and economical history; historic auxiliary sciences and archive science; Japanese studies; sinology.
FB 09 - Faculty of German Studies and History of the Arts
German language studies of the Middle Ages; modern German literature and media; German linguistics; Linguistic Atlas of Germany; musicology; history of art; Foto Marburg graphic archive; graphic design and painting.
FB 10 - Faculty of Foreign Languages and Cultures
English and American language studies; classical language studies; Latin of the Middle Ages and modern times; oriental studies and linguistics (ancient oriental studies, Indology and Tibetology; Semitic studies; comparative linguistics); Roman language studies, Slavic language studies.
FB 12 - Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
Pure mathematics; applied mathematics; computer science
FB 13 - Faculty of Physics
Applied physics; experimental physics; theoretical physics
FB 15 - Faculty of Chemistry
Analytical chemistry; inorganic chemistry; biochemistry; chemistry for teaching professions and sciences; macromolecular chemistry; organic chemistry; physical chemistry and radiochemistry; theoretical chemistry/computer applications in chemistry.
FB 16 - Faculty of Pharmacy
History of pharmacy; pharmacology and toxicology; pharmaceutical biology; pharmaceutical chemistry; pharmaceutical technology.
FB 17 - Faculty of Biology
Cell biology; microbiology; genetics; environmental protection; ecology; special botany and mycology; plant physiology and photobiology; animal physiology; special zoology and the evolution of animals; developmental biology and parasitology.
FB 19 - Faculty of Geography
Cartography; cultural geography; physical geography; geology
FB 20 - Faculty of Medicine
Human medicine; dental medicine; human biology; physiotherapy.
FB 21 - Faculty of Education
Education; theory and methodology of education in schools; sports science; motology.

List of subjects

The University of Marburg offers a broad spectrum of subjects with research highlights in nano sciences, material sciences, near eastern studies, and medicine.

Law
Economics
Philosophy
European Ethnology
Political science
Sociology
Religious studies
Peace and conflict studies
Psychology
Christian theology (Protestant)
Christian theology (Catholic)
History
Archeology
Sinology (moved to Goethe University Frankfurt)
German language and literature
History of art
Graphic design
English studies, American studies
Language technology
Classic and Koine (New Testament) Greek
Classic and Medieval Latin
Oriental studies (to be significantly enlarged in the near future), Indology, Tibetology
Comparative Linguistics
Celtic Studies
Romanic languages and literature (French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese)
Slavic languages and literature (moved to the University of Giessen)
Mathematics
Computer sciences
Physics
Chemistry
Pharmacy
Biology
Geology (moved to Goethe University Frankfurt)
Geography
Medicine
Dentistry
Pedagogy

Research

Research Profile

One reason for the international competitiveness of Philipps-Universität Marburg is the work of its outstanding scientists. They collaborate interdisciplinary and internationally. Our society for technology transfer, TransMIT GmbH, serves as a bridge between scientists and business.

The main research areas are

Material- and nanosciences
Life sciences
Neurosciences
Peace and conflict studies.

In addition, excellent individual projects shape our research profile. Collaborative Research Centres, scientific centres and collaboration with other institutions ensure high quality. It goes without saying that sound training of young scientists is essential, too.

Research Institutions

17 faculties with their institutes, departments and working groups, the interdisciplinary scientific centres, and the competence centres provide the basis of the research in Marburg. TransMIT Centres market the innovative technologies and services of the university.

Scientists from Philipps-Universität Marburg participate in outstanding interdisciplinary, national, and international research programmes:

Collaborative Research Centres
Research Units
DFG Priority Programmes

Independent Junior Research Groups
Junior Professorships

DFG Research Training Groups
Doctoral Programmes
Graduate Schools

Interdisciplinary Research

The great number of faculties at the University of Marburg is a good prerequisite for interdisciplinary research. Scientists from different fields collaborate in four sections. The individual projects and research teams sharpen the scientific profile of the university and are developed and coordinated within these four sections:

Law, economics and social sciences
Philosophy and cultural sciences
Mathematics and natural sciences
Biosciences and medicine

Focus on Research Areas

The university aims to strengthen its scientific excellence in five clusters of competence. Interdisciplinarity and internationality is particularly characteristic of successful research groups. An innovative study syllabus creates the basis for future-oriented scientific training.

Structure and function materials - from design to application
Molecular and systemic biosciences
Experimental, clinical and cognitive neurosciences
Order and conflict studies
Cultural studies

Structure and function materials – from design to application

Optodynamics
Nanosciences, nanotechnology
Chemical/biological hybrid compounds

Faculties and institutions involved: Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Pharmacy, Medicine, Scientific Centre for Materials Sciences

Molecular and systemic biosciences

Microorganisms in the environment and pathogenesis
Infection biology and clinical immunology, allergology
Cell biology and tumour research

Faculties and institutions involved: Chemistry, Biology, Pharmacy, Medicine, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology

Experimental, clinical and cognitive neurosciences

Cognitive and applied neurosciences
Experimental neurobiology and neuromedicine

Faculties involved: Physics, Psychology, Biology, German Studies and History of the Arts, Medicine, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science, Business Administration and Economics

Order and conflict studies

Faculties involved: Law, Social Sciences and Philosophy, Psychology, Protestant Theology, History and Cultural Studies, Foreign Languages and Cultures, Medicine, Mathematics and Computer Science, Education, Geography

Cultural studies

Faculties involved: Law, Social Sciences and Philosophy, Protestant Theology, History and Cultural Studies, German Studies and History of the Arts, Foreign Languages and Cultures, Education, Geography

Collaborative Research Centres (SFB) of the DFG

Chromatin Changes in Differentiation and Malignancies

Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (host university), Philipps-Universität Marburg, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Rainer Renkawitz, University of Giessen
University of Marburg: Developmental Biology and Parasitology: Prof. Dr. Renate Renkawitz-Pohl; Institute of Molecular Biology and Tumor Research: Prof. Dr. Uta-Maria Bauer, Prof. Dr. Alexander Brehm, Prof. Dr. Thorsten Stiewe, Prof. Dr. Guntram Suske

Pulmonary Allergies

SFB-TR 22
Since 2005

Philipps-Universität Marburg (host university), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Technische Universität München, and University of Lübeck/Research Centre Borstel
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Harald Renz (Faculty of Medicine)

Ras-dependent pathways in human cancer

Bayerische Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (host university), Philipps-Universität Marburg

Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Martin Eilers, University of Würzburg
Deputy: Prof. Dr. Andreas Neubauer (Faculty of Medicine)
University of Marburg: Prof. Dr. Thorsten Stiewe, Prof. Dr. Rolf Müller (Institute of Molecular Biology and Tumor Research)

Endosymbiosis : From Prokaryotes to Eukaryotic Organelles

SFB-TR 1
Since 2000

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (host university), Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Philipps-Universität Marburg
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Soll, LMU München
University of Marburg: Prof. Dr. Uwe Maier, Prof. Dr. Roland Lill

Mechanisms of cellular compartmentation and the relevance for disease

Subject areas involved: cytobiology and cytopathology, molecular biology und tumour research, pharmacology and toxicology, physiology, virology, parasitology and cell biologie
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Roland Lill

Expired Grants

Invasion Mechanism and replication strategies of infectious agents

SFB 535 of Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
Since 1997

Subject areas involved: virology, biochemistry, microbiology, molecular biology, genetics, parasitology, veterinary medicine
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Wolfram H. Gerlich, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
University of Marburg, Institut of Virology: Prof. Dr. Stephan Becker, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Garten, Prof. Dr. Andrea Maisner, PD Dr. Elke Mühlberger

Interaction, Adaptation and Catalytic Capability of Soil Microorganisms

SFB 395
1996 - 2007

Philipps-Universität Marburg, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology Marburg
Subject areas involved: botany, microbiology, molecular genetics, biochemistry, physiological chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Erhard Bremer

Multifaktorielle Nucleoprotein-Komplexe bei der Transkription und RNA-Prozessierung

Subject areas involved: molecular biology, molecular genetics, developmental genetics
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Rolf Müller

Intrazellulärer Transport und Reifung von Proteinen

Subject areas involved: anatomy and cell biology, biochemistry, molecular biology und tumour research, parasitology, virology
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Hans-Dieter Klenk

Mechanismen neuro-immun-endokriner Interaktionen

Subject areas involved: anatomy and cell biology, general and pathophysiology, immunology, molekular cell biology, virology, clinical pharmacology, neurology, surgery
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Voigt

Metallorganische Verbindungen als selektive Reagenzien in der organischen Chemie

Subject areas involved: organic chemistry, anorganic chemistry, chemistry of polymers
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Reinhard W. Hoffmann

Unordnung in Festkörpern auf mesoskopischen Skalen

Subject areas involved: material sciences, physics, semiconductors technology, physical chemistry, geology, crystallography
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Stephan W. Koch

Research at Marburg

Basics of innovative research

Top research in Collaborative Research Centres and scientific centres

Focus on main research areas

Interdisciplinarity

Internationality

Combination of basic research and application

Training and qualification of young
scientists

Excellent research

6 Collaborative Research Centres (DFG)

11 Research Units

6 Junior Research Groups

18 Junior Professorships

12 DFG Research Training
Groups, Doctoral Programmes
and Graduate Schools

11 Leibniz Prize Winners

Young Researchers

Training the next generation of scientists is the basis for future-oriented research. Doctoral students establish the basis for their scientific careers in DFG Research Training Groups, Doctoral Colleges, and the Max Planck Research School, a collaboration of the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and the University of Marburg. First-class supervision creates the necessary conditions.

Philipps-Universität Marburg aims for a structured graduate training for all young researchers.

Philipps-Universität Marburg annually awards six doctoral scholarships(http://www.uni-marburg.de/forschung-en/young-researchers/doctoral-scholarships) since 2006 (these are granted alternately to doctoral students of the humanities and social sciences, and to doctoral students of the natural sciences and medicine).Philipps-Universität Marburg annually awards its Dissertation Prize for four outstanding dissertations.

Promoting Research

The Office for Research and Technology Transfer informs about the current funding programmes of the European Union, national and international funding organisations. We assist you with the application or research agreements.

Here you will find information on programme calls, funding institutions, prizes and awards, and contact persons in the administration.

Scientists at the University of Marburg may subscribe to the e-mail service for research funding.

Data base and e-mail service: Informationsdienst Forschung, Internationales, Transfer - FIT für die Wissenschaft

Information on pomoting young researchers

Von Behring-Röntgen-Stiftung

Stiftung P. E. Kempkes

Research Funding Programme of Philipps-Universität Marburg (Forschungsförderfonds)

Botanical garden

Orto botanico di Pisa operated by the University of Pisa. The first botanic garden, established in 1544 under botanist Luca Ghini: it was relocated in 1563 and again in 1591

A botanical garden is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names. It may contain specialist plant collections such as cacti and succulent plants, herb gardens, plants from particular parts of the world, and so on; there may be greenhouses, shadehouses, again with special collections such as tropical plants, alpine plants or other exotic plants. Visitor services at a botanical garden might include tours, educational displays, art exhibitions, book rooms, open-air theatrical and musical performances and other entertainment.
Botanical gardens are often run by universities or other scientific research organizations and often have associated herbaria and research programmes in plant taxonomy or some other aspect of botanical science. In principle their role is to maintain documented collections of living plants for the purposes of scientific research, conservation, display and education, although this will depend on the resources available and the special interests pursued at each particular garden.
The origin of modern botanical gardens can be traced to European medieval medicinal gardens known as physic gardens, the first of these being founded during the Italian Renaissance in the 16th century. This early concern with medicinal plants changed in the 17th century to an interest in the new plant imports from explorations outside Europe as botany gradually established its independence from medicine. In the 18th century systems of nomenclature and classification were devised by botanists working in the herbaria and universities associated with the gardens, these systems often being displayed in the gardens as educational "order beds". With the rapid rise of European imperialism in the late 18th century botanic gardens were established in the tropics and economic botany became a focus with the hub at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, near London.
Over the years botanical gardens, as cultural and scientific organisations, have responded to the interests of botany and horticulture. Nowadays most botanical gardens display a mix of the themes mentioned and more: having a strong connection with the general public there is the opportunity to provide visitors with information relating to the environmental issues being faced at the start of the 21st century, especially those relating to plant conservation and sustainability.

Hospital

Although institutions for caring for the sick are known to have existed much earlier in history, the first teaching hospital, where students were authorized to methodically practice on patients under the supervision of physicians as part of their education, was reportedly the Academy of Gundishapur in the Persian Empire during the Sassanid era.

University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio is the primarily affiliate hospital of the Case School of Medicine

A teaching hospital is a hospital that provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, in addition to delivering medical care to patients. They are generally affiliated with medical schools or universities (hence the alternative term university hospital), and may be owned by a university or may form part of a wider regional or national health system.
Some teaching hospitals also have a commitment to research and are centers for experimental, innovative and technically sophisticated services.

Famous alumni and professors

Famous natural scientists who studied or taught at the University of Marburg:

Ludwig Aschoff
Emil von Behring
Ferdinand Braun
Klaus Bringmann
Robert Bunsen
Adolf Butenandt
Georg Ludwig Carius
Franz Ludwig Fick
Hans Fischer
Edward Frankland
Frederick Augustus Genth
Johann Peter Griess
Karl Eugen Guthe
Otto Hahn
Johannes Hartmann
Thomas Archer Hirst
Erich Hückel
Karl Hermann Knoblauch
Hermann Kolbe
Albrecht Kossel
Otto Loewi
Hans Meerwein
Ludwig Mond
Denis Papin
Otto Heinrich Schindewolf
Tawara Sunao
John Tyndall
Wilhelm Walcher
Alfred Wegener
Georg Wittig
Alexandre Yersin
Karl Ziegler
Theodor Zincke

Marburg was always known as a humanities university. It retained that strength, especially in Philosophy and Theology for a long time after World War II. Famous theologians include:

Rudolf Bultmann
Friedrich Heiler
Wilhelm Herrmann
Aegidius Hunnius
Andreas Hyperius
Otto Kaiser
Jacob Lorhard
Rudolf Otto
Kurt Rudolph
Paul Tillich
August Friedrich Christian Vilmar

Famous philosophers include:

Wolfgang Abendroth, Political Science
Ernst Cassirer
Hermann Cohen
Hans-Georg Gadamer
Nicolai Hartmann
Martin Heidegger
Hans Jonas
Friedrich Albert Lange
Karl Löwith
Paul Natorp
Christian Wolff
Eduard Zeller
Karl Theodor Bayrhoffer
Hans Heinz Holz

Other famous students:

Hannah Arendt
Karl Barth
Gottfried Benn
Gerold Bepler
Georg Friedrich Creuzer
T. S. Eliot (who had to quit a summer school in August 1914 - at start of World War I)
José Ortega y Gasset
Jacob Grimm
Wilhelm Grimm
Caspar Friedrich Hachenberg
Gustav Heinemann
Beatrice Heuser
Kim Hwang-sik
Helmut Koester
Wilhelm Liebknecht
Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov
Carlyle Ferren MacIntyre
Ulrike Meinhof
Boris Pasternak
Ernst Reuter
Isaac Rülf
Ferdinand Sauerbruch
Friedrich Carl von Savigny
Annemarie Schimmel
Heinrich Schütz
Manfred Siebald
Leo Strauss
Wilhelm Röpke
Konstantinos Simitis
Dmitry Ivanovich Vinogradov