Marburg University (German:Philipps-Universität Marburg) is apublicresearch university located inMarburg,Germany. It was founded in 1527 byPhilip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operatingProtestant university in the world.[5] It is now a public university of the state ofHesse, without religious affiliation.
Marburg University has 21,162 students (2024/25) and is located inMarburg.[6] It offers an International summer university programme and offers student exchanges through theErasmus programme.[7]
On 1 July 1527, thelandgravial chancellor Johann Feige formally inaugurated the university, which had been founded byLandgrave Philip I by decree on 30 May. At that time, it had eleven professors and 88 students.[8] The first rector was Johannes Eisermann, known as Ferrarius Montanus, a professor of law and assessor at the landgravial court inAmöneburg.[9] The same year, he granted the university the necessary academic freedoms. On 4 October 1541, the university gained financial independence through the deed of endowment. The following year, the Landgrave received the university privilege fromEmperor Charles V during theImperial Diet in Regensburg.[10]
The university initially used the former monastic buildings of theDominicans,Franciscans, andBrethren of the Common Life.[11][12] Landgrave Philip granted it privileges such as the right to send a representative to the regional assembly and exemptions from tolls and levies for university members.[13]
Until his death in 1560,Johann Friedrich Dryander held the chair of medicine at Marburg University. On 15 November 1565, Landgrave William IV of Hesse-Kassel appointed Georg Marius as professor, without the university’s formal consent. A second medical chair was added in 1566, filled by Victorinus Schönfeldt, who was already serving as professor of mathematics.[17]
Between 1580 and 1628,Rudolph Goclenius was professor of philosophy, logic, and ethics at Marburg University.[18]
WhenLandgrave Maurice of Hesse-Kassel, who had inherited the Landgraviate of Hesse-Marburg in 1604, converted toCalvinism the following year, the university was compelled to adopt the reformed confession as well (which it maintained until the end of its confessional alignment in 1866). This shift drove many Lutheran professors to the newly foundedUniversity of Giessen in 1607. In 1625, when Marburg temporarily came underLutheran Hesse-Darmstadt, the University of Giessen returned to Marburg University and was later closed.[19] On 24 June 1653, the university was reopened byWilliam VI of Hesse-Kassel, who moved the state’s university back from Kassel to Marburg, thereby closing the University of Kassel. In the years that followed, the university faced difficult times due to ongoingconfessionalization and financial hardship.[20]
In 1723, philosopherChristian Wolff was appointed to a chair at Marburg University after being expelled from Halle byFrederick William I. Despite opposition from parts of the theological faculty, Wolff taught in Marburg until 1740 under the protection of the Landgrave, before being recalled to Prussia byFrederick the Great. TheSeven Years' War later disrupted the university, as Hesse became a battleground and Marburg was fortified.[21]
By 1785, the university held special legal and political status: it had its own jurisdiction, ecclesiastical endowments, and a seat in the regional assembly. The Landgrave acted as rector, the finance minister as curator, and the senate consisted of representatives from theology, law, medicine, and philosophy, along with language and technical instructors.[22]
Marburg University experienced renewed growth during theNapoleonic era. In 1807, the Electorate of Hesse became part of the newly formedKingdom of Westphalia, a French satellite state. Although several universities within the new kingdom were closed, Marburg was spared and benefited financially from the redistribution of resources, particularly following the closure of the universities inRinteln andHelmstedt. The university library expanded significantly through transfers from Rinteln.[23]
In 1810, Westphalian authorities banned students from wearing regional colours and uniforms, triggering a prolonged conflict between students and the administration. In May 1811, around 200 students protested by marching toGladenbach, leading to the release of an imprisoned student and an official inquiry.[24]
After the return of theprince-elector in 1813, many reforms were reversed, including the dissolution of Westphalian administrative structures and centralised funding.[25] Influenced by theWars of Liberation, student movements promoting national unity and liberal ideas gained traction in Marburg. In 1816, the student societyTeutonia merged with local student associations to formGermania Marburgensis, though its development was hindered by theCarlsbad Decrees until the 1850s. Under prince-elector Wilhelm I, religious restrictions were eased, allowing the appointment of Catholic professors alongside Lutherans. Wilhelm II later granted full confessional equality, which contributed to rising enrolment. During the 1820s and following decades, the university expanded its facilities, including a new botanical garden, library, chemical laboratory, anatomical theatre, observatory, and clinics. The women’s clinic, begun under Hessian rule, was completed in 1867.[23]
Following the annexation of Hesse by Prussia in 1866, the university transitioned from a regional institution to part of the Prussian education system, benefiting from its reforms. At the time, it had 264 students (22 from outside Hesse) and 51 professors.[26]
Due to property constraints and a preference for using existing state-owned buildings, the university remained decentralised across the city rather than adopting a unified campus model. Student numbers rose steadily, reaching 500 in 1880 and surpassing 1,000 by 1887.[27]
By 1909, student enrolment at Marburg University had doubled. Although women were not yet formally admitted,Tadako Urata received a doctoral degree in medicine in 1905 under a special provision. The first academic honour awarded to a woman at the university had been granted in 1827 to Daniel Jeanne Wyttenbach, who received an honorary doctorate for her philosophical writings on aesthetics.[28] Formal admission of women began in the winter semester of 1908/09 with 26 female students; their number rose to 206 by the outbreak ofWorld War I.[29]
The war marked a major disruption. While 2,258 male students were enrolled in summer 1914, the number dropped to 1,899 in the following semester, with only 478 attending lectures. Within three months of war, the university had lost 55 students.[30]
In 1926, a chapter of theNational Socialist German Students' League (NSDStB) was established in Marburg. By 1931, it held a majority in the student council and led it from then on.[31] After the Nazi rise to power in 1933, 21 professors—more than a tenth of the teaching staff—were dismissed for political or racial reasons under civil service laws. Among them were notable scholars such as economistWilhelm Röpke, Romance philologistErich Auerbach, and philosopherKarl Löwith. Professor Hermann Jacobsohn, a linguist, took his own life in April 1933 following his suspension.[32][33] New racial and gender quotas were imposed on students, limiting Jewish enrolment to 1.5% overall and 5% for first-year students. The proportion of female students was temporarily capped at 10%.[32]
Following 1945, the university saw rapid growth in student numbers.[34] To accommodate demand, expansion efforts began in the 1960s, including new administrative, dining, and lecture buildings, and the relocation of the Faculty of Philosophy. A Faculty of Natural Sciences was founded on the newly developed Lahnberge campus, whose buildings were among the first in Germany to follow a prefabricated construction model known as theMarburg System.[35]
A nationally unprecedented event occurred on 1 January 2006, when theuniversity hospital was privatised and sold toRhön-Klinikum AG, a private healthcare company, following its merger with the University Hospital of Gießen.[36]
In 2012 the university opened the first German interactive chemistry museum, calledChemicum. Its experimental course programme is aimed at encouraging young people to pursue careers in science.[37]
In December 2023, the ceiling of a lecture hall in the Faculty of Law building collapsed.[38]
University libraryTheLahnberge Campus is dedicated to the natural sciences. The image shows theMultiple Purpose Building, home of the Departments of Mathematics and Computer Science, as well as laboratories for research into material sciences and physical chemistry
Marburg University is divided into 16 departments. In its early days, the university consisted of the Faculty of Theology, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Law, and the Faculty of Philosophy, from which the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences was separated in 1964. In 1970, under the Hessian Higher Education Act, these faculties were restructured into 20 departments. Following mergers after 1997, the present organisation comprises 16 departments, whose numbering is no longer consecutive.[39]
As part of theBologna Process, the University introduced a large number of new Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes. At the same time, the traditional degree programmes withMagister,Diplom and similar qualifications were discontinued.[40]
As per theQS World University Rankings of 2024, the institution is situated within the 761–770 range globally, and it holds the 40–41 position nationally.[54] According to theTHE World University Rankings of 2024, it ranks within the 401–500 bracket globally, while its national standing falls between 37 and 41.[55] In theARWU World Rankings of 2023, the university is listed in the 401–500 range worldwide, and it takes a national position between 25 and 31.[56]
The university is significant for its life-sciences research but is also home to one of the few centres that conduct research on the Middle East, the CNMS (Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies).
The university's research is illustrated by its participation in several SFBs (Sonderforschungsbereiche). These collaborative research centres are financed by the German Science FoundationDFG. They encourage researchers to cross the boundaries of disciplines, institutes, departments and faculties within the participating university. The current SFB at Marburg University are:[57]
SFB 1083 – Structure and Dynamics of Internal Interfaces (started in 2013, in cooperation with Donostia International Physics CenterSan Sebastián)[58]
SFB/TRR 138 – Dynamics of Security: Forms of Securitisation in Historical Perspective (started in 2014)
CRC/TRR 393 – Trajectories of Affective Disorders (since 2024)
Marburg University hosts several academic and research institutions:
Marburg University Research Academy (MARA) supports early career researchers through interdisciplinary training, funding, and career development services.[67]
The German Documentation Centre for Art History (Bildarchiv Foto Marburg) is one of Europe’s largest image archives for art and architecture, providing resources and services for museums, scholars, and publishers.[68]
The Democracy Centre Hesse coordinates efforts against right-wing extremism and offers a Master's programme in counselling within that context.[69]
The Research Centre Deutscher Sprachatlas documents and studies regional varieties of German and maintains an expansive archive of dialect materials from around 50,000 locations.[70]
The Centre for Gender Studies and Feminist Research, founded in 2001, promotes interdisciplinary work in gender studies and coordinates related academic programmes.[71]
The Botanical Garden, located on the Lahnberge campus, spans 20 hectares and includes extensive plant collections, research areas, and greenhouses; the Old Botanical Garden now serves as a public park.[72]
SYNMIKRO, the Centre for Synthetic Microbiology, advances research on engineering microbial functions, with applications in biotechnology and medicine, in collaboration with theMax Planck Society.[73]
TheOld University, housing the university church, the department for religious studies and a representative lecture hall
Students at Marburg University are represented by the General Student Committee (AStA) and the Student Parliament (StuPa), with additional representation at faculty level through student councils. Theuniversal transit pass (semester ticket), negotiated by the AStA, allows students extensive access to public transport in Hesse and neighbouring areas, including use of selectedInterCity (IC) andInterCity Express (ICE) trains.[74][75]
The university offers various student residences, including the Christian-Wolff-Haus,[76] the historical Collegium Philippinum,[77] and the Vilmarhaus, run by the Protestant Church. The Konrad-Biesalski-Haus remains notable for its pioneering accessibility for students with physical disabilities.[78]
Marburg was always known as ahumanities-focused university. It retained that strength, especially in Philosophy and Theology for a long time afterWorld War II.[79][80]
The university has been known for its life sciences since 2022 at the latest. In theTimes Higher Education World University Ranking 2022, it was ranked among the top 175 universities worldwide in the discipline of life sciences.[82]
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^Heer, Georg (1927).Marburger Studentenleben 1527–1927. Eine Festgabe zur 400-jährigen Jubelfeier der Universität Marburg (in German). Marburg: Elwertsche Verlagsbuchhandlung. p. 3.
^Heinemeyer, Walter (1977).Studium und Stipendium, Untersuchungen zur Geschichte des hessischen Stipendiatenwesens (in German). Marburg: Historische Kommission für Hessen. p. 29.
^Heinemeyer, Walter (1977).Studium und Stipendium, Untersuchungen zur Geschichte des hessischen Stipendiatenwesens (in German). Marburg: Historische Kommission für Hessen. p. 35.
^Heinemeyer, Karl (1977). "Die Marburger Kugelherren als Wegbereiter der Universität".Academia Marburgensis (in German). Vol. 1. Marburg: Selbstverlag Marburg. p. 2.
^Buchberger, Michael (1932).Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche (in German). Vol. 6. Freiburg: Herder. pp. 864–866.
^Fick, Richard (1900).Auf Deutschlands hohen Schulen – Eine illustrierte kulturgeschichtliche Betrachtung deutschen Hochschul- und Studentenwesens (in German). Berlin: Hans Ludwig Thilo. p. 320.
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^Hermelink, Heinrich; Kaehler, Siegried August (1927).Die Philipps-Universität zu Marburg 1527–1927. Fünf Kapitel aus ihrer Geschichte (1527–1866). Die Universität Marburg seit 1866 in Einzeldarstellungen (in German). Marburg: Elwertertsche Verlagsbuchhandlung.
^Nail, Norbert (2021). "Alles schon mal dagewesen: Pandemien und 'Lockdowns' im ersten Jahrhundert der Marburger Philipps-Universität".Marburger Geographische Gesellschaft Jahrbuch 2020(PDF) (in German). Marburg: Marburger Geographische Gesellschaft. pp. 163–181.
^Heyers, Rolf (1957).Dr. Georg Marius, genannt Mayer von Würzburg (1533–1606) (in German). Würzburg. pp. 25–30.
^Schmitz, Rudolf (1978).Die Naturwissenschaften an der Philipps-Universität Marburg 1517–1927 (in German). Marburg: Elwertertsche Verlagsbuchhandlung. p. 15.
^Schnack, Ingeborg (1977).Die Philipps-Universität zu Marburg 1527–1977 (in German). Marburg: Elwert. p. 91.
^Kaehler, Siegfried August. "Die Universität Marburg von 1653–1866".Die Philipps-Universität zu Marburg. 1527–1927 (in German). Marburg: Elwertertsche Verlagsbuchhandlung. pp. 224–266.
^Fick, Richard (1900).Auf Deutschlands hohen Schulen – Eine illustrierte kulturgeschichtliche Betrachtung deutschen Hochschul- und Studentenwesens (in German). Berlin: Hans Ludwig Thilo. p. 323.
^"Beschreibung von Marburg".Journal von und für Deutschland 1785 (in German). Frankfurt: 325. 1785.
^abFick, Richard (1900).Auf Deutschlands hohen Schulen – Eine illustrierte kulturgeschichtliche Betrachtung deutschen Hochschul- und Studentenwesens (in German). Berlin: Hans Ludwig Thilo. p. 324.
^Heer, Georg (1927).Marburger Studentenleben 1527–1927. Eine Festgabe zur 400-jährigen Jubelfeier der Universität Marburg (in German). Marburg: Elwertsche Verlagsbuchhandlung. pp. 98–99.
^Kaehler, Siegfried August. "Die Universität Marburg von 1653–1866".Die Philipps-Universität zu Marburg. 1527–1927 (in German). Marburg: Elwertertsche Verlagsbuchhandlung. p. 507.
^Siebe, Daniela (2009)."Germania docet": ausländische Studierende, auswärtige Kulturpolitik und deutsche Universitäten 1870 bis 1933. Historische Studien (in German). Husum: Matthiesen Verlag. p. 76.ISBN978-3-7868-1495-5.
^Metz-Becker, Marita (2010). "100 Jahre Frauenstudium an der Philipps-Universität Marburg".Studentinnengenerationen: hundert Jahre Frauenstudium in Marburg. Marburger Stadtschriften zur Geschichte und Kultur (in German). Marburg: Magistrat der Stadt. p. 19.ISBN978-3-923820-96-2.
^Lemberg, Margret, ed. (1997).Es begann vor hundert Jahren: die ersten Frauen an der Universität Marburg und die Studentinnenvereinigungen bis zur "Gleichschaltung" im Jahre 1934 ; eine Ausstellung der Universitätsbibliothek Marburg vom 21. Januar bis 23. Februar 1997. Schriften der Universitätsbibliothek Marburg (in German). Marburg: Univ.-Bibl. Marburg. p. 284.ISBN978-3-8185-0216-4.
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^abZinn, Holger (2002).Zwischen Republik und Diktatur: die Studentenschaft der Philipps-Universität Marburg in den Jahren von 1925 bis 1945 (Thesis) (in German). Cologne: SH-Verl. pp. 313–314.ISBN3894981105.
^Remschmidt, Helmut (2018).Kontinuität und Innovation: die Geschichte der Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie an der Philipps-Universität Marburg. V&R Academic (in German). Göttingen: V&R unipress. p. 358.ISBN978-3-8470-0831-6.
^Schnack, Ingeborg (1977).Die Philipps-Universität zu Marburg 1527–1977 (in German). Marburg: Elwert. p. 100.
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^Breu, Michael (4 October 2011). "Nobelpreis geht an einen Toten. Medizinpreis erstmals posthum vergeben".Basler Zeitung (in German). p. 12.
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^Hitzeroth, Manfred (10 November 2018). "Sieg mit mikrobiologischem Baukasten".Oberhessische Presse (in German).
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^"Felina Karle bekommt dank jahrhundertealten Rechts einen Platz im Collegium Philippinum in Marburg".Oberhessische Presse (in German). 8 September 2025. p. 4.
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Archive of the Philipps-Universität Marburg with matrix entries, historical directories of persons, historical lecture catalogues and articles on the history of Marburg University
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(in German and English)