Heidelberg is one of the most prestigious universities in Germany.[8] It is aGerman Excellence University, part of theU15, as well as a founding member of theLeague of European Research Universities and theCoimbra Group. The university consists of twelvefaculties and offers degree programmes at undergraduate,graduate andpostdoctoral levels in some 100 disciplines.[9] The language of instruction is usually German, while a considerable number of graduate degrees are offered in English as well as some in French.[10][11]
TheGreat Schism of 1378 made it possible for Heidelberg, a relatively small city and capital of theElectorate of the Palatinate, to gain its own university.[19] The Great Schism was initiated by the election of two popes after the death ofPope Gregory XI in the same year.[19] One successor resided inAvignon (elected by the French) and the other in Rome (elected by the Italian cardinals).[19] 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.[20]
Rupert I recognized the opportunity and initiated talks with theCuria, which ultimately led to apapal bull for foundation of a university. After having received, on 23 October 1385, permission from popeUrban VI to create a school of general studies (Latin:studium generale), the final decision to found the university was taken on 26 June 1386 at the behest of Rupert I,Count Palatine of the Rhine.[21] As specified in the papal charter, the university was modelled after theUniversity of Paris and included four faculties: philosophy, theology,jurisprudence, and medicine.[22]
On 18 October 1386 a specialPontifical High Mass in theHeiliggeistkirche was the ceremony that established the university.[21] On 19 October 1386 the first lecture was held,[21] making Heidelberg theoldest university in Germany.[23] In November 1386,Marsilius of Inghen was elected firstrector of the university.[24] The rector seal motto wassemper apertus—i.e., "the book of learning is always open."[25] The university grew quickly and in March 1390, 185 students were enrolled at the university.[26]
Between 1414 and 1418, theology and jurisprudence professors of the university took part in theCouncil of Constance and acted as counselors forLouis III, who attended this council as representative of the emperor and chief magistrate of the realm. This resulted in establishing a good reputation for the university and its professors.[27]
Due to the influence of Marsilius, the university initially taught thenominalism orvia moderna. In 1412, both realism and the teachings ofJohn Wycliffe were forbidden at the university but later, around 1454, the university decided thatrealism orvia antique would also be taught, thus introducing two parallel ways (ambae viae).[28]
The transition fromscholastic tohumanistic culture was effected by the chancellor and bishopJohann von Dalberg in the late 15th century. Humanism was represented at Heidelberg University particularly by the founder of the older German Humanistic SchoolRudolph Agricola,Conrad Celtes,Jakob Wimpfeling, andJohann Reuchlin.Æneas Silvius Piccolomini was chancellor of the university in his capacity as provost ofWorms, and later always favored it with his friendship and good-will asPope Pius II. In 1482,Pope Sixtus IV permitted laymen and married men to be appointed professors in the ordinary of medicine through a papal dispensation. In 1553,Pope Julius III sanctioned the allotment of ecclesiastical benefices to secular professors.[29]
As the 16th century was passing, the latehumanism stepped besideCalvinism as a predominant school of thought; and figures likePaul Schede,Jan Gruter,Martin Opitz, andMatthäus Merian taught at the university. It attracted scholars from all over the continent and developed into acultural andacademic center.[30] However, with the beginning of theThirty Years' War in 1618, the intellectual andfiscal wealth of the university declined. In 1622, the then-world-famousBibliotheca Palatina (the library of the university) was stolen from theUniversity Cathedral and taken to Rome. The reconstruction efforts thereafter were defeated by the troops of KingLouis XIV, who destroyed Heidelberg in 1693 almost completely.[31][32]
As a consequence of the lateCounter-Reformation, the university lost its Protestant character, and was channeled byJesuits. From 1712 to 1728, the Old University was constructed at University Square, then known as Domus Wilhelmina. Through the efforts of theJesuits a preparatory seminary was established, the Seminarium ad Carolum Borromæum, whose pupils were also registered in the university. After the suppression of the Jesuit Order, most of the schools they had conducted passed into the hands of theFrench Congregation of Lazarists in 1773. They deteriorated from that time forward.
Meanwhile, the university itself continued to lose in prestige until the reign of the last electorCharles Theodore, Elector Palatine, who established new chairs for all the faculties, founded scientific institutes such as the Electoral Academy of Science, and transferred the school ofpolitical economy from Kaiserslautern to Heidelberg, where it was combined with the university as the faculty of political economy. He also founded anobservatory in the neighboring city ofMannheim, where JesuitChristian Mayer labored as director. In connection with the four hundredth anniversary of the university, the elector approved a revised statute book that several professors had been commissioned to prepare. The financial affairs of the university, its receipts and expenditures, were put in order. At that time, the number of students varied from 300 to 400; in the jubilee year, 133 matriculated.
As a consequence of the disturbances caused by theFrench Revolution, and particularly because of theTreaty of Lunéville, the university lost all its property on the left bank of theRhine, so that its complete dissolution was expected.[33]
This decline did not stop until 1803, when the university was reestablished as a state-owned institution byKarl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden, to whom the part of the Palatinate situated on the right bank of the Rhine was allotted. Since then, the university bears his name together with the name ofRuprecht I. Karl Friedrich divided the university into five faculties and placed himself at its head as rector, as did also his successors. During this decade,Romanticism found expression in Heidelberg throughClemens Brentano,Achim von Arnim,Ludwig Tieck,Joseph Görres, andJoseph von Eichendorff, and there went forth a revival of the GermanMiddle Ages in speech, poetry, and art.[30]
The Old Assembly Hall or "Great Hall" was redesigned in 1886 in celebration of the university's quincentenary.
The GermanStudents Association exerted great influence, which was at first patriotic and later political. After Romanticism had eventually died out, Heidelberg became a center of Liberalism and the movement in favor of German national unity.[30] The historiansFriedrich Christoph Schlosser andGeorg Gottfried Gervinus were the guides of the nation inpolitical history. The modern scientific schools of medicine andnatural science, particularlyastronomy, were models in point of construction and equipment, and Heidelberg University was especially noted for its influential law school.[33] The university as a whole became the role model for the transformation of Americanliberal arts colleges intoresearch universities, in particular for the then-newly establishedJohns Hopkins University.[34] Heidelberg's professors were important supporters of theVormärz revolution and many of them were members of the first freely elected German parliament, theFrankfurt Parliament of 1848. During the late 19th century, the university housed a very liberal and open-minded spirit, which was deliberately fostered byMax Weber,Ernst Troeltsch and a circle of colleagues around them.
In February 1900, theGrand Duchy of Baden issued a decree that gave women the right to access universities in Baden. Thus, the universities of Freiburg and Heidelberg were the first ones to allowwomen to study.
After the establishment ofNazi Germany in 1933, the university supportedAdolf Hitler and theNazis like all other German universities at the time. It dismissed a large number of staff and students for political and racial reasons. Many dissident fellows had to emigrate and most Jewish andCommunist professors who did not leave Germany were deported. At least two professors directly fell victim to Nazi terror.[35] On 17 May 1933, members of the university faculty and students took part inbook burnings atUniversitätsplatz ('University Square')[36] and Heidelberg eventually became infamous as aNSDAP university. The inscription above the main entrance of the New University was changed from "The Living Spirit" to "The German Spirit",[37] and many professors paid homage to the new motto. The university was involved inNazi eugenics: forced sterilizations were carried out at the women's clinic and the psychiatric clinic, then directed byCarl Schneider, was involved inAction T4Euthanasia program.[38][39]
The heads of the university helped in the deportation of Jewish men, women and children directly to the gas chambers.[citation needed]
Since Heidelberg was spared from destruction during World War II, the reconstruction of the university was realized rather quickly. With the foundation of the Collegium Academicum, Heidelberg University became the home of Germany's first and, until today, only self-governed student hall. Newly laid statutes obliged the university to "The Living Spirit of Truth, Justice and Humanity".[31]
During the 1960s and 1970s, the university grew dramatically in size. At this time, it developed into one of the main scenes of the left-wingstudent protests in Germany.[40] In 1975, a massive police force arrested the entire student parliamentAStA. Shortly thereafter, the building of the Collegium Academicum, a progressive college in immediate vicinity to the university's main grounds, was stormed by over 700 police officers and closed once and for all. On the outskirts of the city, in the Neuenheimer Feld area, a large campus for medicine andnatural sciences was constructed.[31]
Today, about 29,000 students are enrolled for studies at Heidelberg University.[41] There are 4,196 full-time faculty, including 476 university professors.[17] In 2007, and again in 2012, the university was appointedUniversity of Excellence under an initiative started by theFederal Ministry of Education and Research and theGerman Research Foundation. This enhanced the German university system by establishing a small network of exceptionally well-funded universities, which are expected to generate strong international appeal.[42]
"I saw Heidelberg on a perfectly clear morning, with a pleasant air both cool and invigorating. The city, just so, with the totality of its ambiance is, one might say, something ideal."
Heidelberg is a city with approximately 140,000 inhabitants. It is situated in theRhine Neckar Triangle, aEuropean metropolitan area with approximately 2.4 million people living there, comprising the neighboring cities ofHeidelberg,Mannheim,Ludwigshafen, and a number of smaller towns in the perimeter. Heidelberg is known as the cradle ofRomanticism, and its old town andcastle are among the most frequented tourist destinations in Germany. Its pedestrian zone is a shopping and night life magnet for the surrounding area and beyond. Heidelberg is about 40 minutes by train away fromFrankfurt International Airport.[45]Heidelberg University's facilities are, generally speaking, separated in two parts. The faculties and institutes of humanities and social sciences are embedded in the Old Town Campus. The sciences faculties and the medical school, including three large university hospitals, are located on the New Campus in the Neuenheimer Feld on the outskirts of Heidelberg.[46]
The New University of 1931 as seen from the Old University
The so-called New University is regarded as the center of the Old Town Campus. It is situated at theUniversitätsplatz (University Square) in the pedestrian zone, in direct vicinity to the University Library and to the main administration buildings. The New University was officially opened in 1931. Its erection was largely financed by donations of wealthy American families, in line with a fundraising campaign ofJacob Gould Schurman, an alumnus of Heidelberg University and formerUnited States Ambassador to Germany.[47] It houses the new assembly hall, the largest lecture halls, and a number of smaller seminar rooms, mostly used by faculties of humanities and social sciences. Education in humanities and social sciences takes place to a great extent in buildings spread over the ancient part of town, though most are less than ten minutes walk from University Square. The faculties maintain their own extensive libraries and work spaces for students. Seminars and tutorials are usually held in the faculty buildings.[46]
In the 1960s the university started building a new campus near the city district Neuenheim, called the Neuenheimer Feld. It is today the largest part of the university, and the largest campus for natural sciences and life science in Germany.[17] Almost all science faculties and institutes, the medical school,University Hospital Heidelberg, and the science branch of the University Library are situated on the New Campus. Most of the dormitories and the athletic facilities of the university can be found there as well.
Several independent research institutes, such as theGerman Cancer Research Center and two of theMax-Planck-Institutes have settled there. The New Campus is also the seat of several biomedical spin-off companies. The old part of town can be reached by tram and bus in about 10 minutes. The Neuenheimer Feld campus has extensive parking lots for faculty and student vehicles for long term and short term parking, as well as visitors and patients of the various university hospitals. The Faculty of Physics and Astronomy is not located on either campus, but on thePhilosophers' Walk, separated from the Old Town by the River Neckar, and some 2 km (1.2 mi) away from the New Campus. It also maintains observatory facilities on theKönigstuhl Mountain.[46]
The Bergheim Campus houses Economics and the Social Sciences.
The Bergheim Campus is located in the former Ludolf Krehl clinic (named afterLudolf von Krehl) in the inner-city suburb ofHeidelberg-Bergheim. Since March 2009 it has housed the institutes economics, political science, and sociology (together the Heidelberg University Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences) that formerly resided at the Old Town campus. The Bergheim campus offers one lecture theatre, several seminar rooms, the most modern of the university libraries, and a cafe (rather than the full cafeteria present in the other campuses). Since 2019, the Bergheim Campus has also become the location of theCentre for Asian and Transcultural Studies of the Heidelberg University.
The main building of the University Library, built in 1905
The University Library is the main library of the university. Together with the branch libraries, serving the faculties and institutes, it forms the integral university library system comprising approximately 6.2 million printed volumes. The University Library's holdings exceeded one million in 1934. Today, it comprises about 3.2 million books, about 500,000 other media such as microfilms and video tapes, as well as 6,000 printed scientific periodicals. Moreover, it has 6,900 manuscripts, 1,800incunabula, 110,500autographs, and a collection of old maps, paintings, and photographs. Furthermore, the 38 branch libraries add another 3.0 million printed books. In 2022, 43,600 active users accessed 746,000 books. Additionally, the University Library provides a wide array of online resources, among them 152,000 scientifice-journals.[49]
The origins of today's University Library date back to 1386, the year the university was founded. Surrounding the new university, the libraries of the faculty of the arts, the three higher faculties (theology, law, medicine) and the collegiate library grew. The acquisition of a box of records, which was housed in theHeiliggeistkirche, through the rector,Marsilius of Inghen, in 1388 contributed fundamentally to the development of the library. In the 16th century,Otto Henry, Elector Palatine, combined the miscellaneous book collections accrued since the foundation of the university with the princely library housed inHeidelberg Castle to form theBibliotheca Palatina and made them publicly accessible in the galleries of theHeiliggeistkirche. Among these collections, inherited records of the Fuggers (Augsburg, Ulrich Fugger the Elder) wereof particular importance. The majority of the library holdings, which enjoyed great contemporary renown, was looted during theThirty Years' War, transported toRome and was gifted toPope Gregory XV by the victoriousMaximilian I, Elector of Bavaria in 1622. After the secularization in 1804, the holdings of the monasteries of Salem and Petershausen formed the foundation of the reconstruction of the library collection in the 19th century. In 1816, 847 German-language manuscripts from theBibliotheca Palatina returned to Heidelberg. As part of an exchange, theCodex Manesse, which had ended up in the Royal Library in Paris, followed in 1888.Karl Zangemeister (1837–1902) became the first full-time head of the university library in 1912. Based on the designs of architect Joseph Durum, a dedicated library building, a richly ornamented, four-winged red sandstone construction, was erected from 1901 to 1905. In 1978, a branch library opened in the Neuenheimer Feld, serving the institutes of natural sciences and medicine.
Since 2021, all manuscripts of theBibliotheca Palatina are accessible digitally online (848 German-language Palatina manuscripts, 2,030 Latin, 423 Greek, 267 Hebrew and 20 manuscripts in other languages).[50] Their digitization was achieved through the cooperation of Heidelberg University Library and theVatican Library.
The university library expands its publication services: The Heidelberg document server heiDOK is an open access platform for members of the university. The university bibliography heiBIB lists all academic publications by university members. In 2015, Heidelberg University founded the publishing house Heidelberg University Publishing – heiUP, which is part of the university library. The publisher releases quality-controlled scientific publications in open access.
The university is also represented by a liaison office in New York. Its main tasks include promoting existing collaborations, building up new networks, creating joint study programs, and maintaining and expanding academic contacts with American universities.[53]
The university has its own museum, in the main building of the old campus. Visitors are able to view the Great Hall (when not in use), and the former "student jail".[54]
TheRectorate is the 'executive body' of the university, headed by rector Prof. Dr. Frauke Melchior. The rectorate consists of thechancellor,Holger Schroeter, who is the head of the central administration and responsible for the university's budgeting, and three pro-rectors, who are responsible for international relations, teaching and communication, and research and structure respectively.
TheSenate is the 'legislative branch' of the university. The rector and the members of the rectorate are senatorsex officio, as are also thedeans of the faculties, as well as the medical and managing directors of theUniversity Hospital, and the university'sequal opportunities officer. Another 20 senators are elected for four-year terms, within the following quotas: eight university professors; four academic staff; four delegates of thestudent body; and four employees of the university administration.
TheUniversity Council is the advisory board to the aforementioned entities and encompasses, among others, the former Israeli Ambassador to GermanyAvi Primor, as well as CEOs of German industries.[55]
After a 2003 structural reformation, the university consists of 13faculties, which in turn comprise several disciplines, departments, and institutes. As a consequence of theBologna process, most faculties now offerBachelor's,Master's, andPh.D. degrees to comply with the new European degree standard. Notable exceptions are the undergraduate programs in law, medicine,dentistry andpharmacy, from which students still graduate with theState Examination, a central examination at Master's level held by the State of Baden-Württemberg.
The university has partnerships nationally and internationally. In particular, it maintains longstanding collaborations in research and education with the following independent research institutes located in and around Heidelberg:
The university employs more than 15,000 academic staff; most of them are physicians engaged in theUniversity Hospital.[58] As of 2008, the faculty encompasses 4,196 full-time staff, excluding visiting professors as well asgraduateresearch andteaching assistants. 673 faculty members have been drawn from abroad. Heidelberg University also attracts more than 500 international scholars as visiting professors each academic year. The university enrols a total of 28,949 students, including 5,276 international students.[7] In addition there are 1,467 internationalexchange students at Heidelberg. 23,636 students pursue taught degrees, 4,114 of whom are international students, and 919 are international exchange students. 4,114 students pursue adoctoral degree, including 1,444 international doctoral students and 15 internationalexchange students. In 2007, the university awarded 994PhD degrees.[41]
According to the funding report of theGerman Research Foundation (DFG) of 2018, which breaks down the grants from 2014 to 2016, the Heidelberg University ranked 2nd among German universities in the overall ranking, 7th inhumanities andsocial sciences and 4th among German universities in thelife sciences andnatural sciences. The approvals were normalised to the size of the university. In a competitive selection process, the DFG selects the best research projects from researchers at universities and research institutes and finances them. The ranking is thus regarded as an indicator of the quality of research.[65]
In theCWTS Leiden Ranking 2019 Heidelberg University is ranked 1st in Germany and 13th in Continental Europe over all sciences according to the scientific impact (number of publications in core journals). According to the indicator "Collaboration", Heidelberg University is 1st in Germany and 10th in Europe.[67]
Ranked by the number ofNobel Laureates affiliated with the university at the time of Nobel Prize announcement, Heidelberg was placed 1st in Germany, 4th in Europe and 13th in the world by 2013.[68]
The GermanCenter for Higher Education Development Excellence Ranking 2010, which measures academic performance of European graduate programs in biology, chemistry, economics, mathematics, physics, political sciences, and psychology, placed Heidelberg in the European excellence group for biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and psychology.[71]
Measured by the number of top managers in the German economy, Heidelberg University ranked 53rd in 2019.[72]
The academic year is divided into twosemesters. The winter semester runs from 1 October to 31 March and the summer semester from 1 April to 30 September. Classes are held from mid-October to mid-February and mid-April to mid-July. Students can generally begin their studies either in the winter or the summer semester. However, there are several subjects students can begin only in the winter semester. The standard time required to finish aBachelor's degree is principally six semesters, and a further four semesters for consecutiveMaster's degrees. The normal duration of PhD programmes for full-time students is 6 semesters. The overall period of study for an undergraduate degree is divided into two parts: a period of basic study, lasting at least four semesters, at the end of which students must sit a formalexamination, and a period of advanced study, lasting at least two semesters, after which students take their final examinations.[73]
In the winter-semester 2006/2007, the university offered 3,926 places in undergraduate programs restricted bynumerus clausus, with an overall acceptance rate of 16.3%.[74] Most selective are the undergraduate programs in clinical medicine, molecular biotechnology, political science, and law, with acceptance rates of 3.6%,[75] 3.8%,[74] 7.6%[76] and 9.1%[77] respectively. The selection is exercised by allocating the best qualified applicants to a given number of places available in the respective discipline, thus depending primarily on the chosen subjects and the grade point average of theAbitur or its equivalent. For some majors and minors in humanities—particularly for conceptually non-vocational like classics and ancient history—unrestricted admission is granted under certain criteria (e.g., relevant language proficiency), as applications regularly do not exceed the number of places available.
The University Library's collection includes theCodex Manesse, an important German song manuscript of the Middle Ages.
For prospective international undergraduate students, a language test for German—such as theDSH—is required. Admission to consecutive Master's programs always requires at least an undergraduate degree equivalent to the German grade "good" (i.e., normally B+ in American, or 2:1 in British terms). Except for the Master's programs taught in English, a language test for German must be passed as well. PhD admission prerequisite is normally a strong Master's-level degree, but specific admission procedures vary and cannot be generalized.[78] International applicants usually make up considerably more than 20% of the applicant pool and are considered individually by the merits achieved in their respective country of origin.[79]
The German state heavily subsidizes university study to keep higher education affordable regardless of socio-economic background.[80]From 2007 to 2012, Heidelberg has charged tuition fees of approximately €1,200 p.a. for undergraduate, consecutive Master's, and doctoral programs, for both EU and non-EU citizens, and for any subject area. However, from spring term 2012 onwards, tuition fees have been abolished.[81] The usual housing costs for on-campus dormitories range from €2,200 to €3,000 p.a.[82]
In the fiscal year 2005, Heidelberg University had an overalloperating budget of approximately €856 M, consisting of approximately €413 M government funds, approximately €311 M basic budget, and approximately €132 M from external grants. The university spent approximately €529 M in payroll costs and approximately €326 M in other expenditures.[83] Additionally, the university receives another €150 M in research grants, distributed over 5 years from 2012 onwards, due to theGerman Universities Excellence Initiative. In the fiscal year 2007, the university for the first time raised approximately €19 M through tuition fees, exclusively to further improve the conditions of study. Only approximately €9.5 M of these were spent at the end of the year and the rectorate had to urge the faculties to make use of their additional means.[84]
Today, the university puts an emphasis on natural sciences and medicine, but it retains its traditions with highly ranked faculties of humanities and social sciences. TheMarsilius Kolleg, named afterMarsilius of Inghen, was established in 2007 as a Center for Advanced Study to promote interdisciplinary dialogue and research especially between the sciences and the humanities.[93] Other institutes such as theInterdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, theInterdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences, theHeidelberg Center for American Studies, and theSouth Asia Institute also build a bridge between faculties and thus emphasize the concept of a comprehensive university.
TheGerman Research Foundation (DFG) currently funds twelve long-termCollaborative Research Centers (SFB) with a duration of up to 12 years at Heidelberg,[97] four Priority Programs (SPP) with a duration of six years, two Research Units (FOR) with a duration of up to six years, as well as numerous individual projects at the university's faculties and institutes.[98] As a result of theGerman Universities Excellence Initiative, two Clusters of Excellence are funded with €6.5 M each—"Cellular Networks: From Molecular Mechanisms to Quantitative Understanding of Complex Functions",[99] and"Asia and Europe in a Global Context".[100]
The university offers a broad variety of athletics, such as teams in 16 different court sports fromAmerican football to volleyball, courses in 11 different martial arts, 26 courses inphysical fitness andbody building, 9 courses in health sports from aquapower toyoga, and groups in 12 different dance styles. Moreover,equestrian sports,sailing,rowing,skiing in the French Alps, track and field, swimming,fencing,cycling,acrobatics, gymnastics, and much more. Most of the sports are free of charge.[103] Heidelberg's competition teams are particularly successful in soccer, volleyball, equestrian sports, judo, karate, track and field, and basketball. The University Sports Club men's basketball team,USC Heidelberg, is the championship record holder, won 13 national championships, and is the only university team playing at a professional level in thesecond division of Germany's national league.[104]
Moreover, the university supports a number of student groups in various fields of interest. Among them are four drama clubs, the university orchestraCollegium Musicum, four choirs, six student media groups, six groups of international students, nine groups of political parties and NGO's, several departments of European organizations of students in certain disciplines, four clubs dedicated to fostering international relations and cultural exchange, a chess club, a literature club, two debate societies (one focused on English debating, the other focused on German debating), one student consulting group, and four religious student groups. Student unions structure themselves as "Studierendenrat" (Student body council) as well as on department level.[105]
Heidelberg's student newspaper "ruprecht" is—with editions of more than 10,000 copies—one of Germany's largest student-run newspapers. It was recently distinguished by theMLP Pro Campus Press Award as Germany's best student newspaper. The jury of journalists from major newspapers commended its "well balanced, though critical attitude" and its "simply great" layout that "suffices highest professional demands." The ruprecht is financed entirely by advertising revenues, thus retaining independence from university management. Some renowned journalists emerged fromruprecht's editorial board.[106]
However, the critical online student newspaperUNiMUT, which is run by the joint student council of the faculties, criticized theruprecht often for being conformed, and exceedingly layout-oriented.[107]
Heidelberg is also home of Germany's oldest studentlaw reviewHeidelberg Law Review. The journal is published quarterly, at the beginning and end of each semester break, and is circulated throughout all of Germany.[108]
Heidelberg hosts 34 studentcorporations, which were largely founded in the 19th century. Corporations are to some extent comparable to thefraternities in the US. As traditional symbols (couleur) corporation members wear colored caps and ribbons at ceremonial occasions (Kommers) and some still practice the traditionalacademic fencing, a kind of duel, to "shape their members for the challenges of life." In the 19th and early 20th century, corporations played an important role in Germany's student life. Today, however, corporations include only a relatively small number of students. Their self-declared mission is to keep academic traditions alive and to create friendships for life. The corporations' often representative 19th-century mansions are present throughout the Old Town.
Heidelberg is not least famous for its student night life.[109] Besides the various parties regularly organized by the student councils of the faculties, the semester opening and closing parties of the university, the dormitory parties, and the soirées of Heidelberg's 34 student fraternities, the city offers night life for any taste and budget.[110]
In 1880Mark Twain humorously detailed his impressions of Heidelberg's student life inA Tramp Abroad. He painted a picture of the university as a school for aristocrats, where students pursued a dandy's lifestyle, and described the great influence the student corporations exerted on the whole of Heidelberg's student life.[111]
InBernhard Schlink's semi-autobiographical 1995 novelThe Reader, Heidelberg University is one of the main scenes of Part II. Nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman came to a mysterious end, Michael Berg, a law student at the university, re-encounters his former lover as she defends herself in a war-crimes trial, which he observes as part of a seminar. The university is also featured in theAcademy Award-winning 2008 film versionThe Reader, starringKate Winslet,David Kross andRalph Fiennes.[113][114]
The 1927 silent filmThe Student Prince in Old Heidelberg, based onWilhelm Meyer-Förster's playAlt Heidelberg (1903), starringRamón Novarro andNorma Shearer, continued Mark Twain's image of Heidelberg, showing the story of a German prince who comes to Heidelberg to study there, but falls in love with his innkeeper's daughter. Having been very popular in the first half of the 20th century, it presents the typical student life of the 19th and early 20th century, and it is today considered a masterpiece of the late silent film era.[115]MGM's 1954 color remakeThe Student Prince, featuring the voice ofMario Lanza, is based onSigmund Romberg'soperetta version of the story.[116] In 2000, a film namedAnatomy (film) withFranka Potente was set at Heidelberg and involved a secret society called the Anti-Hyppocratic Society.
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