The baroque main building of the Old University houses the University Museum on the first floor.
The museum allows visitors to experience six turbulent centuries of Heidelberg University history in three rooms:
Room A deals with the era of the Palatine electors from the founding of Germany's oldest university in 1386 to its transfer to Baden in 1803. Pictures and documents, some from the university archives and the Bibliotheka Palatina, describe economic foundations, everyday life, and highlights from research and teaching in the context of the history of the Electoral Palatinate.
Famous among connoisseurs of Gothic goldsmith's art are the sceptres of the university and the faculty of arts.
In the 19th century, Heidelberg became famous first for romanticism and then for natural sciences.
The protagonists and their accessories can be seen in room B. Here, the equipment developed by Helmholtz, Kirchhoff, and Bunsen for physical and chemical experiments stands out in particular. In 1886, the university celebrated its 500th anniversary with the participation of the Grand Ducal Family and the whole city, as some photos and documents show.
The 20th century, marked as elsewhere by the two world wars and great political upheavals, finally allowed women to attend the university.
Thus, in Room C, one encounters not only famous professors such as Max and Alfred Weber, Gustav Radbruch, or Karl Jaspers but also the politician Marianne Weber, the philosopher Hannah Arendt and the writer Anna Seghers.
A small special exhibition room rounds off the tour of activities at Heidelberg University with changing perspectives.
Room A deals with the era of the Palatine electors from the founding of Germany's oldest university in 1386 to its transfer to Baden in 1803. Pictures and documents, some from the university archives and the Bibliotheka Palatina, describe economic foundations, everyday life, and highlights from research and teaching in the context of the history of the Electoral Palatinate.
Famous among connoisseurs of Gothic goldsmith's art are the sceptres of the university and the faculty of arts.
In the 19th century, Heidelberg became famous first for romanticism and then for natural sciences.
The protagonists and their accessories can be seen in room B. Here, the equipment developed by Helmholtz, Kirchhoff, and Bunsen for physical and chemical experiments stands out in particular. In 1886, the university celebrated its 500th anniversary with the participation of the Grand Ducal Family and the whole city, as some photos and documents show.
The 20th century, marked as elsewhere by the two world wars and great political upheavals, finally allowed women to attend the university.
Thus, in Room C, one encounters not only famous professors such as Max and Alfred Weber, Gustav Radbruch, or Karl Jaspers but also the politician Marianne Weber, the philosopher Hannah Arendt and the writer Anna Seghers.
A small special exhibition room rounds off the tour of activities at Heidelberg University with changing perspectives.