University of Erfurt

The University of Erfurt is one of the oldest universities in Germany.

History

The University of Erfurt was founded in 1392 as the third university in the territory which is now Germany; for some time it was the largest university in the country. When the town of Erfurt became part of Prussia in 1816 the university was closed.

Related Topics:
1392 - Germany - Prussia - 1816

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In December 1993 the Thuringian state parliament voted to reestablish the university, at the same time as dissolving the nearby Suhl university which had been opened only in 1985. The university was officially refounded on january 1 1994. Lectures began in the winter term from 1999 to 2000. Shortly afterwards, the rector who had overseen the founding, Peter Glotz, a politician in the SPD party, left the university. The position was taken over by Wolfgang Bergsdorf, a friend of Bernhard Vogel, Thuringia's Minister-president.

Related Topics:
1993 - Thuringia - Suhl - 1985 - January 1 - 1994 - 1999 - 2000 - Rector - Peter Glotz - SPD - Bernhard Vogel - Minister-president

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In 2001, the Erfurt University of Pedagogy (Pädagogische Hochschule Erfurt) became part of the university. This had been founded in 1969 and had trained teachers since 1990.

Related Topics:
2001 - 1969 - 1990

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On January 1 2003 a fourth faculty was added to the university in the form of the Catholic Theological Faculty, previously the Erfurt Philosophical and Theological Centre, Philosophisch-Theologisches Studium Erfurt.

Related Topics:
January 1 - 2003

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In 2003 a chronic lack of financing meant that there were many redundancies and that vacancies were left unfilled: this led to student protests all over Thuringia. The university management and committees were reformed and the situation was stabilised.

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Institutions of particular note are the Max Weber College for Cultural and Social Sciences and the Erfurt School of Public Policy, which is externally financed. The Erfurt-Gotha Research Library houses the famous Amploniana collection of scripts from the Middle Ages.

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