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 across three rooms:
Room A covers 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 ganied fame first for romanticism and later for the natural sciences.
Room B presents the protagonists and their equipment, notably the instruments developed by Helmholtz, Kirchhoff, and Bunsen for physical and chemical experiments. In 1886, the university celebrated its 500th anniversary, an event marked by the participation of the Grand Ducal Family and the entire city, as depicted in photos and documents.
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, visitors encounter not only famous professors like Max and Alfred Weber, Gustav Radbruch, and Karl Jaspers, but also the politician Marianne Weber, philosopher Hannah Arendt, and writer Anna Seghers.
A small special exhibition room rounds off the tour, offering changing perspectives on activities at Heidelberg University.
Room A covers 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 ganied fame first for romanticism and later for the natural sciences.
Room B presents the protagonists and their equipment, notably the instruments developed by Helmholtz, Kirchhoff, and Bunsen for physical and chemical experiments. In 1886, the university celebrated its 500th anniversary, an event marked by the participation of the Grand Ducal Family and the entire city, as depicted in photos and documents.
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, visitors encounter not only famous professors like Max and Alfred Weber, Gustav Radbruch, and Karl Jaspers, but also the politician Marianne Weber, philosopher Hannah Arendt, and writer Anna Seghers.
A small special exhibition room rounds off the tour, offering changing perspectives on activities at Heidelberg University.