Six hundred years: Heidelberg University--crisis and achievements

Throughout its 600 years, Heidelberg University has endured the social and political upheavals of history, repeatedly rising like a phoenix from the ashes of a series of disasters to fulfill its mission as a center of learning and research. Founded in 1386, and buffeted by wars, plaques, and diverse political and social systems ever since, the university has developed along lines determined as much by regional, European, and world politics as by the dynamics inherent in its disciplines. Its history may be divided into the following six historical phases: (1) the scholastic university of the late Middle Ages (1386-1556); (2) the Protestant university (1556-1685); (3) the Catholic university (1685-1807); (4) the university in the age of liberalism and nationalism (1803-1933); (5) the university during National Socialism (1933-1945); and (6) the contemporary university and its efforts to cope with the explosion of knowledge, steadily growing student numbers, and other problems related to growth, expansion, and diversification in all disciplines (1945 to the present).