Most of the people outside Germany, would rise the eyebrows when told about Greifwald, as in the majority of cases, this name doesn't say too much. If you are into academic histories though, in Germany and abroad, you may know that here is headquartered one of the four oldest universities in the country. The Greifswald University was founded in 1456, by approval of the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope. There are only three older universities in Germany: Heidelberg (1386), Leipzig (1409) and Rostock (1419). The first rector was Rathenow, who was also the mayor at the time, and whose memory is cherished by a square bearing his name in the front of the university offices in the central part of the town.
The University buildings, many of them massively restored with substantial state funding after the reunification of Germany - during the Cold War, Greifswald used to be part of the GDR - are spread all over the city. This typical for this part of the country, red-bricked buildings, are hosting the medical and scientific establishments. Since 2009, it also operates an university hospital.
Very often it is said that, in fact the urban structure of Greifswald developed around the university needs. Nowadays, around two thirds of the 12,000 students enrolled here are outside Pomerania, many of them outside of Germany. The university is traditionally part of the Nordic universities network and also hosts a chair of Baltic and Slavic studies.
As a consequence of the 30-Year War, this part of Germany was for around 200 years part of the Swedish rule. Thus, it become the oldest university under the Swedish rule. Besides the important teaching potential, Greifswald university has since 1614 the first centralised library in Germany.
Despite various political changes and religious challenges - the Reformation was introduced here since 1539 -, the great hall and other main buildings were largely preserved in its original form. The university also had various real estate and land properties, that were seriously diminished during the communist era. Its impressive art collection remains an important source of wealth and prestige.
In 1933, the Nazi government decided to name the university after the theologian Ernst Moritz Arndt, a name still hold nowadays. Arndt was a student here in 1791 and he taught later history here. Closed for a short time after the war, it was reopened on 15 February 1946. In 1999, it was one of the first universities in Germany to introduce the MA system according to the Bologna system. It operates 5 faculties: Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Medicine, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Theology.
