Next to the
Italian universities in Salerno (medicine since the 9th century) and
Bologna (1088) it was Paris (1200) which may be called one of the oldest
universities on the continent. Not much later however Salamanca (1134) in Spain.
Salamanca
University building 2014
Oxford and later
Cambridge (1209) in England followed. In Germany it was Heidelberg (1386) and,
after leaving Prague (1348), the masters and students founded Leipzig
University in 1409.
Leipzig
University modern campus 2014
Oxford
University is still very special because there is no date of foundation but
there was teaching since the end of the 11th century. In 1167 King
Henry II banned those English students who attended Paris University. The
colleges were founded to house, feed and teach students. The oldest colleges, University College,
Balliol and Merton, were founded between 1249 and 1264. Today there are 38
colleges and 6 permanent private [Christian] halls. In total ca 22.000
undergraduates and graduates students are studying at Oxford University. Oxford
Brookes, the former Oxford School of Art, founded in 1865, has another 17.000
students. So there are nearly 40.000
young people in an old city of 160.000 inhabitants.
I was happy to
attend two founder’s days within five years: In 2009 Leipzig University, of
which I ran the library for a while, celebrated its 600th birthday. This
year, 2014, Exeter College Oxford, forming the academic home of my wife,
celebrated its 700th birthday. What a wonderful day when the
procession, led by the chancellor of the University, Lord Patten, and Exeter
College Rector Frances Cairncross,
entered the Sheldonian Theatre to celebrate Founder’s Day on Friday 4 April
2014. Trumpet fanfare and organ music introduced the ceremony which ended with
everyone singing “Jerusalem”, the informal British national anthem which was
written by Hubert Parry, a member of the College.
Exeter College
Founder’s Day Procession 2014
Exeter College Quad [Inner Court] 2011
