Kiel University, officially the Christian-Albrecht University of Kiel, (german: link=no, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a public research university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the ''Academia Holsatorum Chiloniensis'' by

Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Christian Albert (, Gottorp – , Gottorp) was a duke of Holstein-Gottorp and bishop of Lübeck. Biography Christian Albert was a son of Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, and his wife Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxony. He became duk ...

and has approximately 27,000 students today. It is the largest, oldest, and most prestigious university in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Until 1866, it was not only the northernmost university in Germany but at the same time the 2nd largest university of Denmark. Faculty, alumni, and researchers of Kiel University have won 12 Nobel Prizes. Kiel University has been a member of the German Universities Excellence Initiative since 2006. The Cluster of Excellence The Future Ocean, which was established in cooperation with the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in 2006, is internationally recognized. The second Cluster of Excellence "Inflammation at Interfaces" deals with chronic inflammatory diseases. The Kiel Institute for the World Economy is also affiliated with Kiel University. The university has a great reputation for its focus on public international law. The oldest public international law institution in Germany and Europe – the Walther Schuecking Institute for International Law – is based in Kiel.

History

Founding of the University in Kiel

The origins of the university in Kiel trace back to the increasing need for well-educated priests during the Reformation. Additionally, the growing involvement of citizens in significant administrative roles contributed to the idea of establishing a university in the duchies. However, wars in the early 17th century and political conflicts between dukes and the king initially delayed these plans. Eventually, Duke Friedrich III commissioned his son, Christian Albrecht, to advance the founding of the university. In 1660, Christian Albrecht succeeded in realizing these plans and selected Kiel as the university's location. On October 5, 1665, the university was inaugurated under the name ''Christiana Albertina'' in a former Franciscan monastery with four lecture halls and a library. At that time, 17 professors taught theology, medicine, law, and the liberal arts.

Periods of Growth and Stagnation

A significant growth period for the university occurred a century later under Russian Empress

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

, from whom it received its colors, purple and white. Following the unification of the duchies in 1773, the university continued to flourish as the northernmost German and southernmost Scandinavian university. Nearly 100 years later, the university's development stagnated, particularly after Schleswig-Holstein became part of Prussia. From 1870, student numbers began to rise again, and 38 years later, women were also admitted.

During and after WWII

During the Nazi regime starting in 1933, the university experienced

Gleichschaltung The Nazi term () or "coordination" was the process of Nazification by which Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party successively established a system of totalitarian control and coordination over all aspects of German society and societies occupied b ...

, the expulsion of Jewish professors, and the persecution of dissenters. In World War II, many buildings were destroyed by Allied air raids, including the university library in 1942.

Post-War Reconstruction and Expansion

With the support of the British, teaching resumed as early as November 1945, initially on ships. In the 1960s, a new campus was developed on the Kiel Westring. The student protests of the late 1960s led to a modernization of the university's structure. The campus was expanded in 1972 with buildings on Olshausenstraße and new sports facilities, and in 1991, the Faculty of Engineering opened in Kiel-Gaarden. The number of students steadily increased and now stands at about 25,000 to 30,000. The Christian-Albrecht University has not only become an internationally respected university but also one of the largest employers in Kiel.

Faculties

Christian-Albrechts-Universität currently consists of the following eight faculties: *Faculty of Theology *Faculty of Law *Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences *Faculty of Medicine *Faculty of Arts and Humanities *Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences *Faculty of

Agricultural Science Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Profession ...

and Nutrition *Faculty of Engineering

Notable people

Alumni

:''See also :University of Kiel alumni'' *

Franz Boas Franz Uri Boas (July 9, 1858 – December 21, 1942) was a German-American anthropologist and a pioneer of modern anthropology who has been called the "Father of American Anthropology". His work is associated with the movements known as historical ...

(1858–1942), anthropologist * Alice Bota (born 1979), journalist *

Georg von Dadelsen Georg may refer to: * ''Georg'' (film), 1997 * Georg (musical), Estonian musical * Georg (given name) * Georg (surname) George is a surname of Irish, English, Welsh, South Indian Christian, Middle Eastern Christian (usually Lebanese), French, o ...

(1918–2007), musicologist, '' Neue Bach-Ausgabe'' *

Matthias von Davier Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. People Notable people named Matthias include the following: In religion: * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Iscariot * ...

, psychometrician, academic, inventor, and author * Gerhard Domagk, bacteriologist, Nobel laureate *

Andre Franke Andre Franke, born on 16 October 1978, is a geneticist, academic, and university professor. He is a Full W3 Professor of Molecular Medicine at the Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, and a managing director at the Institute of Clinical Molec ...

, geneticist *

Maren Gaulke Maren may refer to: * Maren (name), includes a list of people who have the given name and surname * Maren, Netherlands * Maren (energy management system) * The Groovy Girls Groovy Girls were a line of fashion dolls manufactured by the American t ...

(born 1955), herpetologist *

Johanna Hellman Johanna Hellman (c. 14 June 1889 – 1982) was a female German and Swedish surgeon. She was the first female to be a member of the German Society for Surgery and contributed to surgical advancements in Germany and Sweden. Education and career Jo ...

(1889–1982), surgeon *

Mareile Höppner Mareile Höppner (born 12 May 1977) is a German television presenter and journalist. Life Born in Hamburg, Höppner is the daughter of two schoolteachers and grew up in Lübeck. She gained her ''Abitur'' from a high school called the ''Johanneu ...

, television presenter * Doris König, current judge of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany * Wolfgang Kubicki, politician, vice chairman of the FDP in Germany, from 1992 to 1993 and since 1996 he is faction leader of the FDP in the Landtag, the parliament of Schleswig-Holstein, member of the Bundestag *

Oswald Pohl Oswald Ludwig Pohl (; 30 June 1892 – 7 June 1951) was a German SS functionary during the Nazi era. As the head of the SS Main Economic and Administrative Office and the head administrator of the Nazi concentration camps, he was a key figure in ...

(1892–1951), Nazi SS officer executed for war crimes *

Viktoria Schmidt-Linsenhoff Viktoria Schmidt-Linsenhoff (21 August 1944 – 14 February 2013) was a German art historian and professor with particular research interest in the fields of gender studies and postcolonial studies. Early life and education Viktoria Schmidt-Linsen ...

(1944–2013), German art historian and professor * Gerhard Stoltenberg, politician, former prime minister of Schleswig-Holstein, former finance minister of Germany * Peer Steinbrück, politician, former prime minister of North Rhine Westphalia, former finance minister of Germany *

Erich Walter Sternberg Erich Walter Sternberg ( he, אריך ולטר שטרנברג; May 31, 1891, in Berlin – December 15, 1974, in Tel Aviv) was a German-born Israeli composer. He was one of the founders of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.Hirshberg: ''Music in t ...

, composer * Sibylle Kessal-Wulf, current judge of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, Germany's highest court * Surya Hermawan, lecturer at Petra Christian University, Indonesia

Academics

Nobel Prize winners

Rankings

Kiel University is recognized in several university ranking systems. According to the 2024 '' QS World University Rankings'', the institution is globally positioned at 530 and holds the 33rd place nationally. In the 2024 ''THE World University Rankings'', it is placed within the 301–350 bracket worldwide and ranks between 32nd and 33rd nationally. The ''ARWU World Rankings'' for 2023 presents the university within the global 201–300 range, while its national rank is within the 10th to 19th positions.

Academic publishing

* The Ethnographisch-Archaeologische Zeitschrift (EAZ) is an

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

journal dedicated to the study of human societies from prehistory to the present day by bridging archaeology, anthropology, and philosophy and addressing topics like social inequality, climate change, and

indigenous sovereignty Indigenous rights are those rights that exist in recognition of the specific condition of the Indigenous peoples. This includes not only the most basic human rights of physical survival and integrity, but also the rights over their land (inc ...

. The EAZ was founded in 1960 as the successor to the publication series ''Ethnographisch-Archäologische Forschungen'', which was published from 1953 to 1959.Otto, Karl-Heinz (1960). "Editorial". ''EAZ – Ethnographisch-Archäologische Zeitschrift'' . 1 (1): 2. First published at Humboldt University Berlin in 1960, the EAZ later moved to Leipzig in 2010, and since 2023 it is published at Kiel University.

Points of interest

* Botanischer Garten der Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, the university's botanical garden

Gallery

File:Universitätsbibliothek CAU Leibniz-Straße Luftaufnahme.jpg, "Some shine when you read them" - Aerial photograph of the University Library of the CAU on Leibniz Street File:Luftaufnahme IPN.jpg, The Leibniz Institute for the Education in Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Olshausenstraße File:Luftaufnahme ZBM Botanischer Garten.jpg, The Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ZMB) of the CAU at the Botanical Garden File:Luftaufnahme Leibniz-Straße Institute Universitätsbibliothek Mensa.jpg, Leibniz-Straße-based institutes, the cafeteria and the university library File:Luftaufnahme Otto-Hahn-Platz Max-Eyth-Straße Chemie Anatomie Biochemie.jpg, The Otto-Hahn-Platz and the Max-Eyth-Straße with the various chemical institutes and the Anatomical Institute File:Luftaufnahme CAU Kiel Sportstätten Institut Sportwissenschaft.jpg, The sports facilities and the Institute of Sports Science of the CAU File:Luftaufnahme Botanischer Garten CAU Kiel.jpg, The grounds of the botanical garden of the CAU Kiel File:Schaugewächshäuser Botanischer Garten CAU Kiel.jpg, The greenhouses of the Botanical Garden of the CAU

Holstein Study Award

CAU's most renowned award is the Holstein Study Award (Holsteiner Studienpreis), which is awarded to the university's top three students each year since 2001. The award's criteria include extraordinary academic achievements, a broad intellectual horizon and political or social involvement. It is endowed with a prize money of €500 for the 2nd and 3rd prize and €1000 for the 1st prize. The Holstein Study Award is funded by the association 'Iuventus Academiae Holsatorum'. The award's expert jury includes professors of various faculties and the prizes are awarded by the university's president or vice-president in a formal ceremony in the top floor of the skyscraper on campus.

References

External links

*
Kiel University International Affairs

Students' Association at Kiel University
{{Authority control Universities and colleges in Schleswig-Holstein University Educational institutions established in the 1660s 1665 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire