Hamburg University

University of Hamburg

Universität Hamburg
Latin: Universitas Hamburgensis
Motto	der Forschung, der Lehre, der Bildung
Motto in English	for Research, Teaching and Education
Type	Public
Established	1919; 98 years ago (1919)
Chancellor	Martin Hecht
President	Dieter Lenzen[]
Academic staff	3,630
Administrative staff	6,100
Students	42,106
Location	Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Campus	urban
Colours	Red and White
Affiliations	EUA, Campus Europae, German U15
Website	www.uni-hamburg.de
Data as of 2013[update]

The University of Hamburg (German: Universität Hamburg) is a comprehensive university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919, having grown out of the previous General lecture system (Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen) and the Colonial Institute of Hamburg (Hamburgisches Kolonialinstitut) as well as the Akademic Gymnasium. In spite of its relatively short history, six Nobel Prize Winners and serials of scholars are affiliated to the university. University of Hamburg is the biggest research and education institution in Northern Germany and one of the most extensive universities in Germany. The main campus is located in the central district of Rotherbaum, with affiliated institutes and research centres spread around the city state.

At the beginning of the 20th Century, wealthy individuals made several petitions to the Hamburg Senate and Parliament requesting the establishment of a university, however those were made to no avail. Although for a time, senator Werner von Melle supported the merger of existing institutions into one university, this plan failed because of the parliaments composition due to the effects of class voting. Much of the establishment wanted to see Hamburg limited to its dominant role as a trading center and shunned both the costs of a university and the social demands of the professors that would have to be employed.

Progress was made however, since proponents of a university founded the Hamburg Science Foundation (Hamburgische Wissenschaftliche Stiftung) in 1907 and the Hamburg Colonial Institute in 1908. The former institution supported the recruitment of scholars for the chairs of the General lecture system and funding of research cruises, and the latter was responsible for all education and research questions concerning overseas territories. In the same year, the citizenry approved a construction site on the Moorweide for the establishment of a lecture building, which opened in 1911 and later became the Main Building of the university. However, the plans for the foundation of the university itself had to be shelved, following the outbreak of the First World War.