Rostock, University of

Rostock, University of

 

one of the oldest universities in Europe. Founded in 1419, it was a center of education for northern Germany and the Scandinavian countries during the Middle Ages. From 1437 to 1443 the university was temporarily moved to Greifswald, and from 1487 to 1490 it was located in Wismar and Lübeck. In the 16th and 17th centuries it was a bastion of Lutheranism, but in the 18th and 19th centuries the university’s reputation as a great center of study waned. When the German Democratic Republic was formed, the University of Rostock became one of the leading higher educational institutions in the country.

As of 1974, the university comprised departments of mathematics and natural sciences, marine engineering, medicine, agriculture, and economics. The library contains more than 1.6 million volumes. In the 1973–74 academic year, enrollment exceeded 6,000, and there were more than 300 professors and instructors.