Leucorea (old university) (010QR2)

Leucorea (old university)

In 1502, Elector Frederick II ‘the Wise’ founded a university in Wittenberg which became world-renowned under the name Leucorea (Greek for ‘white mount’, echoing the meaning of ‘Wittenberg’). Martin Luther began teaching theology there in 1512, while Philipp Melanchthon was appointed professor of Greek there in 1518.
Buildings dating back to this era include Altes Collegium (‘Old College’, built in 1503–05) and Neues Collegium (‘New College’, erected in 1509–19), better known as ‘Fridericianum’, on Collegienstrasse.
In 1842/43, the old university campus was converted into barracks.
The Leucorea Foundation was established in 1994 with the aim of reviving academic life in Wittenberg – the place where one of the most famous universities in Germany had been inaugurated nearly 500 years beforehand.