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.
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 700thbirthday. 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
