Goethe, Schiller, Hegel and Fichte have strongly influenced intellectual life at the university in Jena, which was founded in 1558. After German reunification, the university in the small Thuringian town was able to pick up on its long tradition and once again become an academic centre of international standing: 24,000 students are now studying in the town with 100,000 inhabitants. In addition to traditional humanities subjects, the university is now especially strong in fields such as medicine and pharmacy, in which it tops university rankings. Subjects like optical physics and clinically oriented neurosciences are also part of the research landscape in Jena.

FACTS

Students: 19,702

Foreign students: 951

Professors: 334

Departments: 10

Year of foundation: 1558

Population: 102,634