Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn
As reported by Deutsche Welle, the anniversary celebration program officially launched at the end of January. The University of Bonn (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is loved not only by students from abroad but also by young scientists: among foreign researchers, it is the most popular university in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Today, 38,000 people study at the university. International students have taken a liking to the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn. Interestingly, 2018 evokes a sense of déjà vu. Exactly 10 years ago, in the winter semester of 2007/2008, the distribution of students by country of origin was exactly the same, down to one nuance.
The share of Germans in the total number remained at 86 percent. The picture for Chinese students also remained unchanged: 1.4 percent of the total. About 0.8 percent of foreign students with Turkish citizenship studied and still study in Bonn. The share of Ukrainians was about 0.4 percent.
But the only difference between the winter semesters of 2017/2018 and ten years ago is in the percentage of Italians and Russians. They seem to have swapped their figures of 0.4 and 0.7 percent of the total number of students. As a result, Russia left the top three, ceding third place to Italy.
A more detailed analysis showed that for four years Russia was in the top three in terms of the number of foreign students at the University of Bonn, and it lost to Italy in the winter semester of 2010/2011. But China has remained the undisputed leader in the number of foreign students in Bonn over the past decade.
On October 18, 1818, King of Prussia Friedrich Wilhelm III founded the second largest university. The Age of Enlightenment gave a powerful impetus to the development of the university. Despite losing the patronage of its founder a year after its opening, the university became a magnet for the best minds. In 1864, the world's largest institute of chemistry at that time was founded here. When in 1896 women gained the right to become free auditors at universities in Prussia, the University of Bonn admitted 16 young female students, among whom one was from England and another from America.
A difficult period came in the first half of the 20th century. World War I, the rise of the National Socialists to power in Germany, World War II. The famous Swiss-born theologian Karl Barth, who refused to swear an oath to the "Führer," was forced to leave the university and the country; the famous German writer Thomas Mann was stripped of his honorary doctorate in philosophy and later his citizenship. And the university has many such stories. Exactly 126 years after its founding, on October 18, 1944, the main building, along with the university hospital, library, and many research institutes, were reduced to ruins after a heavy bombing.
However, already in the first years after the war, active restoration work began at the university. And the academic process resumed in the winter semester of 1945/1946 in the occupied territory.
For its 200th anniversary, the University of Bonn prepared thoroughly, preserving the best traditions and focusing on innovation. 200 specialties, more than 4,000 graduates annually, two Nobel laureates – physicist Wolfgang Paul and economist Reinhard Selten – as well as Friedrich Nietzsche, Heinrich Heine, Karl Marx, who will forever be associated with the history of this Rhenish university.
Today, the University of Bonn, as 200 years ago, trains theologians, doctors, lawyers, mathematicians, computer scientists, and other sought-after specialists, offering bachelor's and master's degree programs.
As noted by University of Bonn student Victoria Shavlokhova, the university has many events for freshmen. "During orientation week, I had breakfast, a city tour, and a pub crawl! That's how you get to know in advance those you'll be sitting next to in lectures," says the 22-year-old student of Romance and English studies. So, if you decide to come to study at the University of Bonn, a gentle immersion is guaranteed.