Heidelberg facts
Student Life in Heidelberg
From the student jail to the dueling fraternities, from the Schnookeloch tavern to the Untere Straße: more than 600 years of studying in Heidelberg.
More than 600 years of studying in Heidelberg
Ever since the university was founded in 1386, students have shaped the look and feel of Heidelberg. Over the centuries a student culture of its own grew up here, from the fencing and non-fencing fraternities and corps to the traditional taverns where generation after generation has celebrated.
One famous piece of evidence sits in the Old Town: the Studentenkarzer, a historic student jail where students were locked up for minor offenses and covered the walls from floor to ceiling with inscriptions and drawings. Today it is a well-visited museum.
Around the Untere Straße and the alleys of the Old Town, a dense network of pubs and cafés survives to this day. Long-standing establishments such as the Schnookeloch have belonged to student Heidelberg for ages, and it is exactly that blend of history and living student life that gives the city its particular character.
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