Classical University Town Tübingen
Ancient and Famous Student Town with Cosmopolitan Flair in Swabia
Tübingen, a traditional university town with a medieval Old Town center, in Southern Germany lies on the river Neckar south of Stuttgart and northwest of the Swabian Alb.
The Swabian university town of 85,000 inhabitant and 22,000 students combines a meticulously restored medieval Old Town with the vibrant atmosphere of a cosmopolitan students' town.
Sidewalk cafes, wine taverns and pubs, fancy boutiques and unique specialty shops invite visitors to stroll and pause in old Tübingen's picturesque historic centre. The narrow, cobblestone paved alleys lined by half timber structures with pointed gables have been closed to motorized traffic for decades. This makes for a slower paced shopping experience aeons away from any regular mall. To complete the day taking a boat trip in a "Stocherkahn" – the boat exclusive to Tübingen navigated by a long wooden pole – offers a scenic view of the Neckar waterfront with the famous Hölderlin Tower.
Eberhard-Karls-University of Tübingen
Tübingen University, founded in 1477, is one of Germany's oldest public universities, internationally noted in medicine, natural sciences and the humanities. Since the city and the university grew together, it is not a "campus university". Most of the departments for the humanities are spread throughout the city center, while a new campus was built for the sciences in the 1970s at Morgenstelle just north of town.
It is often said that Tübingen does not have a university, but it is one. And so the town has become famous for the names of those who studied and taught here: the poet Friedrich Hölderlin, the philosophers Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Schelling and Ernst Bloch. Among Tübingen's eminent professors have been the astronomer Johannes Kepler, Joseph Ratzinger (currently Pope Benedict XVI), Hans Küng and Jürgen Moltmann, one of the world’s leading Protestant theologians.
The University of Tübingen was the first German university to establish a faculty of natural sciences in 1863. DNA was discovered here in 1868, and Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, Germany's first female Nobel Prize winner in medicine, leads the Genetics Department. With its 17 different hospitals and 37 specialty departments the University Hospital Tübingen is a centre for medical treatment of high standards renowned well beyond the borders of Germany.
Tübingen Sights
Hohentübingen Castle was first mentioned in 1078. Today it houses a museum and university institutes. Its Renaissance portal built around 1606 in the style of a Roman triumphal arch shows the emblem of the Duchy of Württemberg. High above Old Town it offers excellent views of the surrounding city, the Neckar and Ammer Valleys and the Swabian Alb.
Tübinger Stift , founded in 1536 by Duke Ulrich, is a Protestant Church seminary for Württemberg born students who want to become ministers. The Stiftskirche, a late Gothic structure from 1470, was one of the first churches to join Martin Luther's protestant reformation. Its tower, which is accessible from the choir loft, offers a wide view of the city.
Culture and Leisure
For a city of this size, the cultural scene is amazing, with two leading theaters, the Zimmertheater and the Landestheater (LTT), or state theater, and at least 17 choirs. The widely known Kunsthalle (Art Gallery) offers a range of exhibitions, concerts range from sacred music – the Motette of the Stiftskirche – to classical music, Jazz, Funkand Salsa. Special lecture series at the university compete with constant parties hosted by the student associations. Many authors reside here and the town is home to countless bookstores. Osiander's Bookstore was founded in 1596 and is one of Germany's oldest.
"Stocherkahnrennen" and other Swabian Specialties
Every June, there is a famous punt boat race (Stocherkahnrennen), a weird tradition in which more than 40 punting boats race on the Neckar. Whoever comes in last, has to drink half a litre of cod-liver oil. Many of the participants are members of Tübingen's student fraternities, but anybody with the strength, will and a rowing-boat is welcome to join in. The racers descend on the Neckar dressed up as Vikings, gladiators and Amazon tribesmen, while thousands of people watch.
"Maultaschen" (the Swabian version of Italian Ravioli) is a favorite local dish in Tübingen. The "Mauganeschtle", a cosy Swabian-Alemannic specialty restaurant near the Schloss, offers the greatest possible variety of "Maultaschen" and other delicacies. These little pasta pockets are delicious, despite the rumor that they were invented by bored cooks during lent to hide ground pork in spinach and a doughy shell.
Tübingen's location between two forests, the Swabian Jura (Schwäbische Alb) and the river Neckar make it a beautiful stop in south-west Germany. Its flair is comparable to cities like Heidelberg or Freiburg, although it is smaller than those cities.
From Stuttgart Airport take the 828 Sprinter Bus, bus schedules
The train from Stuttgart takes about 45min by IRE train or around 1hr by normal train. Coming from Frankfurt , the train will take about 2,5 hr with a change in Stuttgart.
Check Train Schedules here and click on the "international" tab for English pages.
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