Giessen University
With over 20,000 students, Justus Liebig University (JLU) Giessen is the heart of the city of Giessen and the second-biggest university in the state of Hesse. Its 11 departments provide an extraordinary degree of diversity in research and teaching, which has characterized JLU throughout its history.
Founded in 1607 by Count Ludwig V. of Hesse-Darmstadt (and then called "Ludoviciana"), Giessen University is among the traditional, well-established universities in German-speaking countries. The university's eventful history has seen suspension during the Thirty Years' War, destruction in 1944 and re-establishment in 1957, when it adopted the name of renowned chemist Justus Liebig.
Today Justus Liebig University (JLU) is the second-biggest university in the federal state of Hesse. It currently has over 20,000 students. This significant student population (which is further boosted by students from the local University of Applied Sciences) effectively shapes life in Giessen: Relative to its population of 75,000, the city boasts the highest number of students anywhere in Germany. In fact, every third person you'll meet in Giessen is likely to be a student!
At JLU, 11 departments plus ten research centres offer outstanding breadth and diversity in education. For instance, JLU not only features a unique line-up of subjects such as medical and veterinary sciences, environmental sciences, and nutrition and home economics. It also provides degree programmes in a full range of academic subjects, including the natural and social sciences, law, business administration and economics, as well as the arts and humanities. Teaching a wide variety of subjects and performing remarkably diverse research are thus the hallmarks of JLU.