On May 22, 2026, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz celebrates the 80th anniversary of its founding in 1946, shortly after the end of World War II. At the same time, we see this date as the starting point for preparations for the 550th anniversary of the founding of the University of Mainz – how do these two anniversaries fit together?
To find an explanation for these seemingly contradictory anniversaries, let’s take a look at their history. Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz is a young university with a long history. Despite its name, it was not founded in the late Middle Ages, but rather in 1946 on the initiative of the French occupying forces. Yet the tradition of university education in Mainz reaches much further back. As early as 1477, the Elector and Archbishop of Mainz, Diether von Isenburg, founded a university in Mainz. This so-called Old University of Mainz will celebrate its 550th anniversary in 2027.
This means that Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz has two founding years, each of which provides an occasion for its own anniversary celebrations: Accordingly, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to celebrate JGU’s 75th anniversary in 2021, with a major ceremonial event, an impressive commemorative publication, and a year filled with reflections. Five years earlier, the 70th anniversary was celebrated, and looking a bit further back, one also comes across the 500th anniversary of the Old University of Mainz in 1977.
To ensure that these anniversaries do not become mere routine or fade away in ceremonial splendor, it is worth taking a closer look: What exactly will be celebrated in 2027, and why? The 550-year history of the University of Mainz stands for the production of knowledge, societal change, political upheaval, cultural exchange, and a lived commitment to both science and society. The history of our university is inextricably intertwined with the history of the city of Mainz, the region, and far beyond.
Although the founding charter of the University of Mainz is dated 23 November 1476 and the Archbishop of Mainz, Diether von Isenburg, invited guests to the ceremonial opening on 1 October 1477, its history dates back even further. On 14 April 1476, Pope Paul II had already approved a formal petition (supplicatio) from the Elector of Mainz, which aimed at establishing a studium generale in the city. For already Diether von Isenburg’s predecessor, Archbishop Adolf II of Nassau (1461–1475), had attempted in the 1460s to establish a university in Mainz. At the newly founded university, 14 chairs were ultimately intended to cover the full scope of knowledge of the time: Theology, canon and civil law, medicine, and the liberal arts. Thus, the University of Mainz offered a range of disciplines that could easily stand comparison with those of other universities.
In the late 18th century, the ideals of the French Revolution – liberty, equality, and fraternity – also reached the University of Mainz. Some professors and students were inspired by them, including the writer, circumnavigator, and university librarian Georg Forster. What promised political renewal, however, had far-reaching institutional consequences. In the turmoil of the Revolutionary Wars, teaching came to a provisional end in 1798 after more than 300 years – only parts of the Old University of Mainz were to survive until its reopening.
The reopening on 22 May 1946, just a few months after the end of the war, took place under remarkable circumstances. Initially, a suitable location had to be found, as downtown Mainz lay largely in ruins. The solution was found in the southwest of Mainz: a former anti-aircraft barracks that housed most faculties of the newly established campus university. For a university, this was an unusual location. After all, the French military administration had explicitly assigned it a civilian mission: to help build a democratic society and promote international understanding. Thus, a place of war was transformed into a place of knowledge.
From the very beginning, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz was meant to serve as a place of German–French understanding. Between 1870 and 1945, the two countries fought three wars against each other and were long considered bitter hereditary enemies. From the earliest years of JGU, numerous French professors and visiting lecturers taught in Mainz. As early as the summer semester of 1947, the young university once again opened itself to the international academic community: An international summer course enabled German students, for the first time after the war, to engage in exchange with fellow students from other countries.
A full 550 years of history, one founding and one reopening, numerous wars and new beginnings, a former barracks and a modern campus, and countless ideas: The history of the University of Mainz is anything but linear – and precisely in that lies its appeal. For a university that has nothing to tell also has nothing to ask. And asking questions is, after all, what it is there for. When Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz was reopened in 1946, the French military administration assigned it a clear mission. It was intended not only to impart knowledge but also to contribute to the building of a democratic society – in a country that had just endured twelve years of National Socialist dictatorship and a devastating war. The refounding of the university was therefore more than a matter of education policy. It was an expression of hope for a new beginning – for openness, international understanding, and dialogue across national borders. Seen in this light, the two anniversaries form a shared history. One anniversary recalls the beginnings of university education in Mainz 550 years ago, the other commemorates the democratic reestablishment in 1946. Together, they tell the story of where the university comes from – and the mission that continues to define it today.
Robert Kohl, B.Ed.
Graduate assistant at the 2027 University Anniversary Coordination Office
