Heidelberg, University of
Heidelberg, University of, an institution of higher learning in Heidelberg, Germany. Its official name is Ruprecht-Karls-Universitt Heidelberg. It consists primarily of 18 faculties, or schools; an affiliated institute for Asian studies; and one of the nation's largest libraries. The oldest university in Germany, Heidelberg was founded in 1386 by Rupert I, Elector of the Palatinate. It probably reached greatest prominence during the Reformation in the late 16th century, when it was a center of humanism and Calvinist theology in Germany.