One Experiment, One University, One City
In 1654, German physicist Otto von Guericke conducted a public experiment before the Imperial Diet in Regensburg that sent shockwaves across Europe—he joined two copper hemispheres, each about 35 centimeters in diameter, and after evacuating the air from inside, had 16 horses divided into two teams pull on them; yet they were unable to separate the hemispheres. This is the famous “Magdeburg Hemispheres Experiment” in the history of science, which proved the existence of a vacuum to the world for the first time.
More than three hundred years later, Guericke’s hometown of Magdeburg named its most prestigious institution after him—Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, abbreviated as OVGU). It is not uncommon for a university to be named after a scientist, but naming a university dedicated to “creating new knowledge” after an experiment that “proved the existence of a vacuum” carries a symbolic significance that is thought-provoking. where can I get a University of Magdeburg Urkunde
Three Chapters of History, One Fusion
Unlike Germany’s ancient institutions, many of which boast histories spanning five or six centuries, OVGU is a very young university—officially founded in 1993—and is one of the youngest universities in Germany.
However, “young” does not mean “immature.” OVGU was formed through the merger of three academic institutions with much longer histories: one of its predecessors was the Magdeburg School of Mechanical Engineering, founded in 1871, which later evolved into the Technical University of Magdeburg; the other two were the Magdeburg University of Education and the Magdeburg Medical School. In 1993, the three institutions merged, and OVGU was officially established.
In 1994, just one year after its founding, OVGU established two collaborative research centers—one in the field of medicine and one in mechanical engineering. In 1996, the School of Computer Science launched Germany’s first national degree program in “Computational Visualistics.” In 1997 and 1999, Professor Ingo Rehberg of Experimental Physics and Professor Hans-Christian Pape of Neurophysiology were successively awarded Germany’s highest research honor—the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize. In 2005, Europe’s first 7-tesla ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner went into operation at a research center jointly established by the university and the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology.
In less than fifteen years, OVGU has made the leap from a “new university” to a “leading university.”
International Students: A Welcoming Culture
OVGU is very welcoming to international students. Like most public universities in Germany, most degree programs are tuition-free; students are only required to pay a semester contribution fee, which includes a Germany-wide semester ticket.
The university offers a comprehensive “Welcome Week” (International Welcome Week) for international freshmen, covering language and cultural orientation as well as information on daily life. The International Student Office and Campus Service Center provide full support, ranging from course selection advice to housing arrangements. The university has also launched the “Welcome to OVGU” mobile app to help new students quickly get acquainted with campus life.
Magdeburg: An Underrated City
Magdeburg is the capital of Saxony-Anhalt and boasts a history spanning over 1,200 years. The city is just a 50-minute train ride from the capital, Berlin. As a transportation hub in central Germany, Magdeburg boasts a well-developed network of roads, waterways, and one of Europe’s densest rail networks. Compared to major cities like Berlin and Munich, Magdeburg has a lower cost of living and relatively abundant student housing options—a significant advantage for international students concerned about living expenses.
